Of the numerous process centrifugal pumps undergoing repair right this very minute, an estimated 90% have failed randomly before. Some have run just fine until the very first repair two or three years after startup and were never quite the same since after the first repair. Other pumps failed frequently or randomly, perhaps once per year, from the time they were originally commissioned. That brings up some questions. Could it be we don’t really know why many process pumps are failing? Could it be we just don’t give pumps the attention they deserve? Is it because everybody’s priorities are elsewhere? Or are there perhaps elusive failure reasons — factors overlooked by all parties?
Fortunately, improvement is both possible and cost-justified. Allowing repeat failures on process pumps rarely makes economic sense. Simple benefit-to-cost or lifecycle analyses will easily demonstrate that the pursuit of remedial action greatly benefits users.
Read the rest of this article from our sister publication Plant Services.
