Thirty (30) some years ago I skimmed through an exhaustive study of the possible modes a prototype nuclear pump could fail and the probabilities connected with these events. In the report, the first reliability study I had seen, there was no discussion on how to influence or change failure probabilities. Absent a linkage to changing […]
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Common Centrifugal Pump Terms in Plain English
The terminology of a technical subject is key to understanding it. The language of modern pump technology has evolved for well over a hundred years. During this period, meanings of terms have changed. Good definitions are sometimes difficult to find. In nearly four decades of experience I’ve located key terms and their useful meanings. In […]
Suction – It’s Not What You Think It Is
Suction is often defined as a force that causes a fluid or a mixture to be drawn into an interior space. Some dictionaries more accurately define suction as a force or condition produced by a difference of pressures. Both definitions are correct. However, the first tends to support the illusion that suction is the action […]
Which pump engineering units do you use?
It was over 35 years ago when I began what was to become a career in pumps. The company was Byron Jackson, an American firm headquartered in Los Angeles. US Customary System (USCS) units remained prevalent within the company despite its international manufacturing presence and a growing global adoption of metric. Years ago there were […]
Castaic Lake Hydroelectric Power Plant Tour
For all Californians: There is a rare opportunity to tour the Castaic Lake Hydroelectric Power Plant. This joint AIAA and ASME Tour takes place on September 14th, 2012. About the Castaic Hydroelectric Power Plant (from ASME): The Castaic Power Plant is a hydroelectric project which provides peak-load power from the falling waters on the West Branch […]
Is there an ideal impeller vane number?
Centrifugal pump design and manufacturing has been around for over 200 years. If there were an ideal impeller vane number, it seems likely someone would have discovered it by now. However, just because an ideal vane number has not yet been established is not sufficient reason to consider it doesn’t exist. Single stage pump and […]