Hot Water Economiser Pumps Replaced After Four Decades of Service
Fluids Handling

Hot Water Economiser Pumps Replaced After Four Decades of Service

Photo of North Ridge Pumps North Ridge Pumps Follow on X Send an email 47 minutes ago
33 2 minutes read
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We recently delivered a project for a marine-sector client operating a floating offshore platform. The platform’s boiler system includes an economiser supported by two hot-water circulation pumps that had been in service for more than 40 years. Approaching the end of their operational life, the pumps required replacement, and we were engaged to develop a modern solution to enhance system reliability and performance.

What is an economiser and how does it improve boiler efficiency?

An economiser is a heat exchanger that recovers waste heat from flue or exhaust gases to preheat boiler feedwater or fresh air, improving system efficiency while reducing fuel use, costs, and emissions. Hot gases pass through a tube bank to transfer heat to incoming water, reusing energy that would otherwise be lost and enhancing overall thermal performance. Because high-temperature boiler pumps are prone to mechanical seal failure, gland packing is commonly used; this consists of heat-resistant soft rings made from materials such as graphite, aramid, or PTFE, selected according to operating temperature, pressure, and chemical resistance.

Which pumps did we select?

We chose two hot water circulating economiser pumps from our XCP range. These are ISO 2858-designed pumps specially built for arduous duty in demanding industrial and marine environments.XCPs are large, heavy duty, close-coupled centrifugal process pumps with high flow and high-pressure capabilities. They’re designed to pump low viscosity clean or slightly contaminated fluids which don’t contain solid or fibrous solids, such as fuels like diesel, petrol and kerosene, as well as fresh water and sea water.

In this design, the centrifugal process pump and motor have separate shafts. This means that only the pump shaft needs replacing if it breaks. Other less robust pumps available only incorporate a motor shaft. So, if the shaft breaks, the whole motor needs to be switched.

The long-coupled design prevents fluid ingress and allows easy pump-head access for maintenance.Above all, this unit is purposely designed for continuous use and long operational life. That’s because it’s fitted with extra bearings in the pump head which take a great deal of strain away from the motor during operation.

We supplied each economiser feed water pump with a flushing connection to make sure that the packing stays cool even in high temperatures. To put this in perspective, centrifugal pumps could be operating at temperatures as high as 65°C which can cause many elastomers to fail if not correctly specified.

Heat Exchangers

Certified for use in explosive environments

The pumps operate as hot-water circulation units delivering approximately 200 L/min at 3 bar and handling water at up to 170 °C continuously. To achieve this, the motors were specially rewound for 460 V, 50 Hz operation, which is unusual as 460 V is typically used at 60 Hz.

Dealing with high temperatures

The pumps were built with a ductile iron casing and a stainless steel 316 impeller, guaranteed to provide many years of uninterrupted service.

If you have a project which needs our help. Please contact North Ridge Pumps.

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About us

North Ridge Pumps are an independent manufacturer and distributor of pumps. Having been established since 1998, we have a vast array of experience having become accustomed to supplying pumps for most processes.

We work within a range of industries both UK and Internationally, specifying pumps for a wide variety of applications from the transfer of corrosive and aggressive chemicals, to dewatered sludge, viscous grease, resin, glues, food and Seawater.

Our pumps range from standard centrifugal and multistage pumps, to immersed and process overhung solid handling pumps. We also supply a wide range of positive displacement pumps including Vane, Piston, Progressing Cavity and Peristaltic enabling us to specify more than one solution for your application, but also ensuring the majority of applications remain within our reach.

We offer the following services:

Technical support – We know at times pump selection is difficult. Pump selections are made with confidence by technical sales engineers who understand your process, ensuring equipment is engineered beyond your needs.

To select the correct technical solution for your requirement, longevity of design is prioritised. If there are existing issues you need assistance with, we work with you to solve these which could be high maintenance costs, frequent service periods, repeated equipment breakdown leading to lost revenue, inconsistent flow rates, clogging or where pumped product is inconsistent.

Application experience – Due to our 20 years of application experience we work with you to ensure our pumps operate according to your desired application. Our experience means we have most likely provided a solution for a similar process previously. With proven results, we know how to achieve your outcome sooner.

As our pumps are completely configurable, we design pumps with materials according to your requirement, and to your required duty point. Pumps are engineered specifically for your process whether they be baseplate mounted, within a mobile frame or in kit form with couplings, hoses, and dispensing nozzle.

Industry knowledge – We have a thorough understanding of a range of industries through experience from supplying the offshore oil and gas market, to paper mills, chemical plants and food manufacturers to name a few.

We not only understand the importance of downtime but also what each process requires and how small design improvements specific to the nature of your industry and application can reduce downtime, facilitate maintenance and improve longevity.

If you have a process or application you require a pump for, or a process which requires improving, get in touch to see how we can help.

What we do in a nutshell

Pump Specification & Supply

Photo of North Ridge Pumps North Ridge Pumps Follow on X Send an email 47 minutes ago
33 2 minutes read
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