CONTACT:
Robert McKee
 Machinery Vibration
   Services
 (210) 522-3000
 E-mail: rmckee@swri.org
 


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KEY TERMS:
 centrifugal pump
 diagnosis
 plant piping systems
 frame support
 structure
waterhammer
 monitoring
 transient flow
 analysis
 impeller failure
 analysis

Machinery Vibration Services
Centrifugal Pump Problem Diagnosis

 

image of centrifugal pump diagnostics and analysis
Centrifugal pump diagnostics and analyses are provided to support maintenance and operations in the design and operating stages.

Because centrifugal pumps are a mainstay of industry, their performance can have a considerable impact on plant productivity. Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) offers a line of services to apply as early as possible in the design and operating stages for troubleshooting centrifugal pump problems, such as:

  • Vibration

  • Pulsation

  • Performance

  • Cavitation

Other services SwRI provides include:

  • Lateral and torsional critical speed calculations and measurements

  • Determination of the adequacy of NPSH (net positive suction head) and potential for cavitation

  • Vibration response levels in plant piping systems

  • Dynamic stress levels in plant piping systems

  • Skid, foundation, platform, and frame support structure dynamic analysis including modal testing

  • Waterhammer monitoring and analysis

  • Transient flow monitoring and analysis

  • Impeller failure analysis including modal impact tests

  • Seal evaluations

  • Multi-plane field balancing

  • Torsional stress measurements

  • Performance testing

Field and Consultation Services

Our quick-response field and consultation services minimize downtime and potential outages when operational problems occur, such as piping or bearing fatigue.

Rotor dynamics analysis, finite element models, computational fluid dynamic analysis, and pulsation simulations can be applied as appropriate. These services are supported by continuing research and development programs, making new technology immediately available to industry.

Instrumentation

A broad range of industrial problems, such as vibration, pulsation, or alignment, can be addressed using SwRI test equipment. Remote monitoring packages are available to acquire time-dependent transient data. SwRI can also custom design data acquisition systems for your special purposes.

For more information about machinery vibration services or centrifugal pump problem diagnosis capabilities at SwRI, or how you can contract with SwRI, please contact Robert J. McKee at rmckee@swri.org or (210) 522-3000.


Mechanical and Fluids Engineering Department
  Mechanical & Materials Engineering Division SwRI Home

Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is a multidisciplinary, independent, nonprofit, applied engineering and physical sciences research and development organization with 11 technical divisions.