Pumps
Pumps have been through the process design always overdimensioned in relation to the safety factor. At the time of the design, the exact operating conditions are unknown. 75% of alle pumps are minimum 20% to large (Fraunhofer Institute). Furthermore, there are often implemented process optimization after installation. Result is usually that the pump is not working in its optimum operating point. With Zytec coupling you can now easily optimise your pump immediately after commissioning.
Keeping pumps operating successfully for long periods of time requires careful pump design selection, proper installation, careful operation, the ability to observe changes in performance over time, and in the event of a failure, the capacity to thoroughly investigate the cause of the failure and take measures to prevent the problem from re-occurring. Pumps that have been: properly sized, are dynamically balanced, that sit on stable foundations with good shaft alignment, with proper lubrication, where operators start, run, and stop the machinery with care and where the maintenance personnel observe for unhealthy trends that begin to appear and act on them usually never experience a catastrophic failure.
This is true with a large percentage of pumping systems but, it is definitely not true with all of them. Frequently pumps are asked to operate way off their best efficiency point, or are perched on unstable baseplates, or run under moderate to severe misalignment conditions, or were lubricated at the factory and never see another drop until the bearings seize, and vibrate to the point where bolts come loose. When the unit finally stops pumping, new parts are thrown on the machine and the deterioration process starts again with no conjecture as to why the failure occurred.
Recently a supervisor at a pharmaceutical company who has been trained in root cause failure analysis stated that when a failure occurs on a piece of machinery it should be treated as a police crime scene where corrective action is not initiated until all the evidence is gathered by the scientific crime lab personnel to find the primary source of the malady. Until the real criminal is apprehended and banished, the crime is most likely to occur again and again. Take a moment to reflect on how many times you and your organization have thoroughly investigated a failure until you found the primary cause(s).
It becomes now possible to design a system preventing the cause of failure. With a magnetic coupling you can make your overall installation more robust and reliable.