Technically Speaking…
Welcome to our little corner of the Internet. Kick your feet up and stay a while. The technical articles found below are written by our employees and associates.
-
Shaft Alignment
Pump arrangements, or most systems that include a motor, have two main components: the driver (motor) and the driven equipment (pump). The driving power of the motor is transmitted to the pump through the shaft. In some cases, the motor and pump are close-coupled but in other situations a coupling is preferred to accommodate a…
-
API Plan 23
We have many customers that operate equipment in demanding services that need to cool a single mechanical seal. There are several options available. API 21 and 23 are the most popular and reliable. A seal chamber cooling jacket can also be used, especially with hot water, if it is available. If it is not, my…
-
Impeller Wrenches
One of the least favorite parts about repairing an ANSI pump is removing the impeller. Impellers in this style of pump screw onto the shaft, and over years of service the impellers can get screwed on awfully tightly. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to grab the impeller to remove it. All sorts of tools are used, usually…
-
Heat Check
Heat check occurs on hard faces in a mechanical seal and can cause seal failure. Heat check is not one of the most common forms of seal failure but it is important to recognize because it will tell you a lot about what is happening inside the seal. Heat check is very recognizable, it shows up as…
-
Mixer Mechanical Seals
Mixer seals are critical for pharmaceutical, chemical, and food process plants. These are highly engineered seals designed to keep contaminants from entering the process fluid and keep the process fluid from reaching the environment. A leak in the process fluid or contamination can result in a batch of product being ruined, which can be extremely…
-
Centrifugal Pump & Mechanical Seal Training
During my current 1 ½ year sales and service efforts in the Farmington, Four Corners area, I have re-confirmed the importance of proper understanding of the Centrifugal Pump and Mechanical Seals. Results of previous surveys from users in the Fluid Moving industries and from my current visits with customers, confirm the following; Seal Failures of…
-
Slurry Seals
Flush-less Slurry Seal Applications I have been involved with mechanically sealing slurry seal applications for the past 20+ years. It was somewhat of a mystery, in the beginning, to seal a slurry. Do you use a typical pusher or metal bellows seal with an outside flush? Do you use a conventional mechanical seal if the…
-
How to Read a Centrifugal Pump Curve
At first glance, with no prior knowledge, a pump curve can be quite intimidating to decipher. There are an array of different curved lines, straight lines, values, and tables. Knowing what information to look for can simplify this task significantly. Below is a simple centrifugal pump curve though not all data sheets will have this…