Flow eHandbook

PREEMPT
FLOW PROBLEMS
 www.ChemicalProcessing.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prevent Suction Piping Problems  4
Follow best practices when designing pump systems

Create a Preventive Hose Maintenance Plan   9

Follow these five steps to determine the best replacement timeline

Consider Portable Flow Instruments   15

Some circumstances warrant the use of such devices

Additional Resources  18

AD INDEX
ABB • www.abb.com  14
Krohne, Inc. • us.krohne.com/optimass1400  8
Swagelok • www.swagelok.com  3

Flow eHandbook: Preempt Flow Problems 2

 PRESSURE
IS RUNNING YOUR PLANT
SHORT-HANDED.

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Visit swagelok.com/support to download “Go-To Strategies

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© 2018 Swagelok Company


Prevent Suction
Piping Problems
Follow best practices when designing pump systems
By Amin Almasi
P
iping issues can directly affect a
pump’s performance and life. Poorly
designed suction piping can result
in pump damage and even failure. Quite
bluntly, there’s no excuse for substandard
piping design.
Numerous guidelines and mandates in the
technical literature, textbooks, manuals, codes,
specifications, etc., call for short and simple
suction piping. Yet, some engineers and
designers still treat such dictates only as pref-
erences. They install pumps far from suction
sources and design long and complex suction
piping systems. I personally can attest that
many design teams don’t heed the guidelines
for suction piping. They offer excuses such as
there’s no space near the suction vessel (tank
or drum) or it’s more convenient to install
pumps near downstream equipment.
www.ChemicalProcessing.com
As a result, cavitation and other suction-re-
lated problems such as turbulence and air
entrainment cripple pumping systems in
many applications. Root-cause analysis of
pump failures often points to long suction
piping systems as the culprit. The solution
to avoiding future failures usually is rede-
signing the suction piping to be as short,
simple and straight as possible.
You should consider pump location and
suction piping at the layout stage. It’s
simply wrong to fix the location of every
vessel, drum or tank and leave pump
locations for later. You also should antic-
ipate the addition of small pumps in due
course; for such cases, provide spare space
around vessels, tanks or other equipment
to accommodate these pumps right at the
layout stage. In addition, make your best
Flow eHandbook: Preempt Flow Problems 4

efforts to place any pumps close to the suc-
tion source.
Always explore any possible option to
install pumps closer (even if only by 1 m)
to the suction source. Pump textbooks and
nearly all pump catalogues and manuals
clearly note that suction piping should be
as short, simple and straight as possible.
Unfortunately, some design teams opt for
the easiest design rather than correct one
(as per guidelines).
THE BASICS
For any suction piping longer than a few
meters, ensure that you provide enough
net positive suction head (NPSH) margin,
i.e., NPSHA - NPSHR, for all potential oper-
ating points on the performance curve of
the pump from shutoff to near the end of
the curve. An adequate margin particularly
is needed at or near the end of the curve
where NPSHR is high and NPSHA is low
(because of high flowrate).
Different guidelines offer various recom-
mendations for margin, for instance, 1 m, 1.5
m or 2 m, depending on the criticality of the
application, pump details, suction energy,
sensitivity of pumps, potential damage due
to cavitation, etc. A good recommenda-
tion is a minimum NPSH margin of 2 m for
the commonly used operating range (say,
70–120% of the rated point) and a minimum
NPSH margin of 1 m for the end of the curve
to prevent risk of cavitation when the pump
www.ChemicalProcessing.com
operates, even temporarily, at the far-right
side of rated point.
Cavitation can cause a wide range of dam-
aging and disturbing effects such as suction
pressure pulsations, erosion damage,
increased vibration, noise, etc. Check the
margin for the worse possible operating
cases, for instance, when the suction source
is at its minimum head or liquid level, fric-
tion in suction piping is at its maximum, etc.
These guidelines may necessitate an
increase in the suction piping size. For rela-
tively long and complex suction piping, it’s
common to see suction piping up to four
sizes larger than the size of the pump’s suc-
tion nozzle; for instance, a 125-mm pump
suction nozzle may require 250-mm suction
piping (for a relatively long run). If such a
size increase isn’t viable, consider installing
a drum or small tank near the pump to act
as the suction source for it.
Connect the pump nozzle to an appropri-
ate length of straight pipe, per the pump
manufacturer’s guidelines. As a very rough
indication, the minimum length of straight
pipe needed between an elbow (or any
major fitting) and the pump suction nozzle
is 4–12 times the diameter of the suction
piping. For some high suction energy
pumps, this straight length should be up to
15 times the diameter; for commonly used
small pumps, which usually are low suction
energy units, this required straight length is
Flow eHandbook: Preempt Flow Problems 5

