Table of Contents

Boiler Feed Pumps

SECTION PAGE #

1. Introduction 1

2. Basic Design 2

3. Malfunction Behavior 4

4. Process effects on a Boiler Feed Pump 11

5. Mechanical effects on a Boiler Feed Pump 17

6. Information required for diagnostics on a Boiler Feed Pump 23

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Boiler Feed Pumps--Introduction

In this section we will cover Boiler Feed Pumps together with their
drivers. We do this because Boiler Feed Pumps can be driven by different
types of drivers, each type of drive can have a different effect on the pump.
Boiler Feed Pumps are critical pieces of equipment that are typically spared
(an extra feed pump is available if needed). The pump internals themselves
are not typically repaired on site because of the close internal clearances and
special equipment required. Boiler Feed Pumps are usually a custom made
pump and as such there are often only a few pumps of that specific design
ever produced.

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Boiler Feed Pumps--Basic Design

Boiler feed pumps are usually horizontal multi-stage centrifugal pumps. Boiler
Feed Pumps are designed to deliver water at pressures up to 3500 psi, because of this
they will have heavy cases and long labyrinth shaft seals. Pumps in this category are
usually considered special, or custom by the manufacturer, so they usually don't suffer
from the problems of a pump forced into a service that it was not designed for unless the
pump was designed for base load operation and is now in a load following mode. This is
a fairly common occurrence that can cause vibrations due to internal recirculation and
cavitation. Boiler feed pumps are typically sized to supply from 33%, 50% to 100% of
total feedwater flow, which can be as much as 5,000,000 lbs/hr or more. Typical
configurations of pumps are 3, 50% to 66% pumps; 2, 100% pumps and sometimes 4,
50% pumps for a single generating unit.

Suction
Discharge

Balance Drum Diffuser

Vib. Probe

Figure 2 Close Up Of
Bearing Boiler Feed Pump
Internals
Impeller
Labyrinth Seal
Oil Seals

Figure 1 Boiler Feed Pump Cross Section

In spite of all the special considerations for the size and service boiler feed pumps are still
nothing more than a shaft with a uniformly distributed mass, long seals and a bearing
(sometimes tilting pad) at each end. This may sound like an over-simplification but
looking from the standpoint of "What can this machine do?" it is accurate. This viewpoint
is also useful for "de-mystifying" the boiler feed pump, it's a big, expensive, high
pressure centrifugal pump. It acts like a centrifugal pump, and demonstrates all the same
characteristics of a centrifugal pump. A typical boiler feed pump is very reliable, it's the
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foundations, bed plates, piping hangers and snubbers that are behind many of the
problems usually attributed to them. Boiler feed pumps, as installed, are usually on a
common bed plate with the driver. This is the most desirable situation because it
alleviates the alignment problems associated with different bed plates. Installing a boiler
feed pump on a separate bed plate from its driver can significantly affect boiler feed
pump alignment, particularly when piping strains are present. The piping connected to a
boiler feed pump can usually be characterized by long suction pipes coming from a
deaerator storage tank that is much higher than the pump suction inlet to guarantee ample
NPSH (Net Positive Suction Head). The discharge piping will be heavy and stiff because
of the temperature and pressure of the pump discharge. The support and movements of
this piping can affect the pump alignment a great deal, especially when the pump and
driver are not on a common bed plate.

Most boiler feed pumps will have seal water supplied from an outside source, and
seal water flow, pressure and temperature can play a part in vibration problems with the
pump.

Typically, boiler feed pumps will have a balance drum on the discharge end of the
pump to help counter the thrust force generated by the differential pressure from suction
to discharge. It is always important that the leakoff flow from the balance drum not be
shut off while the pump is operating, otherwise the unbalanced thrust could severely
damage the pump. The balance drum leakoff is typically piped to the deaerator or back to
the pump suction. Generally, leakoff flow corresponds to the thrust position of the pump
as well as the condition of the balance drum. The leakoff flow will not usually change
rapidly or greatly over time so it is wise to record the normal range of leakoff flow. A
drastic change in leakoff flow can be a signal of internal problems with the pump.

