Sept05PUMPS&SYSp18-21 8/22/05 11:51 PM Page 18
Cover Series: Installation Best Practices
Intend
to
Extend
John Petersen, Viking Pump, Inc.
“The root cause of many pump failures can
be traced back to how well – or how poorly
– the pump system is installed. Here are
some proper installation principles that will
extend the life of your pump.”
A
rigid foundation prevents structural move-
ment that causes other components to fail.
This is why a poorly mounted baseplate
wields a destructive effect, similar to constructing a
multi-million dollar home on loosely-set bricks.
A rigid baseplate is the backbone of shaft and
coupling alignment. We’ve all heard horror stories
about crews trying to make up two inches in the line
by prying open a discharge port for slack. A non-
rigid base, combined with non-aligned shafts,
results in excess vibration, mechanical seal failure,
leakage and possible premature bushing wear. These
installation problems are all root causes of prema-
ture failure to pumps.
Here are some tips on proper installation prin-
ciples that will extend the life of the pump.
Baseplate Mounting
A typical positive displacement pump operates
as a lower-speed higher-torque device. This trans-
lates into some twisting motion in a non-rigid base,
because applying power to this pump through a gear
reducer generates some fairly significant reaction
forces that tend to turn the base and distort the shaft
alignment. When this happens, unusually high
forces within the pump create higher bearing loads
and premature wear.
The baseplate for this application must be
designed with enough rigidity to allow the shaft to
18 SEPTEMBER 2005 www.pump-zone.com
accept the applied loads of torque without deflecting.
In certain applications, the baseplate design must be
reinforced underneath, perhaps grouted, to allow the
base plate to float for temperature variation.
For example, consider a process that starts oper-
ating with a cold pump. The pipes expand as heat
builds to 350 degrees during the process. A com-
mon practice in high-temp applications is to allow
the base plate to “float” rather than constraining it
and creating more loads on the pump system.
Piping designers determine the amount of float by
calculating the maximum growth in the piping dur-
ing the process cycle.
Using expansion joints next to the pump
accomplishes the same purpose. Expansion joints
provide the support necessary to absorb any piping
expansion that occurs and effectively remove this
issue from the equation.
For pumps running at higher temperatures,
another common practice is to hot-align the whole
unit. This involves initially running the pump and
bringing the process up to temperature. Next, the
system is shut down and everything locked out.
Then, everything is realigned at operating tempera-
ture using special safety precautions due to every-
thing being hot.
Sound baseplate design is absolutely critical to
pump longevity. Its rigidity must match the applica-
tion, but be flexible enough to allow shaft and cou-
pling alignment without making compromises.
PUMPS & SYSTEMS
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1
To realign a pump
system , ensure the
power is off and lock
out the unit before 5
starting any work.
Make sure the base
is level and support- Pipe up the pump. After piping
ed. Do not stress the the pump, check all the align-
base. Tighten the ments again. Do not have in any
foundation bolts. Re- strain or twisting. Final align-
move the coupling ment. Above 300-deg operating
guards to expose the temperatures, check the clear-
couplings. ances at running temperature.
Check all alignments one last
time. Replace all coupling
guards prior to startup.

2
Align the pump to the piping. Make sure
the ports and pipes are square. Shim and
align as required. Tighten the pump
mounting bolts. Do not move pump dur-
ing alignment! All other components are
aligned to the pump.

3
Align the reducer to the pump. Check
the coupling between the pump and
reducer. Correct by shimming or
moving the reducer. Tighten the
reducer mounting bolts.

4
Align the motor to the reducer. Check
the coupling between the reducer and
motor. Correct by shimming or moving
the motor. Tighten the motor bolts.
Recheck the alignment between the
pump and reducer.

PUMPS & SYSTEMS www.pump-zone.com SEPTEMBER 2005 19

Sept05PUMPS&SYSp18-21 8/22/05 11:51 PM Page 20

Coupling Alignment
Coupling alignment must always be inspected during new instal-
lations or whenever a component is removed for repair or mainte-
nance. For example, pumps are commonly pulled from service due to
seal leakage caused from incorrect seal installation or misalignment,
not from a mechanical problem with the seal itself.

Parallel or offset coupling

alignment aligns the driver
and driven shaft to a common
center line using a straight
edge, dial indicator, or laser
level. In this example, the
straightedge should rest
squarely and evenly on the
coupling hubs. Every 90
degrees should be checked.

Some users discover that coupling alignment has a larger impact

on mechanical seal leakage than all other causes, so their baseplate
Circle 129 on Reader Service Card

design allows them to dial-in coupling alignments and dramatically

reduce their amount of seal maintenance.
A factory-aligned unit must still be realigned when received and
installed on site, because certain system components may shift or be
disturbed during shipment. Because typical bases are totally flat, many
users mistakenly attempt to level the unit by tightly drawing down the
base with bolts during installation.

20 SEPTEMBER 2005 www.pump-zone.com PUMPS & SYSTEMS

Sept05PUMPS&SYSp18-21 8/22/05 11:51 PM
Angular coupling alignment
aligns the faces of the coupling
parallel to each other using feel-
er gages, a spacer bar, a mic-
rometer, or calipers. The spacing
between the coupling should be
checked against the manufac-
turer’s specification. Every 90
degrees should be checked.
If the unit is not completely
level, position and locate the base
and start the bolts. If a gap exists
between the foundation and the
base plate, insert a shim under-
neath so the base is not distorted
from its original position. Next,
realign the piping and bolts with
the shimmed base, then tighten
down the bolts.
When using laser alignment
as the reference for tightening
down the system, jack screws
offer an effective and easy way to
dial-in incremental thousandths
of movement that matches the
precision of the laser reading.
This eliminates the imprecise
tapping of the motor into posi-
PUMPS & SYSTEMS
Page 21
tion one way or another with a
soft hammer.
The Grace of Space
Behind all of these installa-
tion and alignment procedures
lies the fact that many facilities
fail to allow access to the pump
system for efficient maintenance
and repairs. Forethought should
be given to front and side access
to the pump system during
design, so that installation and
alignments can be effectively per-
formed to minimize downtime.
The bottom line here is the
actual bottom line. Fewer pump
failures equates to competitive
www.pump-zone.com
Always check the gap on
coupling alignment — the man-
ufacturer’s recommended dis-
tance between coupling halves.
If the piping goes in first
during plant construction, align
the existing piping with the
pump without springing the
piping into place. The key here
is positioning and locating
everything before locking any-
thing down. Piping changes will
be necessary if there is too
much distance to make up.
If no piping is installed, start
with the pump and run out
from there. Remember to sup-
port the piping next to the
pump. From this point, attach
the parts to the pump and work
backward through the align-
ment process. All piping should
be aligned (with the base prop-
erly shimmed) before tightening
everything down.
advantage, and the root cause of
many pump failures can be
traced back to how well – or how
poorly – the pump system is
installed. Following these princi-
ples of proper installation will
preserve the health of the pump
– and your bottom line. P&S
John Petersen is vice president for
technical customer service at Viking Pump,
Inc., 406 State Street, Cedar Falls, IA
50613, 319-273-8152, Fax: 319-273-
8157, www.idexcorp.com, jpetersen@i-
dexcorp.com.
SEPTEMBER 2005 21