Hydraulic Institute Canvasses Participants for ANSI-Approved Standards Update

Individuals and organizations directly and materially affected by these standards and interested in reviewing the drafts are invited to contact HI. These parties include pump users and specifiers, producers, standards developers, government agencies and general interest groups. HI will assemble a canvass list of all interested parties wishing to review the drafts and will submit this list to ANSI to meet its open canvass requirements.

The scope of the standards update is limited to centrifugal and vertical pumps. It includes types and nomenclature, definitions, design and application, installation, operation and maintenance, and testing. The standards updates are expected to be completed and published by early 2004.

"The ANSI approval process requires us to look at each standard every five years and determine if an update is necessary. In our judgment, these particular standards should be revised to reflect the latest findings in hydraulic studies," explained Gregg Romanyshyn, technical director of HI. “As we review them, we will also consider feedback received recently from pump users who specifically requested that future standards contain more educational content and more enforceable language.”

Standards Up For Review

First released in November of 1998, the world-class Pump Intake Design Standard provides pump designers, owners and users of pumping facilities with a foundation upon which to develop functional and economical pumping facility designs. In this update, HI will be looking to expand on the fundamental design requirements previously outlined.

Recent discussions among HI members and the pump user community have revealed a need for further education of NPSHR and of the effect that NPSH Margin has on the noise, vibration levels, and possibly the reliability of a rotodynamic pump. A thorough understanding of suction energy factors, cavitation damage factors, and individual application considerations will help pump users to select the appropriate equipment and provide the NPSH margin required for their equipment. As the update progresses, HI encourages pump users and consultants to direct their questions and suggestions to the NPSH Discussion Forum, located on the HI web site at www.pumps.org.

Although very few pumps are operated at their best efficiency point (BEP), pump users must be aware of the Preferred Operating Region and the Allowable Operating Region. The design characteristics for both performance and service life are optimized around the rate of flow designated as the BEP. This standard will be reviewed with the goal of making allowable operating region more easily understood.

The Pump Vibration Standard describes the vibration characteristics for industrial/commercial centrifugal and vertical pumps. The dynamics of vibration, vibration measurement, allowable vibration values and factors are included. In this update, HI is looking to provide further details on methods of vibration measurement, to expand the content on allowable vibration levels, and to make the document more useful for the pump user community during the procurement and testing process.

HI periodically introduces new standards and updates based on industry needs. The current 2000 Edition of ANSI/HI Standards comprises over 1250 pages and 22 documents. In addition, the Institute recently published a new Submersible Pump Standard and plans to release a new Slurry Pump Standard and Air Operated and Air Operated Test Standards in late 2002. The Institute’s most recent standard update of Allowable Nozzle Load was published in the fall of 2001.

The 85-year old Hydraulic Institute, the largest association of pump producers in North America, serves member companies and pump users by providing product standards, and forums for the exchange of industry information. To participate in the HI/ANSI canvass, contact Gregg Romanyshyn, HI Technical Director, Hydraulic Institute, 9 Sylvan Way, Parsippany, NJ 07054; call (973) 267-9700 or email at gromanyshyn@pumps.org. For more information on the Hydraulic Institute, visit the HI web site at www.pumps.org. Visitors to the site are invited to sign the HI Guest Book for future notices of new standards, on-going energy savings tips and updates on educational offerings.