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Malfunction Behavior of Boiler Feed Pumps

Boiler Feed pumps are in most cases horizontal centrifugal pumps. Quite often
boiler feed pumps are a custom design because of the pressure and flow that they must
deliver. This fact makes boiler feed pumps a little better behaved than a standard
horizontal pump because a standard pump has to work within the application it's being
used for. A boiler feed pump is quite often designed and built for a specific application.
The typical application will require in the order of 100 psi suction pressure and 1800 to
3500 psi discharge pressure at about 200 °F. The feedwater will be very clean and low in
dissolved oxygen and other gasses and contaminants. This makes deposition on the
pump internals unlikely; therefore, unbalance as a result of deposition is uncommon. The
very high discharge pressures usually encountered in boiler feed pumps necessitate the
use of long labyrinth seals. Often these seals are a source of fluid-induced instabilities.
In this section we will examine the following:

A. Fluid-Induced Instabilities
B. Misalignment
C. Recirculation
D. Vane Passing Frequency Vibrations
E. Shaft Cracks
F. Unbalance
G. Excessive Runout Due To Shaft Plating

A. Fluid-Induced Instabilities

Boiler feed pumps are susceptible to fluid-induced instabilities in the

bearings and seals and can be quite sensitive to misalignment. Most of the
vibration problems that you are likely to see in a boiler feed pump will be
related to fluid-induced instabilities or misalignment.

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13.97 cm (5.50
35.56 cm (14.00 inches)

l
Figure 3 Typical Labyrinth Seal

To help prevent some of these instabilities from occurring, most boiler

feed pumps (for power generating boilers) will be equipped with tilting pad
bearings. As most boiler feed pumps are well designed and well maintained
this will usually be enough to prevent fluid-induced instabilities from
occurring in the bearings. The problems start when the bearings get worn,
either on the babbitt (or on the rockers or pins in tilting pad bearings) so the
bearing clearance becomes excessive. Usually this by itself is not enough to
make the pump go unstable, usually there needs to be something else
"wrong" to lower the threshold of stability. The most common problem that
lowers the threshold of stability is misalignment caused by simple mis-
positioning of the machine, piping strains, pedestal movements or
differential temperatures between the pump and the drive turbine (if so
powered). Misalignment works to move the shaft into a less eccentric
position in the bearing, making the rotor system less stable. Another more
traditional cause of instability is a change in fluid temperature in bearings.
Temperature changes the viscosity of liquids and the viscosity and density of
gases. Since viscosity appears in many terms of the stability equations, its
effect on stability is complex.

Further, temperature changes may also affect the clearances between rotor
and stator, and the steady state load forces that affect rotor eccentricity (especially
when one bearing is a subject to temperature variation). Increasing eccentricity

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enhances the stability of a machine, such changes may control instability

independently from viscosity changes.
Changing the fluid temperature may occasionally cure an instability
problem. Statistically in about 60% of the cases, cooling the fluid will eliminate
the instability, while heating the fluid works in about 20% of the cases. Changing
the fluid temperature has no effect on the remaining 20% of the cases.

Particularly common to boiler feed pumps, and any other pump with
large diameter long labyrinth seals, are fluid-induced instabilities in the
seals. These seals are so large that if the seal water pressure is too high or
the seals get flooded they can start to act like a bearing. In no case can seals
replace a bearing, but they can take enough load off a bearing by moving the
shaft position to cause the system to go unstable.

