Case Study

10
Jun

Case Study | Using Motion Amplification to Detect Mechanical Looseness

10 June 2021 , ,

Westpower’s Reliability Engineering Services team helped reduce excessive horizontal vibrations of a client’s crude oil tank side entry mixer by 92%. Our reliability experts quickly diagnosed and rectified the issue using Motion Amplification technology, which filters high-speed video to specific frequencies and visualizes imperceptible movements to find the root cause of the issue. This client was able to mitigate any potential failures while significantly increasing their operational reliability.

Click to read the full case study here: Detecting Mechanical Looseness with Motion Amplification

Westpower’s Reliability Engineering Services help to mitigate small and excessive vibrations, overheating, unusual noises, cavitation, coupling misalignment and failures, mechanical seal issues and failures as well as cloudy oil and other lubricant issues. Our team utilizes the latest technology and techniques in addition to taking on-site measurements to analyze the actual behaviour of your facility, machinery and supporting systems, providing reliable solutions that create more reliable uptime and operational efficiencies.

Fill out the form below or contact us to learn more about how we can help increase your equipment reliability and lower your total cost of ownership.


8
Oct

Success Story: Application-specific expertise combined with a collaborative approach to mechanical seal design significantly reduced this end user’s total cost of ownership.

8 October 2020

Problem: Issues with the mechanical seal design in relation to the customer’s specific application.

Concern / Long Term Goal: Poor equipment reliability and high repair costs negatively impacting the total cost of ownership.

The Benefit of Using Westpower: Specialized mechanical seal and systems expertise across a broad range of process applications. Westpower experts work closely with OEMs to deliver a fit-for-purpose solution versus an out of the box standard solution.

Outcome: At no additional cost to the end-user achieved a fit-for-purpose seal solution that is significantly more reliable and effectively lowered the customers total cost of ownership.

The Full Story: An end-user approached Westpower recently with commercial questions about a mechanical seal fitted on a pump they recently placed into service. Westpower’s detailed review of the seal design and application discovered that there were a number of errors in its design, leading to question its suitability for this customer’s specific application. At a minimum, the design issues would negatively impact reliability and inflate the purchase and repair costs of the seal. In response, Westpower’s mechanical seal specialist contacted and collaborated with the mechanical seal OEM who had supplied the seal in order to address the design errors. This ensured that the customer was supplied a fit-for-purpose mechanical seal that would be reliable for their application while significantly reducing their total cost of ownership. This was all achieved under the mechanical seal OEM’s warranty, at no additional cost to the customer.

Westpower’s in-house mechanical seal experts determine the optimal seals and systems specific to your application and operational requirements. Standard seal designs may not meet the rigorous demands of your equipment. Our unbiased technical assessments, root cause failure analysis and seal/system design support enable our customers to minimize premature seal failures, maximize mean time between failures (MTBF) and equipment reliability, inherently lowering your total cost of ownership.

Ask us about your most challenging mechanical seal questions:

Contact us by phone, email or fill out the form below:

Phone: (780) 686-6002

Email: reliability@westpowergroup.com


7
Nov

Case Study | Westpower’s Hydraulic Re-rate & Re-engineered Pumps Optimize Performance

7 November 2019

Westpower completed a re-rate project which involved re-rating 3 spare pumps based on the client’s new pipeline process requirements. Westpower’s drop-in replacement solution required no modifications to the client’s existing system. Our solution also enabled the client to obtain peak hydraulic efficiency, reduce energy consumption and maximize the life of their equipment.

Click to read the full case study here: Re-rate & Re-engineered Pumps

Westpower’s stringent hydraulic design practices allowed for the pumps to be supplied without factory testing, drastically reducing the project lead time and cost. Contact us to learn more about how we can help lower your total cost of ownership.

1
Nov

Case Study | 13 Pumps Re-rated Greatly Enhancing Throughput Performance

1 November 2019

Westpower’s innovative hydraulic engineering and project management due diligence enabled this client to successfully increase the throughput of their high temperature, insulated pipeline carrying undiluted heavy crude oil. This project involved upgrading 13 pumps on the pipeline by strategically removing, repairing and replacing shafts and impellers while minimizing any disruption to the flow.

Click to read the full case study here: Successful Re-rate of 13 Pumps

Have challenging rotating equipment that doesn’t achieve the performance you rely on? Contact our multi-disciplinary rotating equipment experts to learn more about how we can help lower your total cost of ownership.

11
Jan

Case Study | Municipal water treatment plant realizes operational efficiency

11 January 2019

Westpower’s reliability team was recently awarded a 1-year condition monitoring contract with a local municipal water treatment plant to help them achieve operational efficiency.

Click to read the full case study here: Water Treatment Plant Case Study

Our Reliability Management Systems offer turn-key support for your facility and rotating equipment, creating budget certainty, reducing downtime and creating more predictable operating outcomes. Contact Westpower’s reliability experts to learn more.

17
Dec

Case Study | Westpower engineers hydraulic re-rate of a major US refinery’s crude charge pump

17 December 2018

Years of reliability issues including cavitation, internal erosion and multiple broken shafts forced a major Salt Lake City refinery to take action.

The client approached Westpower to help them find a custom engineered solution to upgrade their crude charge pump because replacing the pump with a new fit-for-purpose or existing OEM solution would take over a year to procure. Through this custom solution the client was able to realize their full machinery potential and achieve more reliable operations.

Click to read the full case study here: Re-Rate Case Study