When it comes to describing (or better imagining) the Loss of Containment (LOC) scenario of dry-running pumps in a HAZOP, there is often confusion over how the scenario will evolve. The usual default approach is to assume leakage at the pump seals that leads to discharge to atmosphere of the pumped medium (i.e., if the damaged pump would be indiscriminately kept in service after the dry-running incident). I would appreciate if you could elaborate a little bit more in detail what kind of LOC scenarios are conceivable upon dry-running pump incidents. Is the assumption of "just leakage" conservative or could scenarios like fragmentation of the pump occur, depending on the physical process parameters?
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Re: What kind of LOC scenarios are conceivable upon dry-running pump incidents?
14 January 2013 at 11:45amIn general, in our PHAs we were concerned mainly about pump seal damage and subsequent leakage for a pump running dry. This is also the major hazard mentioned in the CCPS "Guidelines for Design Solutions for Process Equipment Failures" (1998). There is a newer edition of that book but I don't have a copy. However, it may depend on the specific pump (we generally had a maintenance person involved who knew something about the pump). It might be a good idea to discuss the specific hazards of a specific pump and service with a maintenance expert who knows something about the specific pump, and perhaps even ask the pump manufacturer.
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