WHEN a leading company in the petrochemical sector lost patience with the lack of reliability of a trailer mounted water pump, refurbishment turned out to be a cost-effective solution to a pricey replacement.
Andre Strydom, Rental Development Manager at Integrated Pump Rental said the water pump’s constant breakdowns meant that an intervention was required, but the client was on a tight budget.
“When consulted, Integrated Pump Rental was able to offer the option of either a completely new trailer mounted Sykes diesel driven pump or a refurbishment that would include fitting a new Sykes pump-end.”
To make the decision, the pump was stripped and assessed at their workshop in Jet Park. “After discussion with the customer, it was agreed to conduct a complete refurbishment, as the diesel engine driving the pump was also underperforming – further disrupting the pump’s operations at critical times.”
Strydom added that in any refurbishment, it is vital to match the customer’s on-site duty requirement with the pump’s technical capacity.
“In this case, 220 litres per second needs to be pumped at a head of 35 metres, and the decision was made to replace the pump-end with a Sykes CP250i with a 355 impeller which would the reliable delivery of a maximum flow rate of 280 litres per second.
“At a total head of 55 metres, the Sykes CP250i diesel driven pump can still manage a flow of around 100 litres per second.”
The engine was replaced with a Kirloskar 4K1080TA diesel unit which was close coupled to the Sykes CP250 pump-end, together with the dropped discharge pipework.
An acid wash was used to clean off old paint and rust, while all non-working parts were stripped down to the fuel tank and chassis. Mechanical improvements were also made to the trailer and included a new hand-winch installed to lower the A-frame for easier coupling and uncoupling from the tow vehicle.
Strydom said the fitting of this winch system would also reduce the risk of injuries, such as lower back strains or feet being caught when the trailer is unhooked.
“The turnkey operation was completed by Integrated Pump Rental in a quick turnaround time and within the customer’s limited budget, without compromising on quality. The complete rebuild – including delivery to site – took less than a month to complete.”
The company also conducted the commissioning of the refurbished unit on the customer’s site.
