10 WAYS TO KILL YOUR PUMP

• Sherman Wu – Viking Pump

• Stephen Blyth – Viking Pump

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Presenters
Sherman Wu Senior Applications Engineer for Viking Pump Canada
with 19 years experience in positive displacement
pumps
Stephen Blyth Calgary Engineering/BC District Manager for Viking
Pump Canada; 20 years in the positive displacement
pump market.

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The twin gear pump unit below
delivered over 8 million gallons
of fuel oil during its lifespan.

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What determines the life of a pump?

• Design
• Materials of construction
• Application
• Misuse and abuse

This presentation will highlight the 10 most common

ways to kill your pump. Conversely, it will also outline
countermeasures you could implement should you want
long pump life and reduced downtime.

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5
 10 Ways to Kill Your Pump
1. Death by Debris

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 Death by Debris
While many gear pumps can be properly fitted
to handle fine abrasives, they’re not well suited
to handling large foreign objects like:
Hand Tools Rags Zip Ties Safety Glasses Wires
Bolts Dead Animals Weld Rods Rocks Flashlights

Large foreign particulate may lock the pump (at

best) or may lead to catastrophic failure. Either
way this may be the fastest way to kill a gear
pump.

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 Death by Debris Example

Cause of Death:
• A wire brush fell into a
tank and was sucked
into the pump.

Result:
• The pump locked up.
• Downtime to open the
pump and remove the
foreign object.

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 Death by Debris Example
Cause of Death:
• A nail was in the process
line at startup and was
sucked into the pump.

Result:
• The nail pierced the
composite idler gear,
shattering the part.
• Catastrophic failure and
downtime

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 Preventing Death by Debris

In each of the previous examples the customer

refused to install a strainer because they were
“sure” their process contained no foreign solids.
Foreign solids like these are common and are found
in new and old systems alike.
Strainers are the best and most reliable option to
ensure that large foreign solids do not enter the
pump. The size of solids allowed is known and
controlled.

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 Preventing Death by Debris

In addition to installing
the strainer, it should
be checked and
cleaned regularly as
part of the
preventative
maintenance process.

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 10 Ways to Kill Your Pump
1. Death by Debris
2. Death by Improper Installation

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 Death by Improper Installation
Gear pumps are robust. They will tolerate some
misalignment, pipe strain, and vibration without
significant impact to the service life.

However, severe improper installation can lead to

shortened pump life and in rare cases, immediate
part failure.

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Death by Improper Installation Example

Cause of Death:
• Severe shaft
misalignment.

Result:
• Coupling failure
• Shaft failure
• Bearing failure

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Death by Improper Installation Example

Cause of Death:
• Severe misalignment
of the pillow block
bearing

Result:
• The pump seized
frequently.
• Excessive internal
wear

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Death by Improper Installation Example

Cause of Death:
• Severe pipe strain

Result:
• The pump casing
cracked under the
load.
• Asphalt leakage
occurred due to the
crack.

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Preventing Death by Improper Installation

• First, make sure the unit has a firm and level

foundation.
• Align the pipes to the pump. Do not force
pipes to line up with the ports.
• Once the pump and pipes are aligned, align
the drive to the pump. Precision alignment is
always recommended. The faster the pump is
run, the more critical the alignment.

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 10 Ways to Kill Your Pump
1. Death by Debris
2. Death by Improper Installation
3. Death by Starvation (NPSH)

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 Death by Starvation
Gear pumps will operate successfully at a moderate
vacuum. Too little pressure at the inlet port however and
they can start to cavitate (insufficient NPSH).

Cavitation symptoms include:

• Noise
• Loss of capacity
• Erratic gauges
• Vibration
• Localized pitting of the pump internals

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 Death by Starvation Example
Cause of Death:
• Inadequate NPSHA (net
positive suction head
available) leading to
cavitation

Result:
• Pitting of the pump
internals including the
faces of the gears, roots of
the gear teeth, and
discharge side of the head.

