FLUID FLOW AND ROTATING EQUIPMENT SPECIALREPORT

Canned motor pumps make

important inroads in refinery service
Difficult applications drive increased use
s. D. FEGAN, Hermetic Pumps Inc., Houston, Texas
M
agncric drive and canned motor pumps have had rela-
tivel y low acceptance rates in refineries, especially in
the US, even though thousands of these uni ts are suc-
cessfully operating in hydrocarbon services around the worl d.
The importance of these pumps is well recognized in the efforcs
of the American Petroleum Institute (API). A worki ng commit-
tee was fo rmed in 1990 to compile data for a documenc cover-
ing seall ess pumps in refinery services. The res ulting standard
(API-685) was formally adopred in 2000 and a revision to this
standard is due for publication in 2008.
Initially slow acceptance overcome. In a typical canned
motor pump (Fig. I) the ma[Qr rotor shares its shaft with the
pump impeller or impellers. The stator porti on of the motor is
separated from this rotor by a (hin containment can and is thus
not contacted by the pumpage. In a canned motor pump, (he
bearings usually receive lubrication from the fluid being pumped
and clean fluids are obviously preferred. However, contaminated
fluids can be easily accommodated by first filtering and then
reinj ecting a fluid si de stream. Rel evant provisions are incorpo-
rated in many canned motor pumps.
Until recentl y one of the major drawbacks in applying
"canned motor" style seall ess pumps to refi nery services has
been the lack of larger than 150 hp motors. Even though larger
canned motors have been advertised, they were not considered
commercially viable due their cost and lack of operating experi-
ence. In addition, there has been the occasional perception that
sealless pumps were not rel iable, or that they were difficult, or
expensive, or impossible to repair. Another sweeping (but inac-
curate) judgment simply considered them a bad investment.
T hanks to a large number of successful and relatively trouble-
free install ations, this perception has certainly been proven
incorrect.
Product-lubricated bearings. One of the st rongest
impediments to the more widespread use and applicatio n of
sealless pumps in oi l refine ri es is that they will incorporate
product-lubricated bearings and that abrasives in certain product
strea ms can cause accelerated bearing wear. This is actual ly an
appl ication issue, since there are designs and materials available
to ensure successful operation and relatively long life, even under
the most severe operating conditions. The issue is not unlike that
with mechanical seals, where certain applications require a suit-
abl e operating environment. The same consideration logically
exists for a sealless pump where the operating environment must
I FIC. 1. Typical 1lIgh-press ure canned motor pump (source
_ Hermetic Inc , Gundelfingen, Germany)
accommodate the needs of the bearings. Sealless pump compo-
nems may add heat to the fluid contacting the bearings. Thi s
addition may now affect the vapor pressure and fluid viscosity;
both must still be suitable for the appli cation.
Cooperation between pump user and manufacturer is very
important. The pump manufacturer must be given as much
information about the application and physi cal properties of
the pumped fluid as possible. Similarly, information about the
planned operat ion of canned mOtOr pumps is also important. It
includes data on the number of starts and stops anticipated for
a given period, startup conditions (cold start), as weI.! as envi-
ronmental issues such as cooling water qual ity, which could be
a big factor in the overaIl success of a given installation and the
type of pump offered.
A telling case history. About seven years ago, the author
received an inquiry about a pump appli cation handling 750F
di esel fuel at 1,000 psi suction pressure and saturated with
hydrogen. When he indicated that would not pose a problem,
he was immediately asked if he would be willing to put that
response in wri ting. He was then told it was possible thar the
fluid stream contained some catalys t fines.
The potential for having abrasives in the stream prompted a
closer review of the pump requirements fo r handling the appl i-
cation. Prefi lling the motor secti on with clean diesel fuel solved
HYDROCARBON PROCESSING AUGUST 2008 r 51
FLUID FLOW AND ROTATING EQUIPMENT SPECIALREPORT
Ie problem. This 100 hp unit was successfully commissioned
1 2002 and has been operating successfully since then. Two
t her units were subsequently commissioned in other refineries
-ith si milar operating conditions. Tn other instances, the ven-
or opted ro li se a metering pump ro inject a cl ean compatible
uid inco the mawr as a barrier fluid [Q prevent damage to t he
eatings.
