Operator’S Guide to Centrifugal Pumps, Volume 2: What Every Reliability-Minded Operator Needs to Know

By Robert X. Perez

Many readers have found Operator's Guide to Centrifugal Pumps (Xlibris, 2008) to be a valuable training resource for process operators. Volume 2 provides additional training material in the form of student challenge exams and additional exposure to reliability topics.

Volume 2 has two goals: The first goal is to continue to build on the general theme of pump reliability in process facilitates. The second goal is to provide student challenge exams for those wanting to master the material in Operator's Guide to Centrifugal Pumps.

The first chapter covers how process operators can be better utilized to improve pump reliability. The importance of operating training and commissioning will be covered in the next two chapters. In the final chapter, a methodology for addressing troublesome centrifugal pumps is presented.

A majority of the book is comprised of three (3) different student challenge exams are included in Volume 2. Answers to all the exam questions are provided along with where the answers can be found in the Operator's Guide. There are a total of 150 challenge questions with their answers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 26, 2014
• ISBN: 9781503525030

Robert X. Perez

Robert X. Perez has thirty years of rotating equipment experience in the petrochemical industry. He earned a BSME degree from Texas A&M University (College Station) and an MSME degree from the University of Texas (Austin), and he is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Texas. Mr. Perez served as an adjunct professor at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, where he developed and taught the engineering technology rotating equipment course. He authored Operator’s Guide to Centrifugal Pumps (Xlibris) in 2008 and coauthored Is My Machine OK?” (Industrial Press) with Andy Conkey in 2011. In 2013, he completed writing Illustrated Dictionary of Essential Process Machinery Terms (Diesel Publications) with the help of several other contributors. This dictionary has been well received by the community of rotating equipment professionals. In 2014, he coauthored Operator’s Guide to Rotating Equipment (Authorhouse) with Julien Lebeu. He has also written numerous machinery reliability articles for numerous technical conferences and magazines.

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 by Robert X. Perez.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2014921849

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-5035-2501-6

                Softcover        978-1-5035-2502-3

                eBook             978-1-5035-2503-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 09/25/2015

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements:

Introduction

Chapter 1: Operators: An Underutilized Resource

Chapter 2: Operator Training is a Key Factor in Centrifugal Pump Reliability

Chapter 3: Crucial Moments in a Centrifugal Pump’s Lifetime

Chapter 4: When Good Pumps Turn Bad

Chapter 5: Centrifugal Pump Activities for Operators

Appendix A

Dedication

I would like to dedicate this book to my wife, Elaine. Without her support, this book would not have been possible.

Acknowledgements:

I would like to thank:

1. Elaine Perez for proofing this book and offering valued advice on the student exams.

2. Dan Ellwood of Chesterton Seals for providing the mechanical seal images used in the exams.

3. Sonny LeBleu for helping write Chapter 1 of this book.

Introduction

More Ideas on Centrifugal Pump Reliability

C:\Users\rxperez\Desktop\All Figures\Shutterstock\shutterstock_80472742 cropped.jpg

M ANY READERS have found Operator’s Guide to Centrifugal Pumps (Xlibris, 2008) to be a valuable training resource for process operators. Volume 2 provides additional training material in the form of student challenge exams and additional exposure to reliability topics.

Volume 2 has two goals: The first goal is to continue to build on the general theme of pump reliability in process facilitates. The second goal is to provide student challenge exams for those wanting to master the material in Operator’s Guide to Centrifugal Pumps.

C:\Users\rxperez\Desktop\All Figures\Shutterstock\shutterstock_103254860 (2).jpg

The first chapter covers how process operators can be better utilized to improve pump reliability. The importance of operating training and commissioning will be covered in the next two chapters. In the final chapter, a methodology for addressing troublesome centrifugal pumps is presented.

In the back of this book, the reader will find three different student challenge exams for those wanting to master the material in Operator’s Guide to Centrifugal Pumps (Xlibris 2009). Answers to all the exam questions are provided, along with their location, within Operator’s Guide to Centrifugal Pumps (Xlibris 2009). There are a total of 150 challenge questions with their answers.

I hope the reader finds this additional content useful.

Robert X. Perez

CHAPTER 1

Operators: An Underutilized Resource

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Figure 1.1, An operator keeps an eye on key process parameters that are displayed in a control room

O perators are the eyes, ears, and manipulators of switches and valves in their plant. Typically, they receive training either from a 2 year associates degree or plant on-the-job training. Their training may or may not include the understanding of how their equipment works, or the significance of pump performance curves. I venture to guess that to most operators, the mechanical seal is simply a black box that is not well understood. Operators may not need to know precisely how a mechanical seal works, but they need to know the seal is the major reason pumps are taken out of service.

Most operators are expected not only to identify there is a problem with a piece of rotating equipment but to troubleshoot the problem as well. They have been taught what to do to start, operate, and shutdown the plant, but without the understanding of how the equipment is supposed to work and the basics of a pump curve, troubleshooting will be very difficult to perform. Most operators do not feel they have control over the process, but that they are subject to its whims. For example, operators know how to detect when a pump is cavitating; but they do not feel they have any control over the cavitation and so they might identify it but feel no obligation to do anything about it. They do not realize they do have some limited control