Correctly specified end suction pump saves factory thousands per year

A new client contacted us as their paint line water curtain pumps had an issue with the mechanical seals failing every 2-3 months. They were asking us if we could provide upgraded mechanical seals for the system to reduce the number of repairs needed.

Our pump consultants attended site and assed the system, it was recognised that the pumps were running on the left of the curve, and the discharge valves were 50% closed. From this we noted that the pumps could be incorrectly specified, and were wasting a huge amount of energy. From this we specified the correct pumps, calculated the energy saving benefits of the new pumps as well as increasing the life time of the pump.  

The old end suction pumps were 11.5kw, the new KSB Etabloc pumps were 7.5kw which at the duty point would save 4.63kw per hour, this meant that the power consumption had dropped by 42.5% on the system. Across 5 pumps they saved 100,008kWh with 3 pumps running 6 days a week 24 hours a day.  

We supplied and installed 5 new pumps in place of the old ones, which were pre-built on a stainless steel base plate, pre-wired with a socket and pre-fabricated pipework ready for a quick installation. We also installed quick release clamps on the pipework so should a pump fail whilst production was running, a spare pump could quickly be swapped across to minimise downtime.

As a result, our client had improved reliability of their pumps, and 7 months down the line have had no failures with the seals, also from this they had the added benefit of saving £13,000 on electricity, working on a cost of 13p KWh. The average KWh in the UK is now 34p, as their electricity price goes up, they will save £34,000 per year on electricity. Also the plant room is a lot quieter with the new pumps and less engineer attention is needed. The new system, paid itself back from the energy savings in less than a year and a half without taking into account the savings on not needing to repair them constantly.