Energy Saving Project at M/s Bharat Petroleum Ltd

Hi Friends!!!

Energy Saving/Power Saving in today’s world has become a very big concern. With depleting resources one of the major focus of companies today is to save energy and inturn reduce their power consumption.

We did a similar project at one our esteemed customer M/s BPCL Ltd Mumbai.

The project was initiated jointly by our team and executives of M/s BPCL and below were the steps taken.

1. Identifying Old pumps in the plants , preferably the pumps older than 15 years.

We started collecting pump population of the plant and started to shortlist the pumps which were above 15 years old.

Generally as per HIS standard the efficiency of the pump deteriorates by 1-1.5% per year hence we chose the pumps which were older than 15 years old as candidate for Power saving.

2) Conducting Energy Audit of these pumps.

Once we selected the candidate pumps we did energy Audit of these pumps.

Generally over the years , the operation parameters of the pump changes , this happens due to change in duty point parameters , upgradation of plant , change of application requirement and many other factors.

Hence the duty point generally changes on the curve and does not operate at the parameters at which it was procured years ago.

If these changed parameters fit in the range of the exisiting pump then the pump operates and gives desired results however silently it takes more power since the efficiency of the pump reduces with the change in parameters.

Also the pump being old , there are lots of wear and tear , frictional losses etc.

Hence doing energy Audit of the pump is very important as it shows the current statistics of the pump ie The flow , Head , BKW , RPM and hence the efficiency of the pump.

On conducting this energy audit at BPCL we found out that few pumps were operating at a very low efficiency , thus taking high power.

3) Selecting New pump with current site Flow , Head and other parameters.

Once we got the energy audit results , we selected the best efficient pump with highest efficiency , suitable for the current conditions , but having provision of the original procured parameters.

The Details of the old pump , Audit Report and proposed New pump is shown in below snapshot just for reference.

4) Lowest Life Cycle Cost Pump.

We proposed M/s BPCL to replace the pump with KBL’s LLC Pump.

M/s Kirloskar Brothers Ltd has launched a pump called Lowest Life Cycle Cost pump ( LLC Pump)

It is designed in such a way that the efficiency deterioration doesnt happen. Generally as per HIS the efficiency of the pump deteriorates by 1-1.5% , however in LLC pump the efficiency drop is hardly 0.2% per year.

Below are the features of the LLC pump which sustains efficiency and thus contributes largely towards Energy Saving

a) Efficiency Enhancing coating from Kirloskar Corrocoat which increases efficiency by 2% and also does cause frictional losses.

b) Hard Mettalic Serated Wearing Rings.

c) Radial load balanced double volute casing design.

d) Cartridge type mechanical seal by default.

e) Specialized Throttle bush design which reduces energy consumption.

f) L10 Bearing Life with excess of 50000 hours life and API Type double row thrust bearing assembly.

g) Reduced shaft length with SS-431 Material as standard. This ensures low Low L3/D4 ratio resulting into minimum deflection and optimum efficiency.

All other features are mentioned in the enclosed Leaflet in details.

Link to the Leaflet of Kirloskar Make LLC Pump is as below

leaflet of kbl make llc pump

5) New Pump replacement Audit and The conclusion.

Based on our recommendation M/s BPCL replaced the pump , after all the commissioning activities we started the pump and put it in operation.

To prove the claimed power saving , we once again did the Post Energy Audit and we are very happy to inform that the new pump is running with enhanced efficiency.

M/s BPCL has got the Payback of their investment in just 4.5Months.

This blog post is just for reference purpose and hence we have not mentioned pump model , commercial prices or any other specific data. That needs to be done by the customer individually as per their organisation standards and site conditions.

We hope the readers also take up such kind of projects and save energy / save power through proper pumping.

Incase any support required then you can contact us.

Thanks and Regards

Siddharth D Bhimani

Email : savenergy@sialkbl.com

Basic Accessories required Before and After a Centrifugal Pump.

Hi Friends!!!

This blog is very useful for the correct installation of a centrifugal pump. I am not sure if the same is applicable for all types of pump , however This is applicable for all types of centrifugal pump.

Today i am going to write on the basic accessories required for the smooth functioning of the pumpset.

The image shown is the simple Layout of the Installation of Horizontal Centrifugal Pump.

Below are the important parameters and their short description. These parameters play a very important role in characteristics of centrifugal pump.

