ClydeUnion CUP-CVP concrete volute cooling water pumps

Specially designed for pumping large quantities of critical cooling water within fossil and nuclear power-generation applications, the CUP-CVP, concrete volute pump, from ClydeUnion Pumps offers high performance and efficiency, while providing high plant availability.

Power used in the generation of electricity reduces the overall power plant efficiency. Reducing the power consumed for major applications such as cooling water pumps therefore offers significant sustained increases in plant efficiency and profitability. Availability of the cooling water pump is also critical to plant running times and production capacity.

The  pump is designed to provide higher flow rates than conventional vertical bowl pump designs, thus reducing the number of pumps required. Its design operates at higher efficiencies and experiences minimal wear during operation due to its low running speed, said to result in exceptionally high reliability and availability approaching 100%. The pump has been shown to exhibit no noticeable deterioration in efficiency over 100,000 hours of operation in power-generation applications, with a minimum service life of 10 to 12 years between internal maintenance inspections.

The pump can be provided for flow rates up to 120,000 m³/hr and delivery heads up to 50 m. Once installed, the design incorporates a packed gland with a pneumatically operated inflatable seal (to prevent flooding when the packing is replaced) and a removable inner cartridge for ease of maintenance. Journal bearings are oil-bath lubricated and tilting pad thrust bearings are used to improve reliability and increase bearing life. An efficient, balanced impeller reduces thrust loads and increases stability.