COVID-19 is old news, and definitely not the kind anyone misses.
After COVID-19, the industry experienced the strain of long material delivery times and, in some cases, complete shortages. As we all know, prices hit a new high. Plants, and by extension pump repair companies, needed to balance availability against "get it running." As a result, many pump material upgrades were sidelined. In 2024, a return to normalcy has brought renewed focus on selecting the best materials for each need and prioritizing machinery reliability once again.
Traditional materials, such as the 400-series group of stainless steel alloys, are still in play, and commonly used in the API community for wear components. Common failures with the 400-series are due to mismatched hardnesses or insufficient hardness differentials resulting in component lock up. The risk of galling can be reduced with the preferred 100-point Brinell hardness differential or by switching to the traditional NiResist material.
We were formerly seeing extended lead times to procure other classic materials such as Nitronic 50/60, Monel or Super Duplex. Although lead times for these materials have returned to normal and they have their place, running non-metallics such as Vespel CR6100 or Bolden 1050 has become much more commonplace. The non-metallics have been more readily available. To convert the pumps, existing components become holders. The internal diameters of the parts are machined to receive non-metallic inserts. Non-metallics are made from a Teflon-based material interlaced with a carbon fiber. This provides excellent protection against galling caused by suction or dead head issues or even particulate contamination in the pumped fluid. With the correct material selection, applications include ambient services common to the O&G industry, or elevated temperatures found in power industry boiler feed services.
One recent customer in the solar power industry suffered a failure which destroyed the wear rings of 400-series split stationary parts. These parts are both expensive to make and have long lead times. To save the parts, outside diameters were laser cladded. The result was $100,000 in savings as case machine work was not necessary. While laser cladding is not new, it has become more common in pump repair. The process is much like metal printing where powdered metal is welded to a base metal with a robotic laser. One benefit of the process is that the welding heat is very localized, resulting in minimal dimensional deformation. For the pump industry, this means that we can fix parts that would have normally been replaced. Reliability has improved as welded parts have high ductile strength, and exceptionally hard surface finishes make them last longer when subjected to erosion.
There are many plants on the Gulf Coast that utilize brine services. One pipeline customer was facing frequent failures in their brine pumps due to significant corrosion issues. Existing carbon steel components required a material upgrade, while 316L stainless steel castings held up nicely. The plant experimented with various non-metallic components, but it could not withstand the brine corrosion.
Recent successes have been achieved through coatings and bearing material upgrades. Pump components are coated with Z-PEX. The base coating involves a plating process that has the advantage of a molecular bond to the base metal. A second coating of a thin epoxy-based material is applied by dipping the part. In the end, the Z-PEX coating completely seals the pump against corrosion. The same pump also received Vesconite bearings and wear components. Vesconite boasts an exceptionally low coefficient of friction, even lower than that of PTFE, making it a suitable replacement for bronze bushings. The running endurance of the product makes it excellent for bushings, wear rings and other components. Of course, it performs exceptionally in brine service.
Reliability can be increased with the correct application of both new and traditional materials. Material prices have come down and improving reliability saves companies money. It is good news that upgrades are readily available, and pump reliability within our industry has been accelerating. Please feel free to contact DXP if you have a potential need for material upgrades during your pump service.
For more information, visit dxpe.com.