B. Misalignment

Misalignment in a boiler feed pump is caused by either mechanical forces or

by movement due to changes in temperature. In both cases, and in practically any
case of misalignment, the effects of the misalignment will be evident in an orbit
plot and a shaft centerline plot.
Misalignment due to mechanical forces are typically caused by piping
strains, foundation movements or possibly changes in condenser vacuum. Piping
strains are the most likely cause of mechanically induced misalignment. This is
true in either turbine driven or motor driven boiler feed pumps because the boiler
feed pump discharge piping will be very thick and stiff. Any movement or mis-
support of this piping will pull on the pump. also on turbine driven pumps the
steam inlet piping to the turbine is also very stiff and can pull the turbine out of
alignment. Changes in condenser vacuum cause a change in the load vertically on
the turbine in the outlet area as the differential pressure between the atmosphere
and condenser changes.
Misalignment due to temperature changes in the driver or the pump are
something that is usually accounted for when the unit is aligned initially. This is
necessary because as the driver and the pump warm up to operating temperature
they will expand in all three axis. To account for the expansion the manufacturer
will have to calculate the amount of expansion that should occur in each direction
so the proper amount of offset can be determined. When calculating the expansion
the temperature of the incoming steam, incoming feedwater, the temperature rise of
the motor and the ambient air temperature is assumed. Any time the temperature
of any of the components is not what was assumed the pump or driver will not be
where it was assumed to be and misalignment will occur as a result. When the

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ambient temperature changes this will change the heat transfer through the pump
and the turbine an change their position. When the ambient temperature changes
over a long period of time the pedestals will expand or contract and this too can
change the alignment.

C. Recirculation.

A boiler feed pump is typically a custom designed pump. This means that
the manufacturer knew under what conditions of pressure and flow the pump was
going to run at and designed and built the pump to operate at peak efficiency at
those stated conditions. The manufacturer must do this because they are in a
bidding war with other manufacturers for the contract to supply this pump and
efficiency and required horsepower are two important factors evaluated when
deciding which pump to buy. When the pump is operated within the design
conditions it will usually operate properly. However; if the generating unit was
designed for base load operation and is now operating at reduced loads, the flow
and pressure that the pump is producing may be far enough off of its design curve
that internal recirculation may take place within the pump. Recirculation is the
reversal of flow at the impeller tip. This is typically turbulent in nature and can
cause cavitation like damage to the pump. When the impeller flow is disturbed in
this manner it is possible that the flow balance through the impeller is disturbed
and consequently high radial and axial forces can be generated. This flow reversal
and subsequent turbulent flow will cause increased vibration of both the shaft and
the pump case. Vane passing frequency vibrations are usually seen when a pump
is recirculating.

D. Vane Passing Frequency Vibrations.

Vane passing frequency vibrations are caused by pressure waves

impacting on the individual vanes of the impeller. Vane passing frequency is
determined by multiplying the number of vanes on the impeller by the impeller
rotational speed. When a pump is recirculating the vanes impact with the flow that
is travelling in a reversed direction and cause the vibration. Cavitation is
also likely to occur in flow regimes where recirculation occurs. Cavitation, the
collapsing of bubbles at the surface of the impeller will also cause vibration as each
vane encounters bubbles. This happens at once per turn per impeller vane, hence
the frequency (in CPM) is rotational speed (in RPM) times the number of vanes on
the impeller. Vane passing speed vibrations are caused hydraulically by pressure
waves, that means that the forces from these pressure waves will be manifested on
all internal surfaces of the pump and as such may be detected on the shaft as well
as the case.

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Figure 4 Half Spectrum plot showing 5X vibration taken with a seismic

transducer on the motor

E. Shaft Cracks

Shaft cracks are typically caused by reversing cyclic stresses being imparted
to the shaft. Misalignment is probably the most common cause of reversed cyclic
stresses. When the shaft is misaligned that means that the shaft has to bend such
that the shaft centers are coincident. Every time the shaft rotates one turn the shaft
has to bend back and forth in order to keep the shaft centers lined up. When the
shaft rotates 180° the shaft has to bend in one direction in order to line up the shaft
centers, when the shaft rotates another 180° the shaft has to bend back the other
direction, completing one cycle of stress. Unbalanced hydraulic forces caused by
recirculation and cavitation also cause the shaft to bend back and forth and cause
one cycle of stress each time the shaft bends back and forth once. This bending
fatigues the shaft and can lead to shaft failure. Areas of stress concentrations such
as keyways, shrink fits, threads, and pin holes are the typical locations for cracks to
start. Such stress concentrations should always be avoided.
Shaft cracks are manifested with changing 1X and sometimes 2X amplitude
and phase angles, erratic responses to balancing and decreased resonance speed. In