A) Suction and Discharge Pipe : The liquid is transferred by the pump from one location to another through a pipe. The pipe which is connected to the suction flange of the pump is called Suction Pipe , whereas the pipe which is connected to the discharge flange is called Discharge Pipe.

B) Eccentric Pipe Reducer :  For smooth functioning of the pump , the pump should get adequate water and should not attract air , for this reason the suction pipe is always larger as compared to the pump suction flange.Also many times if there are multiple pumps connected via a head then suction pipe is much larger than the suction flange. For this reason a reducer is required.

Why reducer should be Eccentric only? As of now just consider it as a thumb rule , i will take this topic in detail in another blog post.

C) Concentric Pipe Reducer : Just as the suction pipe has to be bigger , the discharge pipe can also be bigger at times. It is not compulsory for the discharge pipe to be of higher size as compared to discharge flange however it cannot be undersize otherwise it can lead to frictional losses causing Head to increase. The suction and discharge pipe size needs to be given by Pump manufacturer.There are many reasons why a discharge pipe can be larger than discharge flange eg : it is connected to some other source in line etc. Hence to match the piping a dicharge pipe reducer is used.

Again the same question …. Why should it be concentric?? As of now just consider it as a thumb rule , i will take this topic in detail in another blog post.

JUST REMEMBER IN SUCTION SIDE , REDUCER SHOULD BE ECCENTRIC WHILE IN DISCHARGE THE REDUCER SHOULD BE CONCENTRIC.

D)Valves : 1 No Isolation Valve in Suction Side and 2 Nos Valves ( 1 Isolation/Throttling Valve and 1 Non Return Valve) in Discharge Side.

Isolation Valves : Generally for Isolation and Throttling a valve is installed in discharge side.

Incase of any maintaince of the pump is required then the valve is fully closed so that the discharge pipe is isolated from the pump.

Also generally pressure is controlled in discharge with the help of this valve hence instead of Isolation Valve a Throttling valve should be used.

Isolation Valve is also used in Suction side. It is for the same purpose ie Isolating suction pipe from Pump during Pump maintaince.

Non Return Valve (NRV) :  This is mainly used inorder to avoid the backflow of water when the pump stops. Backflow of water cause reverse rotation of pump which is very harmful for the health of the pump.

An NRV is always installed first after which Isolations/Throttling Valve is installed.

Types of Valves :

a) Isolation Valve : Gate Valve , Ball Valve , Plug Valve , Piston Valve , Diaphgram Valve , Butterfly Valve etc.

b) Throttling Valves : Globe Valve , Butterfly Valve , needle valve etc.

c) Non Return Valve : Swing Check Valve , Lift Check Valve.

E) Pressure Gauges : A pressure gauge is very important as it tells us the pressure developed by the pump and system.

Suction Pressure Gauge : This is very important as it helps us to first convey whether suction is positive or negative. And also it informs us the actual pressure in the suction line so that we can account it in head calculation.

Discharge Pressure Gauge : This is of utmost important and also mandatory. Many things can be concluded with the help of reading of Discharge pressure gauge. We come to know the shut off head of the pump by fully closing the discharge valve. We can also know the pressure range at which the pump is operating and we can also get the pump running in preferred operating range with the help of throttling the discharge valve.

During Troubleshooting of the pump , suction and discharge pressure gauge play a very very important role.

This is also important while calculating the actual efficiency of centrifugal pump on site.

F) Strainer: A strainer is generally recommended in the suction pipeline before the pump so that any unforeseen particles , solids , glass etc can be blocked by it. Generally if a strainer is not put then there is always a chance of these particles entering the pump and it may cause severe damage to the pump if the pump is not able to bypass it.

It may also cause a big emergency and can lead to shaft breakage , impeller vane damage etc.

There are different types of strainer like Basket type strainer , Y-Type strainer etc. Based customer requirement they can choose.

This is a very basic schematic of a proper pumping system and if followed properly then the pump breakdowns will be very less.

I hope i have explained the topic well and have given justice to the topic. Incase of any doubts / comments / feedbacks then please feel free to write to us.

Thanks and Regards

Siddharth Deepak Bhimani…

Sial Valves Co…Authorised Dealer of M/s Kirloskar Brothers Ltd.

 

Typical Pump Performance curve

Hi Friends!!!

Today i am going to write on a Pump Performance curve.

Sample Pump Performance Curve.

