The Process Of Centrifugal Pump Maintenance

The centrifugal pumps are rotodynamic pumps that are put to use for various purpose. These pumps are like every other piece of machinery in the sense that they too call for maintenance. For centrifugal pump maintenance, you need to equip yourself with the right information and should know of the steps involved in the process.

Before you actually start off with the maintenance job, there are a few things that you need to do. First and foremost you need to put on at least the minimum safety equipment required i.e. the side shield safety glass. Once you have gathered all the tools and the material needed, you need to request a safe work permit.

The process of Maintenance of the pump can be put in a few basic steps. These include removing the pump, disassembling the pump, maintaining the pump and the finally reassembling the pump. It is only if you carefully follow each of these steps that you will be able to maintain your pump successfully.

To begin removing the pump, start with removing and disassembling the coupling. Then disconnect all the necessary tubing and piping. The stiffing box glands and packing needs to be loosened and removed. You also need to drain the fluid from the bearing housing. After this you need to remove the Dowel pins, Casing belts, Upper half casing, and cap screws.

Now that you have successfully removed the pump, it is time too disassemble it. To disassemble the pump remove the coupling followed by the bearing housings, bearings and cap screws. Then you need to slide the bearing housings off the bearings. Continue by removing the Bearing locknuts, Lockwashers, Bearings, Adapters, Oil rings and covers. Take note of the rotational direction and the distance between the thrust bearing journal to the impeller. Loosen the setscrews followed by removing the Shaft sleeve nuts, Shaft sleeves, and casing rings.

After disassembling, it's time to check for the maintenance of the pump. Begin by cleaning all the parts. Then there are certain things that you need to check for. Check for any wear and tear in any part. Ensure that the sleeves are fit correctly on the shaft. Check if all the threads, the bearing journals and the coupling hub have a proper fit. Also ensure for proper clearances in the wear rings. Make certain about the fit of the casing rings. See if there is any part that you need to replace.

Now that you have maintained the pump, carefully reassemble and then reinstall it back to ensure successful centrifugal pump maintenance. The process of maintaining the pump is simple, though it requires a bit of an effort. So now you can go ahead and maintain your pump on your own.