The Significance of Corrocoating in Industrial Applications

Corrosion is one of the most problematic issues with industrial equipment like pumps, valves, pipes and tanks. But corrocoating is one technique that can help you combat it effectively. Corrocoating has significant use in chemical and wastewater treatment plants as corrosion can drastically reduce the working life of equipment as they are exposed to moisture. VEMC is one of the leading industrial water pump suppliers in Mumbai, and in collaboration with Kirloskar Corrocoat, undertakes turnkey projects for coating a wide range of electromechanical equipment.

Types of corrosion

Here are the main types of corrosion found in electromechanical equipment.

  1. Uniform corrosion: This type of corrosion occurs over the entire surface of a metal. Although it is one of the most benign forms, nevertheless it requires prevention as well. 
  1. Pitting corrosion: Being hard to predict, detect and characterise, this type of corrosion can be highly destructive. As the name suggests, it leads to the formation of vertical holes or cavities on the surface of a metal. This type of corrosion can be caused due to local break or damage in protective coating. It can cause sudden failure of equipment despite relatively low loss of metal.
  1. Crevice corrosion: It is also a localised form of corrosion usually resulting from stagnant microenvironment with a difference in concentration of ions between two areas of a metal. It affects shielded areas like under washers, gaskets, bolt heads , etc., with limited oxygen supply.
  1. Inter-granular corrosion: It is caused by impurities present at the grain boundaries and occurs along or adjacent to these grains. While the bulk of the metal remains intact, it affects its mechanical properties.
  1. Galvanic corrosion: It is the degradation of metals near the joint which occurs when two electrochemically different metals are in contact in an electrolytic environment. 

Benefits of corrocoating

  1. Increased lifespan: With corrocoating, users can expect a longer lifespan for their electromechanical equipment which reduces the need to replace or repair them frequently. This also reduces the waste that entails due to replacement of old equipment and is hence in line with the concept of circular economy.
  1. Cost savings: By avoiding frequent breakdowns due to corrosion, users can save significant amounts of repair and maintenance costs.
  1. Reduced downtime: Corrosion can impact some of the most critical pieces of equipment in your business facility leading to sudden and unforeseen downtime. This can be successfully avoided with protective corrocoating.

Case in point: MCGM Complex Pump Corrocoating Project

VEMC has undertaken a number of large-scale corrocoating projects in the past. In 2015, we corrocoated the crucial Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) Complex Pump at Bhandup. The pump was affected by heavy pitting corrosion inside the casings. It was taken to KBLs Hydraulic Research Centre where it was blasted, coated and inspected. The corrocoating didn’t just ensure the protection of the pump from corrosion but also showed instant results in terms of better efficiency, input power and head.

How Pumps are Helping Combat Water Pollution

Water pollution is one of the most critical issues in urban and industrial areas. It poses serious risks to everyone especially newborn children and the elderly. Water-borne germs can cause diseases like diarrhoea, dysentry, typhoid fever etc. In extreme cases, they can be a cause of serious neurological and reproductive disorders. Polluted water also affects the environment by altering the chemical composition of the soil, suffocating indigenous species of plants and animal, and causing algal blooms. VEMC is the leading Kirloskar water pump dealer based in Mumbai, and in this blog we talk about how pumps help combat water pollution.

Pumps in wastewater treatment

When it comes to wastewater treatment plants, there are three processes involved: primary, secondary and tertiary. While the processes differ according to municipalities and businesses, all of them require pumps to remove waste, treat the water and transport it from one point to another. By effectively treating wastewater, pumps play an important role in water conservation. Some of the pumps used in wastewater treatment are:

  1. Submersible pumps: These pumps are self-priming, quiet, vertical and available in a range of sizes. Most importantly, these are water-tight and work very well in wastewater treatment industry.
  2. Centrifugal pumps: These are the most commonly used pumps for wastewater treatment. They produce ample velocity to move the fluid through the treatment system. They’re simple to install and require very little space. Unless there is an issue with the impeller, these pumps do not clog easily. Their parts are also very durable due to which these pumps enjoy quite a long lifespan.
  3. Positive displacement pumps: These use impellers, gears and rollers to transfer the fluid. These pumps can handle a range of fluids in terms of viscosity and are hence well suited for wastewater treatment. These pumps also offer a consistent flow and speed.

Pumps in groundwater remediation

Groundwater could get polluted by industrial chemicals, fuel oil, solvents and metals that trickle down through the soil. This problem is especially severe in industrial, mining and refining towns. The water can however be treated using pumps. Groundwater is drawn up using extraction wells and pushed through an above-ground treatment plant to remove the dissolved chemicals. Cleanup methods such as activated carbon or air stripping is usually used to treat groundwater. As soon as the treated water meets the regulatory standards, it is then discharged for further use.

Pumps in stormwater management

Stormwater can carry mud, sludge, silt and a range of hazardous contaminants. These can affect crops as well as animals. Stormwater can also affect human habitations by causing infectious diseases which in extreme cases can assume epidemic proportions. With stormwater pump stations in place, all these calamities can be prevented as they enable transporting the excess stormwater safely away from fields and human settlements.

Pumps are of immense service to mankind as they play a great role in protecting our water resources from pollution. To know more, get in touch with VEMC by calling on 022 43436655 or emailing us at marketing@vemc.co.in. We are the top-notch water pump dealers based in Mumbai.

