Repair the leaking pump - it's good for the environment and your wallet

Case

Process industry / Foodtech

Now more than ever, it pays to refurbish well-worn industrial pumps rather than buying new ones. Here's the story of how a leaking milk pump was given a new lease of life with experienced craftsmanship and a fresh mechanical shaft seal, and is running flawlessly again.

Denmark

Application

Centrifugal pump

Shaft seal

Centrifugal pump

Dairy plants

Process equipment

The challenge

We've all heard the mantra that prevailed until recently: it's hardly worth repairing equipment, it's cheaper to buy new! This was also the experience of an electrical contractor on the island of Funen after the centrifugal pump in a milk processing plant started leaking and the leak could no longer be ignored.

Beware of knee-jerk reaction, decades of mantra about to fall
The electrical installer had been tasked with repairing the system. On behalf of the owner, he consulted with the system supplier and was offered a brand new pump, but thought it might be worth listening to a repair rather than discarding the old but otherwise excellent pump.

This is where Hoppe & Møldam Elektro, an electromechanical service company with three workshop departments in Southern Denmark, came into the picture. The electrician contacted Claus Madsen in Ringe, who also thought the pump was worth repairing. And it turned out to make a lot of sense for all parties.

- In these times when it can be both expensive and difficult to get new equipment, we often see that repair is a much more attractive option for customers than buying new. Repair is a good choice for both your wallet and the environment," says Claus Madsen.

The solution

They are 10 employees at Hoppe & Møldam Elektro in Ringe. Claus Madsen took on the case with the small centrifugal pump. Ove Andersen, who had actually retired but has been called back into service due to the abundance of work in the workshop, was the one who carried out the renovation job.

They are both electromechanical engineers, and together with their other colleagues, the workshop represents decades of practical experience in the repair and refurbishment of motors, gears and pumps. Claus says that it is crucial for customers that they can quickly tune in to the right solution at a reasonable price. Most important of all, however, is to do a solid and proper job.

When they got the milk pump in, Claus got in touch with Bjarne Feddersen, Product Manager at Betech. The two have previously worked together on similar projects, and Bjarne was quickly able to help Hoppe & Møldam with the correct dimensional measurement and choice of mechanical shaft seal. In this case, a type 528 bellows seal from French manufacturer Groupe Latty was recommended.

Many parameters in play

The shaft seal is the heart of a pump and the component most exposed to wear and tear. Mechanical shaft seals are specifically developed as seals for rotating equipment and pressurized media applications.

Mechanical seals consist of a rotating part (primary seal), a carrier, spring and retainer, and a stationary (secondary) sealing part. The correct type is selected based on the parameters media, pressure, temperature, rotational speed and dimensions.

Bellows seals are a popular type of mechanical seal for pumps in applications as diverse as food equipment, pharmaceutical production, water supply, power/heat supply and wastewater treatment.

Added value for the customer

In the pump brought to Hoppe & Møldam Elektro, drinking milk passed by the seal's sliding surfaces, which therefore also had to be made of materials approved for food contact.

Many parameters were in play, and despite the team's vast experience, having a specialist from the supplier on the sidelines gave them peace of mind that the right seal could be found right away.

Big gain by renovating the leaking pump
The only question that remained was the price. Was it worth repairing the milk pump at all? Yes, it would have to be: With a high-quality mechanical shaft seal from Betech, Hoppe & Møldam Elektro was able to disassemble, clean and refurbish the pump for a quarter of the cost of a new pump.

- The collaboration with Betech on the new shaft seal is also a good case for the workshop here. We have helped the installer with a very competitive solution, and the plant owner has once again got a good pump that can run smoothly for a long time to come. Everyone is satisfied and will tell others about the good service from Hoppe & Møldam, Ove concludes.