Minimize the number of elbows in the
proposed suction piping; numerous
elbows might present swirl, disturbances
and other damaging effects to suction
flow and, consequently, to the pump.
somewhere between three and six times the
diameter of suction piping.
The straight-run pipe gives a uniform veloc-
ity across the suction pipe diameter at the
pump inlet. Keeping the suction piping
short ensures that pressure drop is as low
as possible; this directly affects the NPSH
margin. These two factors are important for
achieving optimal suction and trouble-free
pump operation.
For any suction piping not conforming to
short and simple guidelines, check with the
pump manufacturer. It’s common to ask the
vendor to review suction piping and make
comments on the performance, functional-
ity, reliability and all guarantees of the pump
with that suction piping. The bottom line is
that the pump manufacturer should confirm
that the pump isn’t affected by that suction
piping. Remember that pump guarantees
often are limited to two or three years, so
correct suction-piping design is a better way
to ensure proper long-term performance.
www.ChemicalProcessing.com
TURBULENCE AND
AIR ENTRAPMENT
Sizing of suction piping isn’t the only area
requiring attention. Also, seriously evaluate
route, layout and configuration. Suction
flow disturbances, such as swirl, sudden
variations in velocity or imbalance in the
distribution of velocities and pressures,
can harm a pump and its performance
and reliability. For any suction piping a bit
longer than usual or not straight and simple,
ensure that adverse effects such as turbu-
lence, disturbances, air entrainment, etc.,
won’t affect the pump set.
Minimize the number of elbows in the pro-
posed suction piping; numerous elbows
might present swirl, disturbances and other
damaging effects to suction flow and,
consequently, to the pump. Eliminate any
elbow mounted close to the inlet nozzle of
pump. Especially avoid two elbows at right
angles because they can produce sustained
damaging swirls. There have been cases
where a swirl introduced by two elbows
Flow eHandbook: Preempt Flow Problems 6

in the suction caused high vibration of the
pump and subsequent damage to it.
Another type of damaging flow pattern
to a pump results from swirling liquid that
has traversed several directions in various
planes; therefore, avoid complex suction
piping routes with multiple directional
changes. Usually, the higher the suction
energy and specific speed of a pump, in
addition to the lower the NPSH margin,
the more sensitive a pump is to suc-
tion conditions.
Also, eliminate the potential for air entrap-
ment in the suction piping. One of the
sources of air or gas entrainment is the
suction tank or vessel. You must main-
tain adequate levels in the suction source
(drum, vessel or tank) to keep vortices from
forming and causing air/gas entrapment. In
addition, ensure there’s no air/gas pocket.
Particularly avoid high pockets in suction
piping; these can trap air or gas. Suction
flanges or any connection with potential
leaks can be a source of air entrainment;
so, minimize the use of flanged connections
and eschew threaded ones. Check that all
piping and fitting connections are tight in
suction vacuum conditions to prevent air
from getting into the pump.
www.ChemicalProcessing.com
Velocity in the suction piping should rise
as the liquid moves to the suction nozzle
of the pump; this speed increase usually
comes from reducers. The suction piping
design should provide smooth transi-
tions when changing pipe sizes. Often,
two or three reducers are used (usually
back to back) to decrease a large size of
suction piping to the size of the pump’s
suction nozzle. Pumps should have an
uninterrupted flow into the suction nozzle.
Generally, install eccentric reducers with
the flat side on top to avoid the potential of
forming an air/gas pocket.
Treat isolation valves, strainers and other
devices used on the suction side of a pump
with great care. Eliminate them if possible.
I have seen many unnecessary isolation
valves or permanent strainers on the
suction of pumps; these cause more harm
than good. If you absolutely require a valve,
strainer, etc., size and locate any necessary
device to minimize disturbances of the
suction flow. Install these flow-disturbing
items relatively far from the pump to let the
provided straight length of piping smooth
and normalize the liquid’s flow pattern.
AMIN ALMASI is a mechanical consultant based in
Sydney, Australia. Email him at amin.almasi@ymail.com.
Flow eHandbook: Preempt Flow Problems 7
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More facts about the OPTIMASS 1400: www.us.krohne.com/optimass1400