S. Dennis (Denny) Fegan has over 40 years' experience in
rotating equipment including pumps, compressors, and steam and
gas turbines. His career has included design, application. installa-
tion and troubleshooting of this equipment to the HVAC, power
generation. petroleum refining, chemical processing and the refrig-
eration markets. Mr. Fegan's work history includes Ingersoll Rand Corporation, Pacific
Pump Division of Dresser Industries, Teikoku USA Inc. and Hermetic Pumps Inc. He is
an active member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the
American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). Mr. Fegan is a member and past
chair of the Equipment Testing Procedures Committee of the AIChE and a discussion
group leader for sea!1ess pumps at the Texas A&M Pump Symposium. He holds several
patents on sealless pump design and has published a number of papers on sealless
pump design and appl ications.
arger units in successful operation. Since these
DO-hp units were sold, a need fo r larger units arose requi ring
"ween 200 hp and 300 hp and fl ows between 2,000 gpm and
,000 gpm, The total developed heads ranged between 300 ft
Id 4,000 ft, with working pressures up Ii r=:i
13,000 psi. Some of these units are being
lstalled in ultra-low-sulfur refining appH-
l( ions and others in li ght hydrocarbon
rvices.
Favorabl e internal pressure profil es
e the primary reason for canned mowr
alless pumps being ucil ized in these and
'her strenuous services. At no point in
le combined pump and mOtor geom-
ry does the fluid have w be reduced to
mospheric pressure. In fact, most canned
otor designs increase rhe internal pres-
re to ascertain that two-phase flow does
)( occur. Analytical programs al low
:signs with pressurelremperacure profiles
at wi ll ascertain that a pure liquid phase
ists under al l operating conditions.
All refi nery install atio ns require t hat
e motors be furnished with an explo-
m-proof label. Although that currently
nits the available motor nameplate rat-
g co 350 hp, steps have been initiated to
crease this to 700 hp by late 2008,
As a final point , axial thrust control
ed w represent one of the major chal-
'1 ges in producing large horsepower
llless pumps. Thi s challenge was com-
lu nded whenever a wide range of fI u-
i with varying phys ical properti es had
be accommodated, as would be the
se fo r units with low net positive suc-
,n head required (NPSHR) and steep
por pressure cur ves. There have bee n
amati c improvements in the ability of
tlless pumps to control axial thrust and
rhe avail abi lity of instrumentation to
)nicor this thrust. "Real-time" bearing
) nicor ing has had a maj or beneficial
pact on the increased reliability of
machines and the reduced cost of
'nershi p.
Most certainly, canned motOr pumps
. corning of age. Their range of appli-
Jility has been greatly extended and
:y deserve to be consi dered by forward-
)king user compani es in the hyd rocar-
n process ing and many other indus-
HP
Pressure to lower ever-increasing maintenance
costs and reduce environmental impact has paved
the way to better surface pumping solutions,
Our mUlti-stage centrifugal SPS'" Surface Pump-
ing Systems provide versatile, low-maintenance
alternatives to many split-case centrifugal ,
positive-displacement and vertical-turbine pump
applications, The SPS is a cost-effective solution
for processing, petroleum, mining, water and other
industries that require high-volume movement of
fluids. Proven benefits include:
Lower initial and whole-life cost
Short construction lead-time
Increased reliability and runtime
Low noise and vibration levels
Remote monitoring and control
Worldwide support.
Call this number: 281.492,5160,
Or e-mail sps@woodgroup.com.
Wood Group ESP
SP1000: nt led 100 to 1000 HP
(SP2000: flIted 1000 to 2500 HP
also 8vsilsbl8)