The refinery knew
that it was possible to
obtain pumps designed
specifically to perform
well in these conditions,
but it was unable to find a
local source of supply.
Sulzer’s design and manufacturing specialists
in China worked closely with their colleagues
from the USA, who hold the design
responsibility for the CP, to allow for some
important design modifications. This particular
application required a low flow, high head,
high speed solution, so Sulzer had to pay
special attention to the surface characteristics
of the fluid channels within the pump in order
to minimize losses and achieve the target
performance.
PROBLEMS CRUSHED
The second key technology was a solution
to the problem of pump performance
impairment by large solid particles. For
applications like these, Sulzer has developed
a range of pumps with a special “coke
crusher” unit at the pump inlet stage. This
technology uses a rugged, bladed rotor
that will break up solids to ensure they pass
smoothly through the rest of the pump.
Sulzer in China worked with colleagues in
Germany and the US to integrate the coke
crusher technology into two pump types for
the project: the BBT, an API 610 type BB2
centrifugal pump, and the ZF, an API 610 type
OH2 centrifugal pump.
ZF pump with the coke crusher for the large solids abrasive service
DELIVERING UNDER PRESSURE
In addition to building up the necessary
in-house manufacturing processes, Sulzer
in China also had to qualify suitable local
suppliers for key components of the new
pumps. The company’s expert sourcing
teams conducted detailed supplier audits to
ensure that each one met Sulzer’s exacting
global quality standards, especially when
it came to critical parts such as the inner
casing of the CP pump and the coke crusher
components for the BBT and ZF units.
During the development and manufacturing
process, representatives from the refinery
made regular visits to Sulzer’s plants,
giving them the confidence that work was
proceeding on schedule and to the highest
quality level. They were also present to see
all the new pumps successfully meet their
performance specifications in testing. In
total, 12 of the newly localized pump models
were delivered to the customer: three CP
units, six BBT units with the coke crusher
installed, and three coke crusher-equipped
ZF units.
ZF pump with the coke crusher for the large solids abrasive service
“This project was an important next step for
our partnership with the refinery and for our
support of China’s petrochemical sector as
a whole,” says Zhang Jianfeng, Managing
Director of Sulzer’s Suzhou manufacturing
facility. “We have demonstrated that we can
provide our customers with all the benefits
of local manufacturing combined with
Sulzer’s excellence in technology, quality
and reliability.”
For further information, please visit www.sulzer.com.
Issue 46 PECM 53