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 Preventing Death by Starvation
• Monitor the inlet conditions with a suction gauge
or transducer to ensure adequate inlet pressure.
• Slow the pump if cavitation starts.
• Improve the NPSHA (net positive suction head) in
your system.
– Larger inlet pipes
– Reduce the inlet pipe length
– Control the liquid temperature
– Control the liquid level in the supply tank

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 10 Ways to Kill Your Pump
1. Death by Debris
2. Death by Improper Installation
3. Death by Starvation (NPSH)
4. Death by Dry Run

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 Death by Dry Run
Gear pumps can run dry short term with little to
no damage. Reasons to do this would include:
• Checking rotation as part of startup procedure
• Priming
• Clearing the line from loading or unloading

Long term dry run can result in shortened seal

life or wear to shafts, pins, and bushings.

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 Death by Dry Run Example

Cause of Death:
• Lack of lubricity / dry
run

Result:
• Rapid wear of
bushings, pins, and
shafts.
• Frequent seal failures

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 Preventing Death by Dry Run

Devices and Controls Commonly Employed to

Prevent Dry Run:
• Flow Meters / Flow Sensors
• Pressure Transducers
• Motor Power Monitors
• Liquid Tank Level Sensors or Scales

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 10 Ways to Kill Your Pump
1. Death by Debris
2. Death by Improper Installation
3. Death by Starvation (NPSH)
4. Death by Dry Run
5. Death by Over-speed & Over-pressure

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Death by Over-speed & Over-pressure
In many applications pumps may be run over
catalog rated speeds OR over catalog rated
pressures, but doing both can result in rapid
failure.
F

V
L

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Death by Over-speed & Over-pressure Example

Cause of Death:
• Significant over-pressure
overloading the thrust
bearings of the pump.

Result:
• Premature bearing
failure allowed the rotor
to thrust into the head of
the pump, failing the
pump.

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Death by Over-speed & Over-pressure Example

Cause of Death:
• Significant over-
pressure bending
shaft

Result:
• Rotor to head contact
wear (on suction side)
and eventual shaft
fatigue failure.

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Preventing Death by Over-speed & Over-pressure

For controlling speed:

• VFD Controls properly set and protected.

For controlling pressure:

• Properly set relief valves
• Proper monitoring of gauges or pressure
transducers
• Power monitoring

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 10 Ways to Kill Your Pump
1. Death by Debris
2. Death by Improper Installation
3. Death by Starvation (NPSH)
4. Death by Dry Run
5. Death by Over-speed & Over-pressure
6. Death by Deadheading

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 Deadheading a PD Pump
Centrifugal pumps are pressure creating
machines, resulting in varying flow over a
narrow range of pressures.

0 Flow, Shut Off Head

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 Deadheading a PD Pump
Positive Displacement pumps are flow creating
machines, maintaining consistent flow over a
wide range of pressures.

Consistent Flow Regardless of Pressure

0 Flow, Shut Off Head

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 Death by Deadhead Example

Cause of Death:
• Deadhead

Result:
• Burst hose or pipe
• Coupling failure
• Shaft failure or other
pump failure

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 Preventing Death by Dead Head
Relief valves must be installed
anywhere where the system can be
isolated and over pressure may
occur. This may include system
valves and/or a pump-mounted
internal relief valve.

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 10 Ways to Kill Your Pump
1. Death by Debris
2. Death by Improper Installation
3. Death by Starvation (NPSH)
4. Death by Dry Run
5. Death by Over-speed & Over-pressure
6. Death by Deadheading
7. Death by Full Bypass

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 Relief Valve Operation
An internal relief valve or other pressure limiting
device should be used to help protect the
system from over pressure.

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Running the Relief Valve in Full Bypass

Running a relief valve in full bypass long term

can be detrimental to the pump or system. This
can cause heating of the pump and product and
may also cause accelerated wear to the pump
due to the higher pressures.

