Table 10-1.

Typical Failure Modes of Centrifugal Pump Assemblies

FAILURE MODE FAILURE CAUSE FAILURE EFFECT

Reduction in suction - Loss of pump efficiency
- Pump cavitation
head
Reduction in pump - Eventual erosion of impeller,
pressure - Pump cavitation casing
- Pump noise and vibration
- Incorrect fluid - Eventual catastrophic pump
Component corrosion
- Excessive flow rate for fluid failure
- High radial thrust on pump - Eventual shaft and pump
Shaft deflection
Rotor failure
- Shaft deflection and
Misalignment
Shaft unbalance - Impeller wear - Stuffing box leakage
- Seal leakage
- Bearing wear
Air leak thru gasket /
- Damaged gasket - Loss of pump head
stuffing box
- Seal failure
- Worn mechanical seal - Depends on type of fl uid and
External Leakage
- Scored shaft sleeve criticality as to time of failure
- Stuffing box improperly packed
- Debris in the impeller
- Impeller out of balance
- Bent shaft - Eventual wear of impeller and
Mechanical noise
- Worn/damaged bearing other components
- Foundation not rigid
- Cavitation
- Suction cavitation
Positive suction head too - Clogged suction pipe - Noisy operation
low - Valve on suction line only - Low discharge pressure
partially open
- High output flow rate
- Clogged discharge pipe - Discharge cavitation
Pump discharge head too
- Discharge line valve only - Noisy operation
high
partially open - Low output flow rate
Suction line / impeller - Loss of pump output / reduced
- Contaminants
clogged flow

- Wrong flow rate, contaminants - Loss of pump output / reduced

Worn / broken impeller
flow
Thrust bearing failure - Excessive axial load - Pump failure

Pumps Revision C
10-5