Referring the above curve , A Pump Performance Curve is basically divided into three parts

Part 1 : Flow Vs Head Curve

Part 2 : Power(BKW) Curve

Part 3 : Efficiency and NPSH Curve.

 

A) Part 1 : Flow Vs Head Curve

a) Flow and Head are always inversely proportional to each other with regards to Centrifugal Pump.

Care has to be taken that pump is selected in such a way that The duty Points(Flow , Head) are selected within 70% to 110% of the Best efficiency points.

b) Impeller Diameter : Based on the Flow and Head , the duty point is plotted on the curve and Impeller diameter is accordingly decided. It is called Rated Impeller Diameter.

In the above curve : Min Impeller diameter  is 225mm and Maximum Impeller diameter is 329mm.

c) Minimum Safe Flow : Below this flow the pump should not be operated. If operated then the life of the pump reduces and also many issues arise.

d) Shut Off Head : This is the maximum head the pump can develop. It is obtained at 0 Flow. So for impeller diameter 329mm , Shut off Head is 150m.

B) Part 2 : Power Curve

a) This curve shows the power taken by the pump to operate at a particular Flow and Head.

b) General formula for Power BKW is

BKW =  [(Flow(m3/hr) X Head(m)) / (367.2 * Efficiency)] * Specific gravity.

C) Part 3 : NPSH and Efficiency Curve.

a) NPSH Curve shows the NSPH Required by the pump. Always it should be noted that NPSH Available should be More than NPSH Required. ie

NPSH A > NPSH R

If the you see on the cure , the more you go on right side the NPSH increases. Hence when the pump is operating at extreme right and we dont have enough NPSH A at site then generally we can throttle the valve and lower the NPSH R of the pump by increasing pressure.

If NPSH is less the available then pump will start sucking air instead of water and it will lead to serious damages to the pump.

b) Efficiency : The pump should be selected at the max efficiency. So that the pump consumes less power.

BEP ( Best Efficiency point) This is the maximum efficiency that particular Pump can give.

D) Miscellenous

a) This curve also covers the Recommended Pipe size. Kindly note that pipe size is most important for correct results. Hence care should be taken to follow the recco given by pump manufacturer.

b) Suction and Delivery Size : This is given inorder to connect it properly with the pipes.

Hope i have made this topic easier. Please feel free to ask any queries or questions and i will be happy to answer them.

Thanks and Regards

Siddharth Bhimani…

Sial Valves Co…Authorised Dealer of Kirloskar Brothers Ltd.

Basic Terminologies related to Centrifugal Pump

Hi Friends!!!

In this post , I will explain basic terminologies which are related to selection of correct pump. I have tried to explain it in layman terms so that everyone can understand it.

Application : Let us consider that in our society we want Water pump to transfer water from underground tank to Overhead tank which is on Building terrace. 

1. Flow/Capacity  : It is the amount of liquid a pump is required to transfer in specific time. General Units : m3/hr , lph , lpm ,lps etc

eg : Overhead water tank is of 12000 Liters capacity and we have to fill it in 2 hours. So we can choose pump with Flow of 6000LPH.

Pump Flow = 6000lph ( Liters per hour) and the application of this pump is to transfer water from undergound tank to overhead tank in building.

So 6000lph means that the selected pump should fill the overhead tank at the rate of 6000 liters in 1 hour. So if the tank is of 12000 liters capacity then this pump would take 2 hours to fill the tank.

2. Head/Differential Pressure : Pump Head is generally the pressure a particular pump has to develop to transfer the liquid. In layman terms it is how far the liquid has to be transfered.

There are complex formulas in calculation of head which i will discuss in a separate blog. However generally Pump Head : Discharge Pressure – Suction Pressure.

In calculation of the head we have to also consider Frictional losses , Pipe diameters and many other factors.

eg: Considering our example of transferring liquid from underground tank to overhead tank , The distance from underground tank till overhead tank which the liquid has to travel is called head.

3. Shut Off Pressure/Shut off Head :  It is the maximum pressure the pump can develop. It is the pressure which is achieved when the flow is 0. Shut off pressure can be checked by shutting off the discharge valve.

4. NPSH ( Net Positive Suction head) — NPSH Available and NPSH Required.

It is a very wide topic. Infact major problems in pumps arise due to ignoring NPSH while selecting the pump.

In short it is the capacity of the pump to suck/lift water when the suction is negative. Below this depth the pump will start cavitating.

