Pump Operating Best Practices

Matthew Jenkins and John Warner
1 hour ago
3 min read

Follow these practices routinely for high reliability and low maintenance costs.

Across all plants, pumps sit center stage in operations. Teikoku canned-motor pumps (CMPs) have emerged as the industry’s preferred solution as they are emission-free and offer true secondary containment, providing the safest pumping solution for demanding environments common in biofuels. Customers also benefit from a compact footprint and unrivaled run time, which all but eliminates unplanned downtime.

This article outlines the best operating practices that help facilities get the most out of their Teikoku pumps. These practices have enabled many plants to run for years without spending a single dollar on pump maintenance, a result virtually unheard of with conventional pump technologies.

In pumping systems, simplicity is often the key to reliability. Every additional component adds upfront cost, increases potential points of failure and expands maintenance requirements.

With a hermetically sealed motor and pump integrated into a single unit, Teikoku pumps require no mechanical seal, no seal pot, no external bearings, no lubrication system and no coupling alignment. Product-lubricated sleeve bearings replace ball bearings, reducing mechanical complexity and virtually eliminating wear items.

This simplicity serves a dual purpose: It enhances safety through true zero-emissions operation while reducing both operational and lifecycle costs.

Teikoku pumps are designed for minimal intervention, yet they provide operators with one key indicator of internal health: the Teikoku Rotary Guardian bearing-condition display. This straightforward green-yellow-red signal provides real-time visibility into bearing wear:

Green: Operating within spec—continue monitoring.

Yellow: Early signs of wear—plan for inspection.

Red: Potential of metal-to-metal wear—stop and service.

Regularly checking the TRG display is often the only daily maintenance required. Facilities that build this habit into their routine inspections often achieve dramatically longer mean time between failure (MTBF) intervals.

Across the pump industry, poor inlet conditions are one of the leading causes of performance issues. Insufficient net-positive suction-head available (NPSHa) can lead to cavitation, excess vibration and ultimately reduced bearing life.

Best practice begins with a proper review of fluid properties (vapor pressure, temperature, viscosity) and by comparing the system’s NPSHa with the pump’s net-positive suction-head required (NPSHr), including a suitable safety margin. Teikoku engineers regularly assist customers with these evaluations and can recommend design improvements.

While NPSHa is the catch-all value for suction performance, routine checks remain essential, including ensuring strainers and suction piping remain clean, verifying suction pressure, and preventing buildup or restrictions. When fluid properties shift due to feedstock variability or seasonal conditions, these checks are especially important.

Operating within the proper parameters is essential for maximizing life. No centrifugal pump is designed to run dry. Instead of bump-starting the pump to check rotation, use a rotation checker to avoid shaft contact with the bearing. Discharge valves should not be fully open or fully closed during start-up. Deadheading can cause overheating while running off the curve can create excess thrust. A best practice is to begin with the discharge valve closed 70 percent to 80 percent. Following these simple practices prevents most operational issues.

Energy efficiency is becoming increasingly important. Reducing flow resistance by keeping filters and strainers clean, implementing variable-frequency drives (VFDs) for variable-demand conditions and optimizing operating points to reduce unnecessary load are simple adjustments that can decrease power consumption while maintaining safe operating conditions.

Managing internal-temperature balance can significantly extend MTBF, especially with light hydrocarbons and compressed gases common in renewable processes. To maintain this balance, customers should limit starts to fewer than six per hour and allow 5-10 minutes between starts for cooling. These steps not only ensure temperature stability in the pump but also protect the bearings from rapid thermal cycling.

Even the most reliable equipment benefits from informed operation and well-documented procedures. Providing operators and maintenance personnel with training on best practices, early warning signs and emergency procedures ensures consistent performance. Teikoku places significant emphasis on this and offers start-up support and complimentary training for its customers.

Plants that follow these operating practices routinely achieve exceptional reliability, some reporting years of continuous service without spending a single penny on pump repairs or parts. That level of reliability is a hallmark of the Teikoku canned-motor design, and following these best practices unlock the full value of Teikoku pumps.

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