ANSI is an acronym used to describe the American National Institute Pump Standard. The standard evolved from the American Voluntary Standard (AVS) that was first proposed by the Manufacturing Chemists Association in the nineteen fifties. It is a set of inch dimensional standards that describe the envelope dimensions of a back pull out, centrifugal pump.

A pump’s efficiency can degrade as much as 10% to 25% before it is replaced, according to a study of industrial facilities commissioned by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and efficiencies of 50% to 60% or lower are quite common. However, because these inefficiencies are not readily apparent, opportunities to save energy by repairing or replacing components and optimizing systems are often overlooked.

Consumers use the term “flushing” to describe six different methods of bringing fluid to the stuffing box area of a centrifugal pump. Experienced seal people use different terms to differentiate between the methods.

In industry, power consumption in the manufacturing environment accounts for approximately one-third of all energy consumed annually in the U.S. In the enclosed-gearing industry, questions, such as “how efficient is product X,” are becoming increasingly common. Several factors influence how efficiency is lost during the operation of the gearbox system. Let’s get started and first take a look at the effect oil seals and lubricants can have on gearbox efficiency.

I was asked recently to investigate and solve an overheating problem in a mobile hydraulics application. The hydraulic system that was overheating comprised a diesel-hydraulic power unit, which was being used to power a pipe-cutting saw. The saw was designed for sub-sea use and was connected to the hydraulic power unit on the surface via a 710-foot umbilical. The operating requirements for the saw were 24 gpm at 3000 psi. Heating of hydraulic fluid in operation is caused by inefficiencies. Inefficiencies result in losses of input power, which are converted to heat. A hydraulic system’s heat load is equal to the total power lost (PL) through inefficiencies.

Consumers use the term “flushing” to describe six different methods of bringing fluid to the stuffing box area of a centrifugal pump. Experienced seal people use different terms to differentiate between the methods. Water is one of the best barrier or buffer fluids because of its high specific heat and good conductivity. Petroleum oil is probably one of the worse because of its low specific heat and poor conductivity. Keep this in mind when you select a barrier or buffer fluid for your seals.

In the pump business alignment means that the centerline of the pump is aligned with the centerline of the driver. Although this alignment was always a consideration with packed pumps, it is critical with sealed pumps especially if you are using rotating seal designs where the springs or bellows rotates with the shaft. A little misalignment at the power end of the pump is a lot of misalignment at the wet end, and unfortunately that is where the seal is located in most pump applications.