By

N.K.Satnami
Executive Engineer (M)
Turbine & Auxiliaries Maintenance
Technical specifications
• Model – FK 4E36
• Discharge capacity – 990 cub. mtr./hr.
• Head – 2050 mlc
• Speed - 5465 RPM.
• Operating temp. – 161.6 deg.C
• Installed quantity – 3 nos.
1 no. driven by MOTOR of 10,000 Kw capacity.
2 nos. driven by 16 stage Steam turbine.
• Direction of rotation from drive end - counter clockwise
• Interstage tap off flow – 55m3/hr.
• Kicker stage flow – 150 m3/hr.
Constructional Details of BFP
• Boiler Feed Pump is a four + one stage horizontal centrifugal pump of
barrel design casing.
• The pump internals are designed as a cartridge which can be easily
removed for maintenance without disturbing the suction and
discharge pipe work, or the alignment of the pump and the turbo
coupling.
• The rotating assembly is supported by plain white metal lined journal
bearings and axially located by a double titling pad thrust bearing.
• The dynamically balanced rotating assembly consists of the shaft,
impellers, seal sleeves, shaft nuts, balance drum, thrust collar and the
pump half coupling.
• 04 nos. Inter stage tapping after 2nd stage impeller has been made for
attemperation for super heater panel.
• O1 no. tapping from 5th stage (called kicker stage) impeller has been
made for attemperation for reheater panel.
• The pump shaft is sealed at the drive end and non-drive end by
Mechanical Seals.
Sectional View of BFP
Thrust acting on BFP
The pressures generated by the pump exert forces on both its stationary and
rotating parts. The design of these parts balances some of these forces, but
separate means may be required to counterbalance other’s.

RADIAL THRUST – Due to weight of different parts arranged in rotating shaft

assembly.

AXIAL THRUST - On impellers an axial force exists because of differences in

pressure on the front and back of the impeller and the difference in the areas
subject to the pressure. Axial thrust is the sum of these unbalanced forces acting
in an axial direction.
Hydraulic balance arrangement
FK 4E 36 PUMP has an Inline impeller arrangement, all the impellers face
the same direction making the axial thrust of each impeller additive.

Resultant axial thrust = F1 + F2 + F3 + F4 + F5 towards DE

Hydraulic balance arrangement - balance drum
• The pump product passes from the kicker stage of the
(0.20 - 0.24)
pump between the balance drum and the bush, and enters
the balance chamber at a pressure approximately equal to
the suction pressure. Two ports in the discharge cover allow
the product to be piped back to the pump suction side. The
pressure differential across the balance drum is therefore
equal to the across the impellers.

• The cross-sectional area of the balance drum is sized to

give a small residual thrust towards the drive end of the
pump.
 Balancing device leak off flow – 30 m3/hr. (design value)
 If radial clearance betn. Drum & bush increase beyond 30 mm,
drum needs to be replaced.
MICHELL DOUBLE THRUST BEARING
Model – OMEGA 08068 NFC HB1
CARRIER SPLIT RINGS /
HALF RETAINING RINGS

Total 4 pads/half retaining ring, so total 8 pads/side

When to replace pads??

 During service of the pump some scoring and wear
on the pads may develop.

 Pads are serviceable up to a wear of 0.125 mm or when dulling

spreads over to more than half of the pad surface area, whichever is
earlier.
 Increasing pump efficiency

Wearing Ring :
• To allow the impeller to rotate freely within the pump casing, a small clearance is
designed to be maintained between the impeller and the pump casing.
• To maximize the efficiency of a centrifugal pump, it is necessary to minimize the
amount of liquid leaking through this clearance from the high pressure or
discharge side of the pump back to the low pressure or suction side.
• Some wear or erosion will occur at the point where the impeller and the pump
casing nearly come into contact. As wear occurs, the clearances become larger
and the rate of leakage increases. Eventually, the leakage could become
unacceptably large and maintenance would be required on the pump.
 Radial clearance - 0.29 - 0.25

To minimize the cost of pump maintenance, Boiler feed

pump is equipped with Wearing rings. These are
replaceable rings that are attached to the impeller or the
pump casing to allow a small running clearance between
the impeller and the pump casing without causing wear of
the actual impeller or pump casing material. These
wearing rings are designed to be replaced periodically
during the life of the pump and prevent the more costly
replacement of the impeller or the casing.
Cooler for mechanical seal – MECHANICAL SEAL SKID Magnetic filters –
1 working , 1 standby for each end 1 working , 1 standby for each end
CW out CW in

Seal water in Seal water out

Seal water out

Magnetic discs

After cleaning the magnetic

discs need to be mounted
in such a way that they spacers
attract each others in pairs
but repel adjacent pairs
from which they are
separated by spacers.
Seal water in
 Major Troubleshooting
SYMPTOMS POSSIBLE CAUSE ACTION
Pump performance low (Pump Incorrect rotation of pump in case of Check motor electrical connections.
Discharge pressure low) MDBFP
Excessive wear of Dismantle pump and inspect
pump internals components.
Low Speed Check Speed Regulation System.
Strainer Chocked Clean strainer
Bearings overheating Defect in lubricating oil system. Check lubricating oil system.
Oil flow to bearing.
Bearings worn of Examine bearings.
misaligned.
Misalignment of pump. Check alignment.
Mechanical Seal Temperature high Insufficient cooling Water to cooler. Check Heat Exchanger for blockages
and clean.
Mechanical seal damaged Check the rotating and stationary part
of seal
Excessive noise/vibration Misalignment of pump set
Bearing misalignment
Holding down bolts loose
Excessive clearance of pump
internals
Rotating assembly out of balance
Excessive load of interconnecting
pipings acting on pump
Hydraulic flow disturbances
Check alignment
Examine bearing
Tighten holding down bolts
Check clearances overhaul as
necessary
Check dynamic balance
Check hot and cold values of piping
supports and float
Increase flow through pump.
Avoid long running on low flow
 Hydraulic balance arrangement
• Devices that utilize a radial clearance - Balance Drums
• Devices that utilize an axial clearance - Balance Discs.

Devices that rely on axial clearance (balance disc, flanged drum and stepped drum),
have two significant advantages:
• The axial clearance is typically very small (0.13mm), resulting in lower leakage losses
and higher pump efficiency than an equivalent balance drum.
• Axial thrust can be completely compensated, removing the need for a thrust bearing
(or requiring only a small thrust bearing in the case of some flanged or stepped drum
implementations).
• The basic mode of operation is to allow the pump rotor to adjust axially to achieve
equilibrium. As the axial gap increases so does flow to the balance disc, reducing the
pressure available to compensate for axial thrust. Similarly if the axial gap gets
smaller, the flow to the balance disc decreases and the pressure available to
compensate for axial thrust increases.