NPSH Available at site :

Eg : a) If the sump depth is 2 meter , then considering atmospheric pressure of 10m , the NPSH available would be 10-2- Frictional loss(Assume 0m)  = 8m

NPSH Required : If the NPSH Required of the pump is 3m.

That means the pump can suck the liquid or lift the liquid upto depth of 10 – 3 = 7m .

In this case if the depth of the sump is 9 meters then this pump will not be able to suck liquid. The liquid will start vaporizing resulting in cavitation problem.

As a thumb rule : NPSH-A > NPSH-R

5. Efficiency : No pump can give 100% efficiency. Since there are many losses in the pump hence depending on the flow and head , the pump gives specific efficiency.

The best efficiency the pump can at a particular flow and head is called BEP(Best Efficiency Point). Ideally pump should be selected in such a way that the pump operates at BEP.

 6) Material Of construction(MOC) :  It is the material from which the pump components are made.

MOC of the pump is generally selected based on the liquid properties. Wrong MOC selection can lead to pump failure , parts corrosion , impeller tip-off , shaft breakage etc.

7) Motor RPM(Revolutions per minute) : It is the shaft rotation speed of motor. It is determined by Frequency and number of poles of Motor.

RPM Formula= Hz* (2 / poles) * 60

eg : 4 pole motor with 50 hz frequency will have RPM of 1500 ie RPM = 50*(1/2)*60 = 1500RPM

8) BKW ( Brake Kilo Watt) = It is the power required by the pump to drive the pumpset or pump the liquid.

Pump should be selected with highest efficiency so that power consumption is less. Lesser the power consumption better is the pump performance.

If there are any other topics which you need me to cover in this post then please comment/email so that i can cover it.

Hope this blog is useful to you.

Thanks and Regards

Siddharth Bhimani.

Sial Valves Co…Authorised Dealer of Kirloskar Brothers Ltd.

Good Baseplate Vs Bad Baseplate.

Hi Friends!!!

Recently one of our customer had complained to us regarding the pump having very high vibration. They had procured only bare pump from us , and Base plate and Motor they had procured it directly from their sources.

1. The baseplate of the pump was not rigid and it didn’t have any stiffener.

This is a sample image of poor baseplate.

 

Apart from Vibration , a poor baseplate can lead to issues like distortion , misalignment , soft feet , vibrations etc.

2. A good baseplate generally has the following features in it.

a) It has rigid channels/stiffeners.

b) Proper Box Sections.

c) If the Motor is of higher hp , then it should have jacking screws so that it can assist in proper alignment.

d) Sufficient area must be left for proper grouting.

e) Adequate number of foundation bolts.

Below is the photograph of a good baseplate.

This is a good quality baseplate with all the features in it.

It is very important for the pump-set to have a good and rigid baseplate and also one must ensure it is properly grouted in the foundation so that pump operates trouble free.

In my next post i will cover importance of Pump- Motor Alignment.

Thanks and Regards

Siddharth Deepak Bhimani.

Sial Valves Co…Authorised Dealer of Kirloskar Brothers Ltd.

General Guidelines for Selecting a Pump.

Hi Friends!!!

While selecting a pump we always miss some point or the other , and the result of which is that at site there are issues. So today i am going to list down important points which needs to get cleared before selection of the pump.

1. Total Number of Pumps required.
2. Whether the pumps are going to work in solo or parallel operation.
3. What is the liquid which is going to be pumped.
4. Specific Gravity , Viscosity , Vapor Pressure , Temperature of the liquid.
5. Whether liquid is clear or there are solid particles in it. Nature of liquid.
6. What is the NPSH-A( Net positive suction Head) at site in case of negative suction.
7. Material of Construction required for Pump. This is very important and customer should properly study liquid properties and buy pump with suitable Material. Otherwise it leads to pump failure / corrosion within short span of time.
8. Whether customer needs specific RPM during pump selection.
9. Basic Selection Criterion mainly Flow , Head.
10. Type of Pump required ie Horizontal , Vertical , Inline , Submersible , Split Case , Back Pull out etc.
11. Prime Mover – -Whether motor is required or Diesel Engine is required.
12. Flange Drilling standards if any required.
13. Whether pump is Gland packed or Mechanical Seal Fitted.

This list might seem exhaustive but it will always help in making correct selection of pumpset so that the equipment once used is hassle free.

Thanks and Regards

Siddharth D Bhimani.

Sial Valves Co…Authorised Dealer of Kirloskar Brothers Ltd.