Create a Preventive Hose
Maintenance Plan
Follow these five steps to determine the best replacement timeline
By Alice Chin, Swagelok
K
nowing the right time to replace
hoses in a chemical processing
plant is a common concern among
many plant managers and maintenance
leaders — and with good reason. Wait-
ing too long to replace a hose that needs
attention can increase your risk of a failure
greatly, possibly leading to a safety issue
and unplanned downtime. Replacing a hose
too early — while not a safety risk — can be
costly in terms of time and money. A pre-
ventive hose maintenance plan is a valuable
addition to any plant’s standard operat-
ing procedures.
A preventive maintenance plan can help
by providing information on each hose in
your plant. This means tracking the life and
performance of all hoses, inspecting them
frequently, replacing them proactively and
www.ChemicalProcessing.com
identifying key replacements to have at
your facility. While developing such a plan
may seem onerous, the cost-saving ben-
efits can make it well worth the upfront
time investment.
Each hose in your facility is different
according to the application parameters it
experiences and therefore needs a unique
replacement interval based on its environ-
ment. Take into account everything from
pressure and temperature to movement
demands and nearby equipment.
Consider a process application that uses
50 identical hoses. Half of these hoses
are steam cleaned and wear out after one
year. The other half are not cleaned and
likely will last much longer, say, four years
longer. Placing all the hoses on a five-year
Flow eHandbook: Preempt Flow Problems 9

maintenance cycle is dangerous and can
shut down processes resulting from unex-
pected hose failure.
However, putting all the hoses on a one-
year replacement interval would mean
replacing hoses with years of life left in
them. How much could the plant save if it
increased the replacement interval for the
second set of hoses to five years? At a cost
of approximately $200 per hose, the sav-
ings would be about $20,000 in product
costs alone, plus the savings from reduced
maintenance and downtime.
CREATING A PREVENTIVE
HOSE MAINTENANCE PLAN
While your supplier can provide general
inspection and replacement guidelines,
your actual replacement intervals will vary
based on each hose’s operating environ-
ment, materials of construction and other
factors. These replacement intervals cannot
be predicted. They can be determined
only through observation and care-
ful recordkeeping.
Here are steps to establish your plan:
1. Identify all hoses. First, perform a full
plant audit that includes identifying and
tagging every hose. Be thorough and spe-
cific, including noting the hose type, part
number, process fluid, pressure or tem-
perature ratings and vendor name and
contact information.
www.ChemicalProcessing.com
In a spreadsheet, log additional details,
including each hose’s length, size, core
material and construction, reinforcement
layers, end connections, mounting, cover
type, operating conditions, cleaning proce-
dures and the date the hose was installed
and scheduled for replacement.
2. Track the lifecycle of each hose. Follow a
schedule of regular hose inspections, exam-
ining each hose at an interval recommended
by your supplier. These inspections are
visual and rarely require system downtime.
Mainly, you are looking for signs of wear,
such as scrapes, cuts, corrosion, kinks and
general deterioration. These signs indicate
the hose is ready to be replaced. Note all
observations in your spreadsheet.
If the system is in operation at the time
of your inspection, you can also look for
hoses that rub against equipment, experi-
ence pulses, are exposed to external heat
sources or are set up in arrangements that
may cause undue strain (see Table 1). These
situations should be corrected.
When a hose has reached the end of its life,
it’s critical to note its service interval. This
information provides a known replacement
interval for that hose.
If and when a hose fails during operation,
document everything, including the location
of the failure on the hose, the severity of
the break and how the hose was mounted.
Flow eHandbook: Preempt Flow Problems 10
 www.ChemicalProcessing.com

UNDUE HOSE STRAIN

Table 1. Eliminate these situations that will put strain on your hoses, shortening their service life or
causing failure.

