Course 344: Pump Installation and Maintenance

Covers basic pumping concepts. Describes required maintenance of packing and seals. Covers maintenance and overhaul of centrifugal pumps. Concludes with maintenance of rotary pumps.

Lesson 1 - Basic Pumping Concepts

Topics:

Available and required NPSH; Checking pump capacity; Computing pump power requirements; Operational factors; Priming a pump

Learning Objectives:

• Compute the amount of work done when given values for force and distance.
• Name the two types of energy.
• Check a pump's capacity by determining the NPSHA of the system.
• Compute the brake horsepower required to drive a pump under given conditions.
• Explain how to prime a fluid-handling pump.

Lesson 2 - Maintaining Packing and Seals

Topics:

Selecting packing material; Removing old, installing new packing; Mechanical seals; Maintenance and troubleshooting

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the two major functions of packing and seals.
• Explain the selection and installation of packing rings on a pump shaft.
• Identify the components of typical mechanical seals.
• Name at least three advantages of mechanical seals over packing.
• Describe how to install a mechanical seal on a pump shaft.
• Discuss the care and maintenance of packing and seals.

Lesson 3 - Maintaining Centrifugal Pumps

Topics:

Installing the pump; Preparing the foundation; Checking alignment; Inspection; Common problems; Cavitation; Ring seizure; Overheating

Learning Objectives:

• Explain how to align and level a pump on its base.
• Explain the needs for and uses of auxiliary pump drives.
• Identify the major symptom of faulty packing.
• Identify the major symptom of cavitation on a pump impeller.
• Describe the causes and remedies of common centrifugal pump problems.
• Tell how to conduct a periodic inspection of the major pump components.

Lesson 4 - Overhauling Centrifugal Pumps

Topics:

Preparation; Moving, disassembling, reassembling, and reinstalling a pump; Inspecting parts; Checking clearances

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the procedures involved in disassembling, inspecting, reassembling, and reinstalling a centrifugal pump.
• Explain how to check the runout of a pump shaft.
• Explain how to check the clearances between stationary rings and the impeller or rotating rings.
• Describe how to make a new housing gasket.

Lesson 5 - Maintaining Rotary Pumps

Topics:

Installing, maintaining, and troubleshooting rotary pumps; Aligning pump and piping; Direction of rotation; Startup; Scheduling inspections; PM

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the differences between the different types of rotary pumps.
• Trace the path of fluid through a rotary pump.
• Identify the major problem areas in a rotary pump.
• Explain how to troubleshoot some of the common problems of rotary pumps.
• Create a maintenance schedule for inspections and a record-keeping log.