Inside

Insights

Figure 2. Armstrong Vertical Pump (Series 4300).

Horizontal or
Vertical:
Whats your angle?

54

District Energy / Fourth Quarter 2009

Figure 1. Bell & Gossett Horizontal Pump (VSC).

Since I have never used the vertical

in-line for large distribution pumps, I have
often wondered, What am I missing on
this issue? Hence, I decided it was time to
do some research and get smarter on the
subject. If you need a refresher course or
an illustration for these pumps, please
refer to figure 1 for a typical double-suction horizontal pump and figure 2 for a
double-suction vertical pump.
In general, the published literature for
the vertical pumps claims many advantages
over traditional horizontal split case-type
pumps, including savings in the areas of

installation costs, floor space and maintenance. Those advantages sound great, but
do they apply everywhere? As you may
surmise, I am pessimistic about that. For
some reason, vertical pump configurations
just seem to bug me they seem like
somebody wimped out when fighting for
space. Its a bit like putting ketchup on a
chili dog: It just doesnt seem right. However,
the pumping industry obviously felt there
was a need for vertical configurations,
since it seems to be filling that gap. So
what is the big deal? Lets look at the pros
and cons of a large vertical distribution
pump, outlined in table 1.
To further illustrate my viewpoint: We
recently had a project to replace four existing chilled-water distribution pumps with
three larger ones. The new pumps are
10,000 gpm and 400 HP each. We selected
both horizontal and vertical pumps and
then laid them out in the available space
Figure 3. Pump Room Layout Using Three
Horizontal Pumps.

Courtesy Syska Hennessy Group.

ecently I came across what I think to

be one of the engineering worlds
perennial dilemmas. You know, the
type of quandaries along the lines of,
What came first, the chicken or the egg?
Dark ale or light beer? Tastes great or less
filling? Apple pie or pumpkin pie? Vikings
or Packers? Or the perpetual argument in
our household, Do nuts really belong in
brownies?
My engineering dilemma reference is,
What angle do you prefer horizontal or
vertical? And no, Im not playing an angle
here. I am specifically referring to pumps.
Just like brownies and pies, pumps
come in several flavors and colors, as well
as different orientations with respect to a
horizontal or vertical axis. Horizontally oriented pumps are parallel to the horizontal
axis and usually are supported on an isolation base; vertically oriented pumps are
parallel to the vertical axis and typically
supported by piping, or the pump casing
may extend to the floor, depending on the
manufacturer.
In recent years, I have seen both configurations installed at central plants that I
have had the opportunity to visit either

for project-related reasons or as part of the

great tours provided by IDEA during conferences. From these visits, I get the
impression that there is a clandestine
movement by engineers or contractors to
use the vertical configuration for distribution pumps.

Courtesy Bell & Gossett.

Editors Note: Inside Insights is a

column designed to address ongoing
issues of interest to building owners,
managers and operating engineers who
use district energy services.

Courtesy Armstrong Pumps.

Steve Tredinnick, PE, Vice President of Energy Services, Syska Hennessy Group

2009 International District Energy Association. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Table 1. Vertical Pumps: Not all theyre cracked up to be?

Installation

Floor Space

Maintenance

They have advantages

but

Eliminate inertia bases and springs since pump is

integral to piping
G Eliminate flexible connections
G Eliminate field grouting of base
G Offer potential to save space over horizontal
split-case pumps that have suction and discharge
connections at the 3 and 9 oclock positions due to
long radius elbows
G Need pump seals replaced about every two years
for clean water applications
G Have split spacer coupling to access pump seals
without removing motor
G Have no bearings to service, thus save maintenance

Courtesy Syska Hennessy Group.

Figure 4. Pump Room Layout Using Three

Vertical Pumps.

(figs. 3 and 4). While the vertical pumps

did appear to fit better, we were able to
add horizontal pumps in a similar floor
space using Bell & Gossetts VSC pump
that has two vertical connections.
What ultimately won us over on the
horizontal pump were the following facts:
1. The project was located in a California
seismic zone, and a 400 HP motor
weighs more than 3,000 lb (if you
can, envision more than the weight
of a VW Beetle above the impellor).
While there are structural bracing
solutions, during a seismic event I

Not Yet a
Member?

Piping alone might not be a good method of supporting

a large pump, especially for seismic conditions.

Floor savings is mostly achieved by using suction diffusers

and triple- duty valves that also act as elbows.

Split couplings are a great idea, but truly a necessity due

to the weight of larger motors.
G Once the coupling is disassembled to access seals, the
impellor is unsupported and will slip to bottom of volute.
On large pumps it will take several strong adults to
reattach the split coupling by hand, thus increasing
maintenance costs and offsetting any potential
first cost savings.
G Some horizontal pumps have maintenance-free bearings.

would be crushed like a beetle if I

were standing next to the pump, and
it decided to let loose after moving
from its center of gravity and picking
up some oscillating momentum!
2. Any entrained air within the chilledwater system could naturally migrate
to the top of the impellor casing,
creating an air pocket and keeping
the pump seals dry, which would
accelerate their wear.
One last note not related to our
project and more specific to a heating
water pump installation is that the heat
rising from the pump casing will detract
from the cooling of the electric motor
above the pump casing, thus affecting its
life and effectiveness. While this sounds all
gloom and doom for the vertical pump, I
think it still has its place in the toolbox,
since in retrofit applications it may be the
only solution that will fit especially in
smaller pumps. I would also like to hear
from readers and IDEA members who
think otherwise or have different experiences or viewpoints from my own.
With my current research complete, it
must be time to settle back into my Lazy
Boy recliner and assume my favorite angle

for watching a weekend of football on

TV horizontal. Maybe I will enjoy some
brownies without nuts! and catch a
wink or two of shuteye at half time. Oh,
and the answers to the other questions:
heavy ales, tastes great, apple pie and the
Vikings (even if I do live in Wisconsin), of
course! I will leave the chicken-and-egg
dilemma for another day.

Based in Madison, Wis.,

Steve Tredinnick, PE, is
vice president of energy
services for Syska Hennessy
Group, which has more than
16 locations across the U.S.
He has more than 26 years
experience related to building heating, ventilation and air-conditioning
systems. The past 15 years of his work have
been focused on district energy systems.
Tredinnick is a graduate of Pennsylvania State
University with a degree in architectural engineering. He is a member of IDEA and
ASHRAE and is currently immediate past chair
of ASHRAE TC 6.2 District Energy. Tredinnick
currently serves on IDEAs board of directors.
He may be reached at stredinnick@syska.com.

For more than 100 years, IDEA has been connecting,

informing and advancing the district energy industry.
Become a member today. Contact Len Phillips, (508)
366-9339, len.idea@districtenergy.org.

2009 International District Energy Association. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

District Energy / Fourth Quarter 2009

55