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no recorded cases has a shaft crack caused an increase in resonance speed. Further,
modern monitoring systems cannot detect a crack in a running shaft until the crack
is in the order of 20% to 25% of shaft diameter. In this case the decrease in
stiffness will be great enough to change the shaft natural resonance frequency
measurably. At the present state of monitoring the only way to detect a shaft crack
that is less that 20% to 25% through the shaft is to remove the shaft and perform
visual or ultrasonic examinations or to support the rotor from slings and determine
the natural resonance frequency in two orthogonal directions through an impact
test. Monitoring resonance speed is probably the poorest way to detect a shaft
crack because the shaft must be cracked enough to cause a great decrease in
stiffness before the resonance speed will decrease.

F. Unbalance

Unbalance is not a typical problem seen in boiler feed pumps, which

is good, because most boiler feed pumps can't be balanced in the field.
Boiler Feed Pumps operate in an environment of very clean, pure water and
usually have ample suction head available. Therefore; damage from erosion,
corrosion or cavitation is minimal. The very clean water does not tend to
form deposits, so unbalance due to deposition is virtually eliminated.

G. Excessive Runout Due To Shaft Plating

Proximity transducer systems are calibrated to respond in a known fashion to

the material that they will be observing. Standard calibration is done with an AISI
4140 material which allows the transducer system to respond correctly to many
ferrous materials. When the shaft is plated in the area underneath the proximity
probes this can cause excessive electrical runout in the measured vibration signal if
the plating is properly applied. The runout is a result of several factors. First, a
proximity probe signal penetrates the shaft surface and if the probe signal
penetrates through the plating (plating insufficiently thick) the system response
will be to a composite of shaft material and plating material to which a proximity
system cannot be accurately calibrated unless the plating is a constant thickness.
Second, if the plating thickness varies on the shaft the system response will vary if
the probe signal penetrates through the plating even if the shaft is held at the same
distance from the probe as it rotates. This is because the system will be reading on
different materials as the shaft rotates. It is important to point out that plating is
not necessarily a bad thing, plating that is applied properly and is of the proper
thickness can be used with proximity systems. Proximity probes do not care what

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material they are reading so long as it is the material that it is calibrated to read.
There have even been cases where plating was applied to correct electrical runout
problems with 17-4PH stainless steel. The important factor in these cases were
that the plating was applied properly and the transducer system was calibrated for
the applied metal.

Electric Motor Driven Boiler Feed Pumps

Boiler feed pumps driven by electric motors with a variable speed drive or fluid
coupling tend to be very well behaved because there is not as much opportunity for
misalignment due to thermal effects, foundation or pedestal movements. These units are
usually mounted on the basement floor slab because they don't need a condenser under
them. This type of pump assembly is not as easily effected by piping strains, differential
temperatures or changes in condenser vacuum. Almost all of the factors that lead to
undesirable behavior in a turbine driven pump are eliminated in an electric motor driven
boiler feed pump.

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Process Effects on Boiler Feed Pumps

In this section we want to look at how changes in the process effect the boiler feed
pump itself. Keep in mind here that everything that the Boiler Feed Pump supplies and
everything that supplies the feed pump is now defined as part of "the process". When we
are diagnosing the behavior of the pump we must remember that everything outside of
the pump itself that effects the pump, is "the process".

Figure 5 Power Plant Arrangement

The process parameters that we want to look at in this section are:

A. Unit load
B. Pump suction pressure / temperature.
C. Boiler pressure.
D. Attemperation flow.
E. Sootblowing flow.
F. Blowdown flow.
G. Seal water pressure.
H. Thermally induced misalignments.
There are certainly more process parameters to look at than what is
listed above, however, these are some of the most useful and these can lead
us to other areas to consider.

