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Northumbrian Water Broken Scar

A vertically mounted split case pump operating at Northumbrian Water’s Broken Scar Water Treatment Works was experiencing inefficiency, excess vibration and generally underperforming due to deterioration. Northumbrian Water required a team to remove the pump and associated 3.3kV AEI induction motor from site and carry out an inspection, repair and overhaul on both assets before reinstallation. Specialising on both pumps and motor, Houghton International was able to repair both, as well as the connecting pop shaft.

Implementation

Initial inspections identified the pump seals had failed causing a severe leak. Our site services team removed the pump and motor and transported it to our workshop. The pump was stripped down and cleared. The neck brushes were seized onto the shaft sleeves which was causing the excess vibration. The damaged vanes were repaired and the impeller runners were skimmed and sleeved bringing them back to new and then balanced to G2.5. The pump was laser scanned and CAD drawings created.

Overhaul

Impeller rings, neck brushes and shaft sleeves were manufactured in-house to bring clearances back into tolerance. New bearings were also fitted. A specialist friction reducing protective coating was applied to the pump to further improve efficiency. The pump seal faces were upgraded from old materials to mechanical seal faces to increase reliability. The motor underwent an inspection and standard overhaul being carried out including cleaning, balancing and testing with the bearings and seals fully replaced.

Outcome

The pump and motor were comprehensively tested before being returned to site and reinstalled by the site services team. Having one supplier to repair both the pump and the motor provided many benefits including increased quality assurance and the ability to fully test the whole system. With reverse engineering capabilities in-house, a number of parts that were damaged and worn beyond repair were easily replaced. This also provided the opportunity to make modifications to the parts to modernise the pump.

Once again, Houghton International provided an exceptional level of service and kept us informed of progress throughout the project. The modifications and works carried out on the pump and subsequent motor will allow them to run more efficiently and economically whilst lengthening their working lifespan which is exactly what we wanted to achieve.

Alex Wallis, Maintenance Electrician, Northumbrian Water

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