John Crane recently helped Pumps & Systems editorial staff satisfy reader requests for articles on pump fundamentals.  This article was written by John Morton, chairman of the European Sealing Association, and product marketing manager at John Crane. Since Power Generation has no tolerance for down time,  your sealing choices can make a significant difference in keeping power reliable.

John states, "At the heart of any power station’s pre-boiler system is the boiler feed pump. Most of these pumps are between-bearings, multistage centrifugal designs with mechanical seals installed at each end of the pump."  In this article,  John covers:

  • What is a boiler feedwater pump?
  • Why are these pumps important?
     
  • What sealing methods do plants typically use to keep boiler feedwater pumps running?
  • What are the common issues with these methods?
  • Are there other options?
  •