Told by Greg Hibblen, General Manager – Pumps & Services

It was a typical cold, rainy late September day filled with emails and phone calls about "not having hot water, my toilets won’t flush, or the pump won’t suck".... It was just another day in the life of this pump detective when “The Message” arrived in my inbox.

The Message came from a customer in Singapore, referred to us by one of their business partners.

"What can I help you with?" I responded.

"I’ve got a problem," Joe said. "One of our partners has closed down their testing facility for the special oilfield tools they build, and we have to recreate it in a new facility here in Singapore."

"Shouldn’t be too difficult. Do you have the specifications and drawings?" I said.

"Well… they shut down the lab and dismantled it before we could get much documented. I have 12 photos and a small sketch with some hand notations on it," Joe said.

"I do know the pump is rated at 150 GPM @ 1700 Ft. Hd. (720 PSI) and is pumping water in a test loop using a 150 HP, 3000 RPM, 415vac/3ph/50 Hz, IP56, IE3 motor. It needs to be controlled by a NEMA 12 (IP54) variable frequency drive. The water is controlled by a series of 8 pneumatically controlled valves and actuates the oilfield tool to test its operation. We want to mount all this inside a shipping container."

"Well, that’s a start, but it’s not much to work with," I said.

"One other thing…," Joe exclaimed, "the pump needs to fit within a one (1) square meter of space, and we need to have everything here in Singapore before the end of the year. That gives us 12 weeks to find everything."

"That’s two things..." I said.

Problem 1 - The Pump
I immediately started reviewing the photos and the sketch. I noticed something interesting. The pump was PITOT (PEE-toh) design. The manufacturer in the photo had just changed ownership and lead times were beyond the due date. We were able to find a replacement in the form of a Thomas Gator 150 pump. It could ship within 2 weeks. This style pump spins the fluid inside a drum at high speed and the centrifugal force pushes the fluid away from the center forming a ring of liquid in the drum. A small tube faces into fluid spinning inside the drum. The velocity of the fluid forces it down the “pitot tube”. The energy of the fluid is then transformed into pressure which exits through the tube and out of the pump. Smooth flow with no pulsations and high pressure are the result.
Problem 1 solved – Thomas Gator T150 Pump.

Problem 2 – The Motor and VFD Drive
I’ve seen a motor or two in this business but a 150 HP, 3000 RPM, 415vac/3ph/50 Hz, IP56, IE3 is not what one would call common. My first stop was our local ABB Baldor office. Our local rep Trixie looked over our specs up and down and said, “I’ve got just the thing for you. Are you using a v-belt drive on this?” “Sure am,” I said. “Then we’ll make sure the bearings will take the side load.” We can fix you right up. Got a Baldor A44-8959-1620 with your name on it. What else do you need?" asked Trixie.

"NEMA 12 variable speed, same odd 415 Voltage," I responded.

"No problem, I’ll have you an ABB Model ACS580-07-0246A-4+B055+C129+H351+H353+H358 in a week. Now, that’s a part number," she responded.
Problem 2 solved – ABB Baldor

Problem 3 – All on a 1 Square Meter Base (39”x 39” here in the U.S.)
V-belt drives commonly are arranged horizontally. But we didn’t have the space for that. That left going vertical. Sticking a 3000 RPM, 150 HP motor up in the air while driving a pump at 3940 RPM seemed a little scary. After considering the total weight of the components, the torque, and serviceability, we built a custom-fabricated steel base with an adjustable and removable motor base. A Gates Rubber 5/5VX-Belt drive kept the drive length to just 30 inches. The footprint ended up at 40” x 43”.
Problem 3 solved – BlackHawk Pumps & Services

Problem 4 – The Control Valves
It was time to go back to the pictures and sketch. I met via video conference with Joe in Singapore and myself in Oklahoma every few days to discuss the markings and purpose of the valves on the sketch. We also reviewed progress on the order to make sure we met the required ship date. Good suppliers are valuable assets. My “informants” with Fisher Valve recognized our suspects in the photos along with their operating characteristics. After working with our assets and discussing with Joe, we were finally able to determine who our valves were and what roles they played in the small sketch.
Problem 4 solved – Fisher Valve

The Results of the Investigation
After reviewing the evidence I’d uncovered with the help of our valuable associates, Joe agreed that we’d solved the case. A purchase order was issued. Continued observation of the key components and regular video conferences with Joe kept everyone up to date. As our suspects were rounded up, export crates were ordered, and they were staged for their trip to South Seas. As for meeting that 12-week lead time…. We did it in 8 weeks. Everything left the  BlackHawk on November 24. Just in time to arrive at Christmas. The last word from Joe, “Everything works great.”

If you want a happy ending, contact BlackHawk Pumps & Services. It’s our job to find what you need when you need it. Let us be one of your “valued assets”.

Contact us today at [email protected] or 405-688-2360 and experience the difference we can make for your business.