Pumps Case Studies

South Africa – A golf course irrigation company that supplies many of South Africa’s golf courses had historically used multiple-stage canister pumps with neck ring casings with phenolic wear rings.

The phenolic wear rings were discovered to not be nearly wear-resistant enough to cope with the acidity levels and debris found in the storm water run-off and waste water that many South African golf courses are now irrigating with in line with global norms.

Vesconite Bearings’ differently-sized prototype wear rings were tested for a year, and the wear rings showed no evidence of needing to be replaced.

Argentina – A global company dedicated to the manufacture, sales and service of fluid-handling equipment has commented on the ease with which it installed a total of 12 Vesconite Hilube line-shaft bushings and two Vesconite Hilube stuffing box bushings in two 18-m-length pumps.

The bushings were 300mm long but, after two hours in dry ice, the pump manufacturer fitted the bushings by hand without any help.

Because thermoplastics harden and soften with temperature, freeze fitting is particularly useful when installing large polymer bushings, bushings with thin walls, or bushings where the length is greater than the shaft diameter.

Australia – A company that supplies mechanical seals as well as engineered sealing solutions has found that a Vesconite throttle bush can extend the life of seals.

A typical single-stage pump includes a throttle bushing that is located below the sealing mechanism and supports the shaft as well as being a close clearance bush and creating a stuffing box cavity with increased pressure differential reducing flush water requirements.

“We recommend Vesconite throttle bushings, and have found that pumps perform as expected and that seal life is extended with reduction in flush water requirement,” a company representative says, noting that client companies use the bushings as part of a good proven pump repair package.

Australia – An Australian company that specialises in pump refurbishment is finding that energy efficiency is an important driver in its refurbishment packages – and has included Vesconite bushings as part of its energy-reducing refurbishment package.

Vesconite bushings are installed as interstage bushings in the multi-stage high and low-pressure pumps that it repairs.They offer the advantage of being able to run with small clearances, which causes less recycle, or less movement of pressurised water from the previous stage to the next stage.

South Africa – A South African irrigation company active in installing and maintaining irrigation systems on golf courses found that the factory-fitted bearings on multi-stage canister pumps had high wear rates. This required ongoing purchase of costly OEM repair kits. In many cases, only a few component parts of the kit were actually required. In response to the problem, Vesconite designed and produced the specific bearings that were actually required for these multiple-stage canister pumps. Vesconite’s no-lubrication, no swell bearings have resulted in a maintenance-free, low cost solution for the company.

A thermal power station required a low-wearing, low maintenance bearing alternative for a condensate pump assembly. The line shaft and pump bowl bearings used in this vertical spindle pump operate in pure water conditions at a temperature ranging between 30˚C and 60˚C. Removal and maintenance cost on the pump are high. Vesconite Hilube bearings were manufactured and fitted. Resultant performance has been impressive – the replacement bearings have run without fault for four years, on a pump assembly that has a seven yearly maintenance rebuild schedule.

South Africa – A liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) pump manufacturer has been distributing its portable LPG gas pumps to rural areas around South Africa. These pumps are particularly suited to remote and mobile sites, which makes it all the more imperative that running costs and pump maintenance be kept to a bare minimum. The manufacturer opted for Vesconite piston-rod bushings and piston discs, due to the polymer’s low friction, high dimensional stability and ability to withstand temperature changes. As a result, maintenance and running costs were significantly reduced.

Texas, USA – A water utility in Texas had over the years experimented with different grades of nylon bearings in its vertical spindle pumps, but with little success. The pumps operated in the abrasive conditions found in pit-wells. The combination of debris and sand would eventually lead to excessive wear of the original bushings and eventual seizure. The original parts were subsequently replaced with Vesconite Hilube, which requires no lubrication, does not swell and can operate in dirty conditions as characterized by the above. The re-fitted pumps have since been running without incident for over a year now.