62 PLANT ENGINEERING *JUNE 3,1993

FILE 4010

ontaining a fluid while moving it

under pressure has been a problem as
long as there have been pumps. Early
pumps with packings leaked, but developments in mechanical face seals dramatically reduced this problem. However, a study
of pump failures cited in Practical Machinery Management for Process Plants by
H . Bloch indicates the number-one cause of
failures is mechanical seals (40%) and, in
second place, antifriction bearings (7%).
Sleeve bearings accounted for a small
amount of pump failures (1%).
Canned motor and magnetic drive
pumps have bypassed the seal problem by
eliminating it. Both pumps have sealed primary enclosures, but thats where the similarity ends. Both canned motor pump bearings are sleeved. Magnetid drive pumps
have two sleeved bearings and two to four
antifriction bearings.
Canned motor pumps are one-piece, statically-sealed, primarily volute-types available for moving corrosive, volatile, environmentally sensitive, and other hardto-handle fluids. The pump and motor rotor are assembled on a common shaft in a
single unit (Fig. 1). This design eliminates
alignment, does not require external lubrication, and offers double containment.
Retrofit canned motors are available that
fit an existing pump with little or no change
required in piping and hydraulics. Data
such as bearing loads and recirculation
flow are evaluated to ensure that motor and
pump performance do not change (Fig. 2).
The pumped fluid is circulated through
the rotor section to provide cooling for the
motor and bearings, lubricant for the sleeve
bearings, and thrust control. Fluid is isolated from motor stator windings by a corrosion-resistant nonmagnetic liner. This liner, or can, leads to the term canned
pump. Liner thickness ranges from 0.0 15 to
0.030 in. and contains pressure to 300 psig.
An outer shell, or secondary containment,
is thicker and capable of containing pressures up to 450 psig, with special designs
rated at 5000 psig.
Pumps are available from 1 to 250 hp,
capacities to 2000 gpm, and fluid temperatures from -300 to 1000 F.
A common design has a dry stator. No
dielectric oil or other type of fluid is in the
stator cavity. This approach eliminates the
need for an expansion chamber.
Some designs provide additional cooling
capacity by filling the stator cavity with a
dielectric oil. Besides dissipating heat, the
oil protects against condensation damage
resulting in expected motor life exceeding
NEMA standards. In this case, an expanFILE 4010

sion chamber is required.

Another design fills the stator cavity with
an inert, high-thermal-conductivity compound that helps dissipate heat. Stator volume is completely filled to prevent the accumulation of vapor. Expansion chambers
are not required.
A canned motor pump offers a simple
design, which is inherently efficient. The
pump has two bearings, no coupling or
seals, primary and secondary leak containment, and low noise levels. In addition, it
doesnt require alignment or lubrication.
The overall size is small, about 50% of the
space requirement of a conventional
pumping arrangement (Fig. 3).
Conventional pumps have four bearings,
seals and seal support system, coupling,
and rigid baseplate to absorb loads and
maintain alignment. There is noise from
the motor cooling fan and no secondary
containment.
Magnetic drive pumps have four to six
bearings, are close coupled, or have a coupling and rigid baseplate to absorb loads
and maintain alignment. There is noise
from the motor cooling fan and normally
no secondary containment.

Fig. 1. Canned motor

pumps have the stator

chamber dry, oil-Blled, or

solid-fitled. Some designs
providefor dry running.
(Courtesy Sundstrand Fluid
Handling, Diu. of Milton
Roy Co.).

JUNE 3. 1993 PLANT ENGINEERING 63

Canned motor pumlbs use sleeve bearings made of

carbon graphite or s i l b n curbide

Fig. 2. Remfitting canned

motors to existing pumps is
done quickly without disturbing piping. Bearing
flush systems and monitors
are available. (Courtesy
Hayward Tyler, Inc.).