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Figure 6 Power Plant Condensate Flow Diagram

A. Unit Load

It's easy to see that any time the power output of the generator changes the
demand on the feed pump will change accordingly. The rate of change of the unit
load can make a more dramatic effect if the control system has to play catch-up and
therefore demands a very fast ramp rate from the pump. Feed pump controls don't
often have ramp rate limits built in, so the pump will have to respond to whatever
control input the change in unit load has caused. Typically, a rapid unit load
change will not greatly effect the pump suction conditions. A motor driven pump
is not likely to suffer thermal effects of a rapid unit load change because any
associated change in the boiler outlet steam conditions isn't going to effect the
Boiler Feed Pump or the drive motor.

In the case of a turbine driven pump a rapid unit load change is likely
to change the boiler outlet steam temperature and therefore the drive turbine
rotor axial position and the alignment of the pump and turbine. In rapid load
changes drum pressure is likely to change and therefore the pump discharge
pressure will change accordingly.

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The load changes mentioned above may cause the pump speed, output flow,
discharge pressure and pump to driver alignment to change. The position of the
suction and discharge piping can also be effected by these process changes.

B. Pump Suction

Most boiler feed pumps take suction from the deaerator storage tank.
Most deaerator storage tanks are at least 100 feet above the pump suction
centerline so NPSH is not usually a problem. This is the case in most power
plants because somewhere in the feedwater heater train there needs to be an
open type heater to help vent non-condensable gasses. The non-condensable
gasses found in feedwater are best vented at lower pressures so the range
typical of feed pump suction pressures is fairly small, and therefore fairly
predictable. Generally, this arrangement means that cavitation due to
inadequate NPSH will not be a problem. A possible exception to this is
where a unit upset or trip causes the water in the deaerator storage tank or in
the pump suction line to reach saturation conditions. At this point the water
can start flashing to steam. When this happens the suction pressure can vary
wildly and the resulting axial load changes can severely damage the pump.
This can also cause the pump to run dry. A hot boiler feed pump will be
severely damaged if run dry very long. Any of the drastic axial position
changes can cause impeller to diffuser rubs. If the pump is damaged by any
of these events there will likely be high vibration occurring during the event
and a change in the vibration response after the event. This is where some of
the control room strip chart recorders can prove useful because the pressure
excursions and water temperature changes can give you an idea of what
happened.

C. Boiler Pressure

Boiler Pressure is directly related to the performance and vibration

response of a boiler feed pump because the pump discharges to the boiler via
the economizer (if present) and steam drum (if present). More boiler
pressure means more discharge pressure and possible axial position change,
leakoff flow change, seal leakage rate change, rotor radial position change
and internal recirculation change with implications for fluid-induced
instabilities. Axial position changes are usually related to leakoff flow
changes and visa-versa. Leakoff flow rate should change within a range of
values normal to that pump and particular circumstance. If the leakoff flow

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rate for the particular circumstance changes then you should be concerned.
The same is true for radial position changes or the amount power used for a
given output. The important point here is that there are interrelations that
extend a long way from the pump. These interrelations must be considered
when trying to figure out if the pump (or any piece of equipment) is
behaving properly. Properly used the effects of these interrelations are tools
that can tell you what you need to know about the pump.

D. Attemperation

Attemperation is a process by which water is sprayed into a steam line

to reduce the temperature of the steam. The water is usually supplied from
the boiler feed pump discharge or from the steam drum. In either case it
represents additional water that the feed pump has to pump. Attemperation
flow is therefore something that must be considered when looking at the
boiler feed pump vibration response. In every case it is useful to relate the
process change to the change in the pumps vibration response, because
understanding what can cause the pumps vibration response to change can
yield useful information about the pump.

E. Sootblowing

Sootblowing; the process of removing soot or ash from the boiler

tube's exterior surface with jets of steam is much like attemperation flow in
that it increases the load on the pump. Sootblowing can have another effect
on the feed pump when the pump is turbine driven. On many units
sootblowing will upset steam temperatures and if the boiler feed pump unit
is sensitive to thermally induced alignment changes, there will probably be a
noticeable effect on the feed pump vibration response if the turbine steam
supply temperature changes.

