Excessive Noise or Vibration

In our continuing series on diagnosing pump problems, we're going to tackle the problem of excessive noise or vibration.

Excessive noise and/or vibration is typically a symptom of cavitation, suction starvation or excessive gas in the liquid.  This is especially true if the discharge pressure is fluctuating or pulsating.  Mechanical causes of noise and vibration include shaft misalignment, loose couplings, loose pump and /or driver mounting hardware, and worn or damaged driver or pump bearings.

Also, pump valves can also vibrate noisily.  Especially on the discharge side of the pump, valves can sometimes go into a hydraulic vibration mode caused by operating pressure, flow rate and the valve design.  Resetting or a  change in an internal valve component is usually sufficient to solve the problem, but we recommend that you consult your valve supplier to determine the best course of action.

Check out the Colfax SMART Sense Pulse for a quick, efficient monitoring device for your screw or rotary pump system(s).