As facilities seek lower energy usages, pump systems optimization ultimately comes up. The big drain to efficiency is that companies focus on the purchase price of a system rather than the life-cycle cost. On average the initial purchase of a system accounts for only 17% of the total costs, with 55% attributed to operation of the system. The inefficiencies of a system can lead to shortened life-span of pumps due to shaft wear and seal leaks. A pump should only run 15% outside of its best efficiency point at most to avoid these issues.
Proper assessment is required to discern the weaknesses in a pumping system before optimization can begin. Some items to look for in this assessment are;
- Throttled flow-control valves
- Recirculation flow regulation
- On/off pump cycling
- Pumping system without gauges to measure flow rate or pressure
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