F. Blowdown

Blowdown (discharging condensate from the boiler) flow often gets

forgotten, which is why it is brought up here. Usually, blowdown is not
going to account for a significant amount of feedwater usage, it's more of a
thermal waste. It is still feedwater that has to be pumped. It can make a
difference if the pump is already loaded near to maximum and now it has to

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pump more. Usually, heavy blowdown is abnormal so the contribution of

blowdown flow can be missed. You must consider everything that can make
a difference to the pump in order to get the whole picture. Without the
complete picture you may not be able to solve the problem as accurately or
as quickly as possible.

G. Seal Water

Seal water pressure and flow comes into play when seal water causes
a change in shaft radial position and causes fluid-induced instabilities to
occur in a pump. Remember that the typical feed pump has long large
labyrinth seals. If those seal areas get pressurized or flooded they can start
to act like a bearing, albeit a poor bearing, but they can carry enough load to
move the shaft to an unstable position. When this happens (usually) the
pump is pumping at high discharge pressure and the shaft seals start to leak.
Then an operator increases the seal water pressure to try to stop the leak and
then the vibration goes up. If you get a work order on the high vibration it
will probably not mention the seal water pressure, the shaft seal leaks or the
pump discharge pressure. This is why you need to ask questions and look at
all the available data.

H. Thermally Induced Misalignment

In the manufacturer's operating or maintenance manual for the typical

boiler feed pump unit under "alignment", it will probably say that the driver
shaft centerline should be at some different elevation than the pump shaft
centerline. This is because the manufacturer believes that the driver will
operate at one temperature and the pump will operate at a different
temperature and that they expand differently. In order that the pump and
driver be in perfect alignment when operating you must set the alignment to
take the differential movement into account. Usually, the manufacturer's
recommendations will get you close to the correct alignment. This is
because the manufacturer can't take into account the "as built" environment
that the pump operates in.
If your pump and driver are solidly mounted on a common bed plate
then mechanical movements shouldn't cause much trouble. Thermally
induced movement will probably be the main cause of alignment changes,
especially on turbine driven pumps. A boiler feed pump unit is sometimes
misaligned cold, so that it will be properly aligned when up to operating

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temperature. This means that any time any of the components are not at the
anticipated operating temperature the alignment will not be correct. This
also means that during the normal course of operational temperature changes
the pump unit is constantly moving and that this is normal. The problems
start when there gets to be too much movement, or the bearings get worn, or
the seal water pressure is too high, or the pump moves and does not come
back to where it should be. Any of these occurrences can cause the pumps
vibration response to change.
On units with an electric motor driver these thermal movements don't cause
as much trouble because neither the pump or the motor gets hot enough to expand
very much. On turbine driven units, where the steam temperature can get to
1000°F and the difference between the main steam supply temperature and the
auxiliary steam supply temperature can be over 500°F, just changing steam
supplies can cause a significant alignment shift. Any process that can significantly
change steam supply or suction temperature can change the unit alignment.

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Mechanical Effects on Boiler Feed Pumps

Mechanical effects as defined here are the effects of forces that originate from
outside the boiler feed pump and effect the pump's vibration response. In most every
case any external mechanical effect will effect the pump unit by causing misalignment or
warping the case, or a combination of both. Misalignments are one of the most common
rotating machine "vibration" problems. In most cases before an external effect will warp
a case it will cause misalignment, so we will deal mainly with misalignment and include
commentary on case warping where appropriate.

A. Misalignment

Misalignments will manifest themselves as either an increase or decrease in

vibration level. The orbit (the path of the shaft centerline) is usually an excellent
indicator of a preload like misalignment. A change in the synchronous vibration level
and rotor position movement will most likely be observed in an orbit and shaft centerline
plot, prior to the generation of other spectral components.

Figure 7 Good Orbit Plot Figure 8 Good shaft centerline plot.

The type of coupling used can also make a big difference on how the machines
vibration response changes with changes in alignment. The best on line indicators of
misalignment are the shaft centerline plot and the orbit plot. A shaft centerline plot will
allow you to see how and where the shaft is going in the bearing. If the shaft is
misaligned, it's movements will be constrained and this will be identified in the shaft
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centerline and the orbit plot. It is useful to know where the shaft goes to on a normal
basis so any deviation will be recognized. Orbit plots present a real time look at the shaft
motion within the bearing. A "good" orbit is typically slightly elliptical.

