Reducing your pump’s cost of ownership

Reducing your pump’s cost of ownership

15th June 2015

The pump plays a vital role in most industrial operations, whether this be in a manufacturing plant, water treatment works, on board a vessel or in an oil refinery. Due to the importance and constant working of such an asset, the cost of running and maintaining can be a large overhead on top of the initial investment. For this reason, pump operators should consider ways in which they can reduce their pump’s overall cost of ownership.

A regular maintenance schedule 

The first place to start is when you’re sourcing your pump - it is vital that you get the right pump for your application. If your application is pushing the performance capabilities of the selected pump, not only will the pump be operating less efficiently and using more power, it is also likely to cause more wear and ultimately reduce the lifespan of the pump. Select an experienced supplier that will accurately consider your performance requirements and match the suited pump.

To prevent costly downtime caused by unexpected problems with the pump, it is important to introduce a regular maintenance schedule. This would involve a periodic check of the pump performance, an inspection of the wearing parts and lubrication of bearings and joints. By ensuring this is regularly undertaken, it allows maintenance to be carried our prior to a problem and downtime being incurred.

Consider pump upgrades

With the energy output of a pump being estimated at approximately 45% of a pump’s total cost of ownership, it is important for pump operators and owners to consider how this can be reduced. As a pump becomes older, the amount of energy it requires to operate often increases. Therefore, in some situations it may be worth upgrading a pump to a more energy efficient model before the pump has actually reached the end of its lifespan.

Pump operators may want to consider the use of a variable speed drive (VSD) or inverter as they are also referred to as, to regulate the speed of a pump’s motor when it isn’t required to run at full speed. Additionally, there are low energy consuming pumps on the market that comply with the Energy-Related Products Directive.