The fact of the matter is that there are three types of problems mostly encountered with centrifugal pumps: design errors, poor operation, poor maintenance practices. The present article is being presented in 3 parts: covering all aspects of operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of centrifugal pumps.

Many people operate rotary screw compressors with oil seeping from around the shaft. This housekeeping nuisance and waste of expensive oil can be avoided with a better understanding of the shaft seal. The mechanical seal and lip seal are the most common types of shaft seals used on Rotary Screw compressors. The following provides further information specific to each of these styles.

Air systems without compressed air dryers severely restrict the life expectancy of any equipment they operate. You must keep your compressed air dry. One of the most effective ways of drying compressed air is to cool it, collect the moisture that condenses, then reheat the air to the ambient temperature. That is exactly what the cool winter weather did for your compressed air system.

Is there is reason to suppose a properly repaired motor is less reliable than a new machine? This article will define reliability and repairability to help you answer this question.

The majority of the failure mechanisms that significantly reduce the reliability and life of a centrifugal pump are caused by operation away from the pump best efficiency point (BEP). To achieve best-in-class life, it is essential to either operate close to the pump BEP (which is always the preferred method) or to provide provisions that anticipate the various effects of off-BEP operation and attempt to mitigate these consequences.

A client recently asked me to advise them on the possibility of repairing a large hydraulic valve off a 400 ton excavator, used in open-cut mining. The valve in question was a spool-type directional control. It had been badly damaged as a result of cavitation, which had occurred over a long period in service.

Given that particle contamination of hydraulic fluid reduces the service life of hydraulic components, it would seem logical that a system can never have too many hydraulic filters. Well… not exactly. Some hydraulic filters can actually do more harm than good and therefore their inclusion in a hydraulic system is sometimes misguided.

Most of us who have spent time in the lubrication field have been told that it takes only a small amount of water (less than 500 ppm) to substantially shorten the service life of rolling element bearings. There is indeed a vast amount of research that supports these assertions. Being a career-long crusader of clean and dry oil, I will certainly not argue the contrary. In fact, water’s destructive effects on bearings can easily reach or exceed that of particle contamination, depending on the conditions. Water can even cause bearing failure.

Expansion joints for pipework are often made from corrugated metal, especially when handling liquids or for operating pressures significantly above atmospheric. Metal expansion joints are outside the scope of the ESA guide.