Figure 9 Orbit Showing Heavy Preload Figure 10 Shaft Centerline Plot Moving In
The Wrong Direction

When a shaft is misaligned, the orbit will become more elliptical or flattened in
shape. When enough misalignment force is applied, 2X vibration may be seen and the
orbit may take on a figure eight shape and the shaft centerline plot may indicate motion in
the wrong direction. At this point, the misalignment is very serious and damage to the
pump is likely if the pump is operated.

An author of an article in a respected trade magazine diagnosed a pump problem

using spectrum plots. The pump was badly damaged and two shutdowns were required.
The root cause of the problem was over 20 mils of misalignment in the vertical plane. If
the person that wrote the article had looked at shaft centerline or orbit plots he would
have seen this misalignment before all that damage was done to his machine and he could
have written an article about how he prevented the damage.

The causes of misalignment can be broken into three basic groups. The first are
misalignments caused by support movement, the second are misalignments caused by
piping strains and the third are misalignments that arise as a result of poor alignment or
poor alignment practices.

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1. Support Movements

It is important to look at how the boiler feed pump is installed. There

are two typical methods of installation for boiler feed pumps and they are
very much different.

The first (common) method is to mount the pump and it's driver on a
common bed plate located on the basement floor slab. This method is typical for
motor driven pumps and is the most trouble free because the
pump and driver are on a common bed plate which is bolted to something solid that
does not move.

The second method of installation has the pump and driver on pedestals such
that the pump is located on the turbine level. This method is common to turbine
driven pumps because the turbine exhaust is routed to a condenser and therefore
the drive turbine needs to be mounted above the basement floor level. In the
previous situation there was not much under the pump to move and cause it's
alignment to change. In this situation any pedestal movement will cause the
alignment to change. Pedestals move for a number of reasons such as thermal
growth and settling. When feed pumps are installed in this way they will not
always be mounted on a common bed plate which makes the situation worse
because the alignment is totally dependant upon the two individual pedestals not
moving. If one pedestal is warmed faster than the other it will expand (grow)
faster and change the alignment. It is easy to imagine that the pedestal supporting
the hot turbine will warm faster than the pump pedestal when the ambient
temperature changes. It's also easy to see that an installation with two individual
pedestals is not as inherently rigid as the installation on the floor slab and will be
more influenced by piping strains.

2. Piping Strains

In the electric driven pump situation the only piping that is likely to
cause problems is the feed pump suction and discharge piping. While the
suction piping is typically not heavy walled, it will typically be long. The
discharge piping will almost certainly be very heavy walled because of the
temperature and pressure that it must withstand. This means that if this pipe
moves it's movement will be transferred to the pump.

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Figure 11 Boiler Feed Pump Discharge Piping Intentionally Restrained

In both the suction and discharge piping the pipe supports are critical to
proper alignment, unfortunately, these are often neglected. Also neglected will be
the steam inlet piping for the drive turbine on a turbine driven unit. The steam
supply piping will be very stiff and it's movements can effect the turbine to pump
alignment. In the extreme case where either the suction or discharge piping is not
supported properly, either through neglect or poor design, the strain can cause the
case of the turbine or pump to warp. If the warp is slight enough the pump may
still run with no adverse effects but the alignment will be off. Properly supported
piping will allow for expansion and will absorb movements due to water
hammering or even earthquakes. Normally, the piping does move and does not
effect alignment. When the support system fails the normal movements can be
transferred to the pump assembly and effect it's alignment. It cannot be stressed
enough that a properly supported pump should not require realignment very often,
if a pump assembly needs constant realignment something is seriously wrong.
Another place where alignment is effected on the turbine driven pump is in the
turbine exhaust ducting. This ducting is usually connected with expansion joints
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so it will not be able to pull on the turbine and move it. However, there have been
cases where the outlet ducting was causing misalignment because it moved or was
not properly installed.

