Vane Pass Vibration - Source, Assessment, And Correction - A Practical Guide For Centrifugal Pumps

Tutorialpg. 121With the ever-increasing use of hand held vibration analyzers, data collectors, and predictive maintenance programs, a more complete understanding of vibrations is ever more important. This tutorial treats one of the most prevalent pump problems, vane pass pressure pulsations and vibrations. At this time, we are still not able to predict with great accuracy the amplitudes of vane pass pressure pulsations not the mechanism that transform them to vibration. However, with a mixture of practical experience and theory, we can assess the vibration and, when required, determine the best corrective action. Presented are causes, methods of assessment with suggested acceptance criteria, and finally, proper corrective procedures and preventive measures. First, a good understanding of the cause, acceptance criteria, and corrective measures is imperative. Second, a complete set of vibration measurements taken in a systematic order with proper equipment, are needed to isolate the problem and assure all possibilities are covered. Finally, based on thorough diagnostics the root cause(s) of the vibration can then be identified and the best corrective action can be selected, whether it is by working on the source of excitation or the resultant problem vibrating part