Bearings
Typical sleeve bearing materials are carbon graphite and silicon carbide. Carbon
graphite is widely used because of its low
cost. It is self-sacrificing and under certain
conditions runs dry.
If applied properly under specific conditions, silicon carbide provides longer bearing life than carbon graphite, particularly
when particles are present. Dry running
and thermal shock are two serious problems for silicon carbide bearings, because
of their tendency to crack. They are considered an expensive alternative to carbon
graphite.
Since sleeve bearing clearances are typically 0.002 to 0.006 in. in canned motor as
well as magnetic drive pumps, large particles in the fluid stream must be removed or
ground up by the bearings. Particulate in a
pumping system can consist of weld slag,
pipe scale, sand, ferrous particles, and carbonized fluid. Slurries up to 6% by weight
and up to 0.03-in. in size are removed from
the fluid stream by various devices, including centrifugal separators, filters, and controlled clearances.
When slurries cannot be removed by
these methods, they are excluded from the
bearing-rotor area by a flush fluid. The
flush fluid is constantly circulated to cool
the motor, lubricate the bearings, and eventually mix with the process fluid. Flush fluid loss to the process stream is minimized
by a close clearance bushing between the
motor and pump or a lip seal.
Many types of thrust control devices are
available in canned motor pumps. Some
utilize double-acting thrust bearings, com-

bination of hydraulic systems, or variable

orifices.
A canned motor pump adds up to 100
deg F temperature rise (based on water) to
the fluid circulating through the motor. Approximately 2% to 10%of total pump flow
is circulated through the motor, depending
on design.
A variety of design configurations prevent flashing of volatile fluids. One design
uses a connection from the pump discharge
to inject process fluid into the rear of the
motor, where the process fluid is directed
into an auxiliary impeller which pressurizes the fluid above discharge pressure. The
fluid circulates through the motor, removes
heat, and returns to the pump discharge.
This design allows the addition of heat to
process fluids but maintains pressure
above the flash point.
Another design uses reverse circulation
through the motor section of the pump.
Process fluid is returned to the vapor zone
of the supply vessel through a connection at
the rear of the motor. The return line is
throttled to maintain high liquid pressure
within the motor and serves as a vent line.
Shaft Deflection
The L3/D4 ratio, sometimes called the
shaft flexibility factor (SFF), is a measure
of shaft deflection. The higher the ratio, or
more shaft deflection, the greater the maintenance cost on overhung centrifugal
pumps. Increased deflection causes more
wear on bearings, shaft sleeves, wear rings,
and other close-tolerance pump parts. For
this reason, many users making an economic analysis assess a maintenance penalty
against pumps with high ratios.
Canned motor pumps have low L3/D4ratios - below 30. Standard API pump ratios range from 35 to over 200.
Accessories
Several accessories are available to upgrade canned motor pump installations.
Bearing monitors. The primary failure
items in canned motor pumps are bearings.
Many times they are cooled and lubricated
by process fluids with very low viscosities
and poor lubricating qualities. The solution
is to monitor bearing wear in order to replace them before failure occurs.
Bearing monitors are available in several
designs and on most canned motor pumps.
They are up to 98% accurate in preventing
catastrophic failure and indicate when a
bearing change needs to be made. This signal eliminates dismantling a canned motor
pump according to a fixed schedule to
check for bearing wear.
Bearing wear causes material in a sensor
-