3. Poor Alignment

The next group of misalignment causes are those caused by poor initial
alignment or poor alignment practices. Poor initial alignment can be caused by
erroneous readings/calculations or improper placement of the machine after the
readings are taken. Alignment is not a black art, it is a science that has rules that
must be adhered to in order to obtain a good result. Poor alignment practice will
result in poor machine alignment. Machine alignment can even be effected by
sunlight, so the alignment person needs to be aware of other variables that may
have an effect on the machine. The alignment person has to be very careful so the
readings he is taking can used to determine the machines actual alignment
condition. The alignment person has to be able to evaluate the machine support at
least on a rudimentary level to insure that the machine can be effectively aligned.
A new machine should be aligned per manufacturers specifications initially then
checked after being put into service to verify that the machine actually moved to
where it was predicted to go. The alignment person has to be sure that any
shimming is done properly and that the machine is properly anchored so it will stay
aligned. Alignment people also need to evaluate the piping for possible strains that
are causing alignment shifts. Alignment is very important to a machines operation,
and misalignment plays a part in the majority of machine vibration problems.
Having the tools to align a machine is not enough, it also takes training and
experience.

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Information required when conducting diagnostics on Boiler Feed

Pumps
In this section we want to examine the types of information that is needed when
conducting diagnostics on a Boiler Feed Pump. We want to break up the available
information into five classifications. When dealing with a Boiler Feed Pump the driver
must also be considered as part of the Boiler Feed Pump and all these classifications
apply to the driver as well.

A. Machine Information

This is information about the machine or information that comes directly from the
machine. This includes all and any of the information that comes from any of the
transducers connected to the machine. The machine information that is typically
available will be design operating conditions, nameplate data, performance test data,
leakoff flow, coupling type, bearing type, oil temperature, shaft vibration (overall
amplitude, filtered amplitude and phase, frequency, vibration form and position).
Information on the power supply to the driver (e.g. steam source or voltage / current for
each phase). Machine speed and the operational history for the period during which the
malfunction (if any) was noted.

B. Process Information

This information comes directly from the process that the pump or driver is being
supplied by or is supplying. Process information should always include suction and
discharge conditions. The historical chemistry conditions for the pump and driver can be
useful. Condenser vacuum in the case of a turbine driven unit can affect the shaft
position. Exhaust hood temperature should also be included when working on a turbine
driven feed pump.

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C. External / Structural information

This is information about the pump's surroundings that have an impact on the
pump's behavior. Information such as the condition of the support pedestal or pipe
hangers is included here. Changes in the structural support that can change the machine's
behavior. Also, things like removable roof sections being removed/reinstalled can alter
the machines behavior if the ambient temperature in the area around the Boiler Feed
Pump is affected by this action. Information such as; is the pump being rained on, or is it
covered with snow? Is one side of the pump in full sunshine, is it always running in these
conditions? What do the pipe hangers look like, are they working or have they fallen off?
Is the support pedestal cracked or crumbling?

D. Work order Information

A work order (written or not) will contain some information about the machine's
behavior and what specifically about the Boiler Feed Pump's behavior seems wrong.
Work order information is just what is says. Someone has seen/ noticed something that
they thought significant enough to write a work order on. A work order will often be the
starting place for your investigation. Why do they think there is a problem? When did
they first notice this condition? Does this happen all the time, under what circumstances?
These are questions that need to be answered. Remember, the operator or mechanic that
wrote the work order probably has a lot of experience with this machine, so there is
probably lots of good information available from them.

E. Maintenance information

Maintenance reports, inspection reports and completed work orders can all tell you
about the condition of the machine. Past problems and can warn of impending problems.
If you think that there is too much shaft centerline movement, compare it against the
bearing clearances from the last time they were recorded. How was the machine aligned?
Were there any worn parts put back in that may have gone bad? Did someone make a
note that these new seals seemed too tight and will need to be watched? These kinds of
questions can be answered by looking at the maintenance information.

There will undoubtedly be different information available in different plants.

Different plants will have different ways of recording information, the items listed here
should be universally available and are basic to feed pump diagnostics.

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