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 Relief Valve Full Bypass Example

Cause of Death:
• Frequent full bypass
of relief valve

Result:
• Heat
• Reduction of liquid
lubricity
• Wear

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Preventing Death by Relief Valve Full Bypass

• Relief valves should not be opening as part of

normal pump operation.
– Make sure the setting is adequately high to keep
the valve from opening under normal pump
operation.
• Minimize full bypass frequency and duration.
– Gauges
– Monitor the Power, Pressure, Temperature and/or
Flow

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 10 Ways to Kill Your Pump
1. Death by Debris
2. Death by Improper Installation
3. Death by Starvation (NPSH)
4. Death by Dry Run
5. Death by Over-speed & Over-pressure
6. Death by Deadheading
7. Death by Full Bypass
8. Death by Changing Conditions

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 Changing the Service Conditions
• Gear pumps are very versatile and cover a wide
range of operating conditions:
– Viscosities from <1 cSt to >1,000,000 cSt
– Temperatures from -120°F to >750°F
– Corrosive or Abrasive liquids
• This does NOT mean that a single pump
construction will support all applications.
• Sometimes service condition changes are
necessary due to process changes or applying
pumps to new services.

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Changing the Service Conditions

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Death by Changing Conditions Example

Cause of Death: Before

• Adding corrosive to
liquid

Result:
• Corrosion to pump
internals
• Severe loss of capacity
and eventual failure AFTER

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Death by Changing Conditions Example

Cause of Death:
• Changing the liquid
viscosity from thick
to water-thin

Result:
• Stainless steel idler
galled, resulting in
wear and lost flow.

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Preventing Death by Changing Service Conditions

• Always consult with your distributor or the

pump manufacturer before changing the
operating conditions.
– Reference the serial number
– Have all minimum and maximum limits defined
• If the pump is to be used for multiple liquids,
provide all liquids and operating conditions.

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 10 Ways to Kill Your Pump
1. Death by Debris
2. Death by Improper Installation
3. Death by Starvation (NPSH)
4. Death by Dry Run
5. Death by Over-speed & Over-pressure
6. Death by Deadheading.
7. Death by Full Bypass
8. Death by Changing Conditions
9. Death by Failure to Maintain

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 Death by Skipping Maintenance Example

Cause of Death: Before

• Failure to grease
bearings.

Result:
• Break down of the
grease’s lubricating
property
• Bearing failure AFTER

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 Preventative Maintenance
Pump Type Preventative Maintenance Required
Gear Pumps Sometimes none, but some require periodic greasing of
bearings or seal chambers
Lobe Pumps Periodic greasing and/or oil condition monitoring and
replacement
Vane Pumps Periodic monitoring of the condition of the vanes
Pumps with Double Barrier fluid condition monitoring and periodic replacement
Seals

Following recommended preventative

maintenance procedures and intervals can help
to prevent costly down time and failures down
the road.

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 10 Ways to Kill Your Pump
1. Death by Debris
2. Death by Improper Installation
3. Death by Starvation (NPSH)
4. Death by Dry Run
5. Death by Over-speed & Over-pressure
6. Death Deadheading
7. Death by Full Bypass
8. Death by Changing Conditions
9. Death by Failure to Maintain
10. Death by Run to Failure

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Run to Failure

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 Run to Failure
• Monitoring conditions of the system and
pump can help to prevent catastrophic failures
and costly downtime. These can include:
– Flow rate
– Pressure (in and out)
– Temperature
– Noise
– Vibration
– Power consumption

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 Death by Run to Failure Example

Cause of Death:
• Run to failure without
valve or controls

Result:
• Pump ran overpressure
• Pin and bushing wear
went undetected,
resulting in idler and
head wear

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Preventing Death by Run to Failure
• Continuous monitoring
• Periodic Inspections (pump inspection reports)

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 10 Ways to Kill Your Pump

1. Death by Debris
2. Death by Improper Installation
3. Death by Starvation (NPSH)
4. Death by Dry Run
5. Death by Over-speed & Over-pressure
6. Death by Deadheading
7. Death by Full Bypass
8. Death by Changing Conditions
9. Death by Failure to Maintain
10. Death by Run to Failure

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