Twisting a hose or bending it on

more than one plane

Bending the hose beyond its rec-

ommended radius

Bending too close to the hose/fit-

ting connection

Allowing insufficient hose length so

the hose is strained during impulses

Failing to use elbows and adapters

to relieve hose strain on horizontal
end connections

Flow eHandbook: Preempt Flow Problems 11


These details will help you troubleshoot the
failure with your hose supplier and deter-
mine how to prevent a reoccurrence.
3. Follow inspection and replacement proto-
cols. As you learn the replacement interval
for each hose, your hose maintenance plan
will take shape. However, even after deter-
mining the replacement interval, you should
continue with periodic inspections to ensure
that a change in system parameters does
not place a strain on a hose.
4. Analyze your data. Periodically analyze
your historical data against your established
hose inspection and replacement frequen-
cies to determine whether any intervals
should be shortened or lengthened for
safety or budgetary reasons. Performing
a destructive test on a replaced hose can
show whether the hose was replaced too
soon (that is, if it has significant life left, you
can extend its replacement interval) or too
late (that is, if it were nearing failure, you
should reduce the replacement interval).
In addition, if a specific hose is replaced fre-
quently (for example, weekly or after only
one cleaning cycle), consider using an alter-
native design that will offer a longer life. In
doing so, verify that the cost-benefit analy-
sis works in your favor.
5. Be prepared with spares. If you know the
replacement interval of your hoses, you can
order replacements in advance. In addition,
www.ChemicalProcessing.com
for certain hose categories, it’s a good prac-
tice to keep some spares in inventory at
your plant:
• Hoses for Critical Safety or Process Appli-
cations: You’ll need a readily available
spare to correct rapidly any hose applica-
tions that present critical safety hazards
or severe downtime potential.
• Hoses That Are Likely to Fail: When a
hose’s operating environment presents a
high likelihood of premature failure, you’ll
want extra hoses available to accommo-
date your frequent replacements. For
example, hoses kinking, moving in two
planes or experiencing vibration likely will
fail sooner than others. A better practice
may be to find a more suitable hose for
the application or adjust the system to
remove the strain on the hose.
• Hoses for Special Applications: Keep
spares of any hoses that are difficult to
source due to special materials, lengths,
end connections and other variables.
For example, if you know a special-order
hose has a three-week lead time, you may
even want to inventory two spares for
good measure.
REALIZE LONGER HOSE LIVES
Regular inspections and meticulous record-
keeping will require a time investment. A
hose maintenance plan could mean sig-
nificant cost savings and improve your
plant’s safety. With a plan in place, you
should be able to replace hoses less often,
replace them only when needed and
Flow eHandbook: Preempt Flow Problems 12
 www.ChemicalProcessing.com

always have fast access to a replacement manufacturing process is down. If you keep
when necessary. track, the numbers will tell the story.

These outcomes mean increased profit- ALICE CHIN is a field engineer for Swagelok Asia

ability, enhanced safety, fewer delays and Pacific. For more information visit, www.swagelok.com

readily available replacement hoses while a

Flow eHandbook: Preempt Flow Problems 13

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Consider Portable
Flow Instruments
Some circumstances warrant the use of such devices
By Joe Incontri, KROHNE, Inc.
A
ccurate flow measurement is
critical for process control and
regulatory compliance. Flowme-
ters are essential instruments for water and
wastewater facilities, installed at multiple
locations throughout entire systems. For
the most part, these are permanent instal-
lations. However, portable flow instruments
prove beneficial in certain situations.
THE NEED FOR
PORTABLE FLOWMETERS
Most flowmeters are fixed in place, con-
nected to a local control system with output
to a data logging or supervisory control and
data acquisition (SCADA) device. However,
some circumstances warrant the use of por-
table instruments. Here are a few situations
in which the use of portable flowmeters
(Figure 1) could be valuable.
www.ChemicalProcessing.com
Situation 1: Operations have changed from
original conditions. Sometimes opera-
tional changes are made, resulting in flow
rates that no longer match the installed
instrument’s performance envelope. As an
example, a flow recirculation process may be
added for nutrient removal, or flows may be
split between multiple tanks. The operational
change also may be temporary, such as flow
diversion to another treatment train while a
tank is taken out of service for rehabilitation.
Situation 2: Flow rates are expected to
change, with no changes to installed instru-
ments. Perhaps a new subdivision or large
commercial facility is coming online or a
new process within an industry is added.
Maybe a section of the service area is
being transferred to another utility pro-
vider. The increased or decreased flow
Flow eHandbook: Preempt Flow Problems 15