64 PLANT ENGINEERING* JUNE 3,1993

FILE 4010

to be removed, creating a signal that warns

of the amount of bearing life remaining before failure. One design has a tube with a
mushroom-shaped, gas-pressurized contact
tip. Wear at the monitor tip is caused by
either or both radial and axial shaft movement corresponding to sleeve or thrust
washer wear. At two-thirds of maximum allowable bearing wear, the tip and end nut
contact, rupturing the tip. The resulting
change in pressure in the tube displays on
an external gauge or actuates a pressure
switch. In addition, this design is useful in
detecting corrosion of the rotor sleeve, because the contact tip is supplied in a metallurgy similar to, but one-half the thickness
of, the sleeve.
Another design consists of a,Teflon-coated ring affixed to the rear bearing assembly
and wired to a detector module. When
maximum allowable bearing wear occurs,
the rotor shaft rubs through the Teflon
coating, makes contact with a metal inner
ring, and completes an electrical circuit. A
signal is generated indicating the bearings
should be replaced.
Other designs indicate worn bearings
and eccentric shaft rotation by rubbed-off
dielectric coatings or interrupted fiber optic paths.
Temperature sensors. Pumped product
temperature is measured in the rotor area
near the bearings. A thermocouple used
with a temperature indicating device shuts
down the pump when abnormal rotor cavity temperatures occur. Otherwise, flashing,
polymerization, or crystallization could occur and cause rapid bearing failure.
Over/under current relays. These relays
detect dry running.
Direction of rotation indicators. Because
rotating parts are not exposed, it is difficult
to determine whether the pump is rotating
in the right direction. An electrical*device
senses if the electrical phase sequence is
compatible with the motor windings. A
light indicates if the motor is running in the
right direction. The usual way to determine
if the pump is rotating properly is to use
two gauges, one in the suction end and one
in the discharge end. Normally the discharge-end gauge should have the higher
reading.
Thermostats. Thermostats are installed
in motor windings to protect insulation
from premature failure. In the event the
motor windings reach a preset temperature
limit, the pump automatically shuts down
before permanent damage occurs.
Selection
Process and fluid information are required to select a canned motor pump, beFILE 4010

cause each application is fluid specific. De- Fig. 3. Spwe requirements

signs are available to handle blended fluids for canned motor pumps
with different properties, temperatures, are approximately 50% of
pressures, and particles. Typical selection those needed by conventfonal and magnetfc drives.
factors include:
J Substance pumped
J Operating temperature and pressure
ranges
I/ Fluid properties (at startup and pumping temperature)
V Viscosity
J Specific gravity
Ir Vapor pressure
V Specific heat
J Solids in suspension
V Largest solids particle size
c/ Average solids particle size
I/ Quantity of solids
J Abrasive qualities
JUNE 3,1993 PLANT ENGINEERING 65

Maintenance a n be done '"in-house"ds part of

.
reg" maintenance with avaiGabGe kiis
V Operating conditions
V Flow
V Discharge head
I/ Suction head
V NPSH available.
This information is necessary to properly
size a pump, select bearing material, provide sufficient cooling flow to the motor,
lubricate bearings, ensure any axial thrust
is balanced, keep pumped fluid from flashing or overheating, and provide bearing
protection from particles. Pump manufacturers request specific information before
recommending a pump, and provide application engineering for unusual or difficult
conditions.

Maintenance
Many canned motor pumps are field repairable, which helps reduce costs when
performing routine maintenance, such as
changing bearings. Some liners in canned
motor pumps are welded and must be returned to the factory for repair.
When repairs are done in the field, they
usually consist of bearing assembly (including thrust washers and shaft sleeves), 0ring seal, and bearing monitor replacement. In many cases these are done in a few
hours. Prepackaged kits are available and

include parts, tools, and illustrate(

instructions.
PLANTENGINEERING
magazine would like to thank AB
Pumps, Lawrence Pump & Engine Div.; Carbone USA Corp
Chempump Div., Crane Co.; Cooper Communications: Gi
lette Brown & Assoc.; Goulds Pumps, Inc.; Hayward Tyle
Inc.; Hydraulic Institute; KSB, Inc.; Laing Thermotec. Inc
David E Moore & Associates, Inc.; Sundstrand Fluid Har
dling, Div. of Milton Roy Co.: and Teikoku USA, Inc.; fc
their special contributionsto the development of this articlc

For more information..

Sealless Centrifugal Pump Standards, HI 5.15.6, 1992, published by the Hydraulic Institute,
is an excellent source of information on the
design, use, and maintenance of canned and
magnetic drive pumps. Contact the Institute at
9 Sylvan Way, Parsippany, NJ 07054-3802,
201-267-9700, for information.
API Standard 685, Sealless Centrifugal
Pumps for Refinery Services, is in the process
of being written and reviewed. For additional
information contact the American Petroleum
Institute at 1220 L St., NW, Washington, DC
20005; 202-682-8000.

. . . Joseph L. Foszcz,Senior Editor, 708-3902699

For information on how to order copies of
this article circle 10 on post card

For additional information on canned motor pumps,

circle the number on the Reader Service Card in this issue.

RS#

i6 PLANT ENGINEERING JUNE 3,1993

Company

FILE 4010
,

,_."."