Page 36 - Practical Machinery Management for Process Plants Major Process Equipment Maintenance and Repair

Installation, Maintenance, and Repair of Horizontal Pumps 21

transparent sight bottle on bottom of bearing housing. Prior to op-
erating the equipment, verify that oil mist flows to each bearing.

Note: Unless you prelubricate with a high-viscosity lube oil, the
oil mist system must have been in operation for a minimum of 12
hours prior to attempting to run any equipment.

7. Motor drivers should be power-rotated to check for proper direc-
tion of rotation prior to coupling to the driven equipment.

8. Turbine overspeed trip setting and governor operation must be
checked prim to coupling to the driven equipment.

9. Gear type couplings should be packed with the proper grease and
the pump and driver coupled up. Recheck the coupling float and
verify that it is within the coupling manufacturer’s tolerances.

10. The coupling guard should be installed prior to rotating any shaft
under power.

11. If a separate lube oil system is provided, the system should be
cleaned and flushed and all alarms and shutdowns set and tested
prior to operation of the equipment.

A Final Note
Many things can influence the operation and reliability of pumps. One
area often overlooked is the initial installation. A poor installation may
cause premature failure due to misalignment, excessive piping strain, im-
proper lubrication, etc.
It is relatively easy and inexpensive to eliminate one major source of
pump failure: install it right the first time. An ounce of prevention is
worth a pound of cure.

Pump Preparation for Start-up
After the pump has been installed and coupling alignment completed,
the appropriate checklist in Appendix 1B may be consulted and these
steps should be followed for a successful start-up:
1. Pump and driver should be checked for sufficient and proper lubri-
cation.
2. Driver should be checked for correct rotation.
3. Pump suction valve should be fully opened. (Check pump and pip-
ing for leaks.)