may put the existing flowmeter out of its
accepted range.
Situation 3: Installed instruments need veri-
fied. Most regulatory permits require some
type of annual verification of flowmeter
performance. Verifying that a flowmeter is
performing properly is a good idea, even if
not required for compliance.
Situation 4: Performance of pumps or valves
needs verification. Plant personnel may not
know the actual flow performance of an
existing pump, or the flow through a valve.
Knowing the flow conditions may yield
valuable insight to optimize those elements
in a process.
Situation 5: New instruments are being
considered, but existing flow rates are
unknown. Process control at a plant could
benefit from an additional point of flow
measurement. Information on existing
flow rates is needed to specify the best
flow instrument.
Situation 6: Troubleshooting is needed for
unusual or periodic upsets. Unpredictable
problems or upsets at a treatment plant
may be due to irregular flow conditions.
GET THE MOST OUT OF
YOUR PORTABLE DEVICE
Portable flowmeters are valuable for all
of these situations as they can be used as
temporary fixes for changing conditions or
www.ChemicalProcessing.com
PORTABLE FLOWMETER
Figure 1. These devices can act as a stopgap
during process modifications; verify existing
meter, pump and valve performance; and
help troubleshoot plant upsets.
to gather additional data to verify proper
equipment performance.
For situations 1 and 2, a flow change or a
plan to change flows is occurring. In these
cases, a portable instrument provides a
stopgap measure until a permanent solution
can be procured. If flow rates are steady,
data can be entered manually into a moni-
toring or control system.
Otherwise, real flow data can be used to
procure a new permanent flowmeter that
matches the actual process requirements.
Using data from a portable instrument
avoids over- or under-sizing instruments
based on faulty process engineering data.
For situations 3 and 4, in which existing
flowmeters need verification, use of a por-
table instrument avoids the need to take
an existing flowmeter offline or shut down
a process. And to verify performance of
a pump or valve, the portable unit can be
installed on existing pipe. Portable flow-
meters can be accompanied by a factory
Flow eHandbook: Preempt Flow Problems 16

calibration certificate, which then
can be used to produce a trace-
able verification certificate.
One caveat exists when using a
portable clamp-on ultrasonic meter (Figure
2) to verify an electromagnetic “mag”
meter or turbine meter. The technique for
measuring flow ultrasonically requires a
well-conditioned flow. Mag and turbine
meters require less straight pipe than ultra-
sonic meters. If insufficient straight pipe is
available, the ultrasonic meter will be much
less accurate.
Another option exists for flowmeter ver-
ification. Portable electronic devices are
available from meter manufacturers that
compare the meter’s electronic parameters
to factory settings. These devices plug into
the electronics and sensor, like devices used
for troubleshooting automobile issues.
Verification is based on the instrument’s
serial number. A file specific to the meter
holds values from time stamp of manufac-
ture with all factory-calibrated parameters.
In the field, the verification tool compares
the instrument’s readings to factory values.
The result is a printed certificate verifying
the unit still functions within the operat-
ing envelope. This type of verification can
be sold as a service, or the device can be
rented or sold. Some theorize this method
of verification is more reliable than using a
portable meter.
www.ChemicalProcessing.com
PORTABLE ULTRASONIC
FLOWMETER
Figure 2. Portable clamp-on
ultrasonic meters measure
well-conditioned flow in straight
pipe applications.
For situation 5, when considering a new
location for flowmeter installation, a por-
table meter will provide flow data at the
proposed point of measurement. This will
provide the information necessary to spec-
ify and purchase a permanent flowmeter to
handle the range and conditions necessary.
For situation 6, portable instruments may
help identify the cause of unexplained
upsets at a treatment facility. Portable flow-
meters are equipped with data loggers that
can record flow levels over time. Correlating
the data with the time of upset may reveal
pertinent issues.
TIME AND COST SAVINGS
By using portable flow instruments, utilities
can verify performance of an existing meter,
pump or valve quickly. Portable flowmeters
can be used as stopgap measures during
process modifications. By using portable
meters to determine existing flow charac-
teristics, utilities save the cost of purchasing
a poorly specified permanent meter. Finally,
portable flow instruments and data loggers
can help to troubleshoot and resolve unex-
plained plant upsets.
JOE INCONTRI is director of marketing at KROHNE, Inc.
He can be reached at j.incontri@krohne.com.
Flow eHandbook: Preempt Flow Problems 17
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