Pain points of traditional pump monitoring vs. the advantages of Kirlosmart

Monitoring pumps regularly and continuously is important. This is because any deviation in parameters can cause serious wastage of energy, wear and tear and drop in performance. Traditionally, pumps have been monitored by physically checking the parameters at the pump site and taking readings. However, with the advent of IoT, pump monitoring has been transformed like never before. VEMC is one of the top-notch industrial water pump suppliers in Mumbai, and in this blog we take you through the pain points of traditional pump monitoring and how Kirlosmart has  successfully overcome these.

Challenges of traditional pump monitoring methods

  1. Physical monitoring: Traditional methods require physical monitoring of pumps using equipment like flow meters. This meant the technician had to personally go to the site and take readings.
  2. Costly: Traditional monitoring techniques were costly as these involved visit by a trained technician or training of an in-house resource for monitoring pump performance.
  3. Passive: Traditional monitoring is non-continuous in nature, in the sense that it takes place far and in between during the pump’s working life. Otherwise, it is done when the pump exhibits unusual behaviour such as noise or too much vibration.

Kirlosmart: Next-gen monitoring

When it comes to monitoring pumps, Kirlosmart is the next-gen solution. It operates using the cutting edge IoT technology which keeps your pumps connected to your laptop or smartphone device through WiFi at all times. This means a continuous stream of real-time data is being transmitted from the pump to your device and monitoring is going on 24×7. 

Any deviation in pump parameters such as flow, vibration, voltage etc. will quickly be indicated by the Kirloskar app to alert the user. Thus, a proactive intervention can be done to avoid any sudden breakdown of the pump.

With Kirlosmart app in place, you no longer need to physically visit the pump site, call a technician with his equipment and take readings of parameters. Everything is being recorded and transmitted online. This avoids the monitoring costs significantly.

Kirlosmart offers users an interactive app interface which includes pump statistics in an easy-to-understand graphic style. The app also keeps a record of past data which helps predict when a breakdown might take place, thus also facilitating the scheduled maintenance of the pump.

How Kirlosmart helped pump-owners brace the pandemic

Kirlosmart came as a godsend to Kirloskar pump owners during the pandemic years. This is because it enabled them to monitor their pumps without physically venturing out to reach pump sites. All the parameters were available on their screens in real-time and only in case of any deviations physical intervention was required. This kept the owners safe while keeping the operational and maintenance costs of the businesses in check.

Kirlosmart is clearly a revolutionary technology in the field of pump monitoring. To know more about this path-breaking technology, feel free to call us on 022 43436655 or email us at marketing@vemc.co.in. We at VEMC are the leading industrial water pump dealers in Mumbai.

4 Common Misalignment Issues in Pump Sets and Their Impact

As your pumps get older, they will likely develop misalignment issues. This is due to the persistent movement and vibrations that make the shaft deviate from the desired position. Conversely, misalignment can cause further deviation by changing angles and orientations of the pump. 

VEMC is one of the leading industrial water pump suppliers in Mumbai, and in this blog, we talk about the 4 common misalignment issues in pumps, their impact, and ways to correct them.

Coupling misalignment

This is one of the most common types of misalignment and takes place due to a build-up of heat in bearings as a result of persistent friction. This causes wear and tear on the bearings, resulting in a reduced lifespan. In case of carbon journal bearings that are lubricated by the pumped liquid, the wear and tear could take place elliptically, thus sharply reducing the pump’s functionality. In extreme situations, coupling misalignment can lead to fractures in the casing, increased noise, and shaft failure.

Shaft misalignment

In case of misalignment in coupled shafts, the shafts are forced to rotate eccentrically. This leads to an excessive consumption of electricity, creates vibrations, increases the stress on the shafts and couplings. This reduces the mechanical seal life, causes fatigue and failure, and in extreme cases, could even lead to a complete breakdown of the pump.

Misalignment in piping

This can be caused due to incorrect installation and engineering. This often takes place when fixed pipe-work is connected to a smaller pump. In this case, misalignment could take place as a result of excessive nozzle loading. Besides, if the piping is not supported sufficiently, the weight of the fluids and the self-weight of the pipe could cause it to sag. Likewise, flow of hot liquid through the pipes could cause it to expand, forcing the joints apart and leading to misalignment.

Misalignment due to foot issues

Often one or more of the pump feet aren’t making enough contact with the base. This is known as a “soft foot” situation and is common for most rotating equipment. This is often detected when the pump is rocking, but very often it may not be detected at all until it has caused complete failure or breakdown.

How to correct pump misalignment

Pump misalignment is clearly a serious problem and can be dealt with in a number of ways. Here are some of the common ones:

  1. Simply realign the pump along the centrelines of its shafts. 
  2. Loosen the motor’s bolts to shift it to one side (horizontal adjustment) or add/remove shims under its feet (vertical adjustment).
  3. Support the piping carefully throughout the pump system.
  4. Use a Laser Shaft Alignment (LSA) to easily and quickly realign couplings and shafts.

For more on how to correct misalignment, feel free to give us a call on 022 43436655 or email us at marketing@vemc.co.in. We at VEMC are one of the top-notch industrial water pump dealers in Mumbai.