The driver is usually mounted on a support integral to the pump. (OH) Bearing bracket – These pumps have a bearing housing integral with the pump to absorb all pump loads. (OH) Centerline supported – The pump is supported on the centerline of its casing which provides for even thermal expansion on each side of the pump casing support ( OH2) (OH) Foot-mounted – A pump casing that is provided with feet designed for fastening the pump onto a fundamental or base plate (OH) In-line – a pump whose suction and discharge branches are arranged in line for direct installation into the pipework special foundations are unnecessary, and the absence of shaft couplings eliminates alignment problems Vertical – being in a position or direction perpendicular to the plane of the horizon. Horizontal – At right angles to the vertical parallel to level ground. This type of construction is practical to do to dispense with the alignment problem. Therefore, no separate bearing assembly is needed and all forces are taken care of by the bearings in the motor. (OH) Close coupled – pumps are directly mounted on an extended motor shaft.
Rigid couplings are used when precise shaft alignment is required shaft misalignment will affect the coupling’s performance as well as its life. Because of their size and durability, flanged units can be used to bring shafts into alignment before they are joined together.
A series of screws or bolts then hold the flanges together. One coupling is placed on each shaft so the two flanges line up face to face. They consist of short sleeves surrounded by a perpendicular flange. Rigid couplings are designed for heavy loads or industrial equipment. (OH) Rigidly coupled – pumps also feature a separate bearing housing. In rotating shaft applications, a flexible coupling can protect the driving and driven shaft components (such as bearings) from the harmful effects of conditions such as misaligned shafts, vibration, shock loads, and thermal expansion of the shafts or other components. In addition, they can also be used for vibration damping or noise reduction. They can accommodate angular misalignments up to 3° and parallel misalignment to a certain degree. Flexible couplings are usually used to transmit torque from one shaft to another when the two shafts can be slightly misaligned. (OH) Flexibly coupled – pumps feature a separate bearing assembly, in addition to the motor. The vertically oriented impellers are suspended below the support and are submerged into the medium.įurther explanation below the API 610 diagram shown below. VS – Vertically suspended pumps – VS pumps are supported above the medium to be pumped. For all pumps of this type, the impeller is placed horizontally, in plane with the bearings. The impellers of these pumps can be mounted either horizontally or vertically.īB – Between bearing pumps – The impellers of BB pumps are suspended in between the supports. the overhung mass and the rotor dynamic and hydraulic forces. The support has to take care of all forces, e.g. OH – Overhung pumps – The impellers of these pumps protrude from the bearings. The API 610 pumps are primarily divided in three groups: OH, BB and VS. That’s why the American Petroleum Institute created a standard for this: the API 610.ĪPI 610 provides a classification for various types of centrifugal pumps. Centrifugal pumps are among the most common rotating equipment found in these industries. It is the main U.S trade association for the oil and natural gas industry, representing about 400 corporations involved in production, refinement, distribution, and many other aspects of this industry.
The API is an abbreviation for American Petroleum Institute. The purpose of this article is to give you a explanation about the pump configurations within the API 610.