John Woods

In rotating equipment, excessive vibrations can be a serious source of many problems both to-be and pre-existing. Finding the sources of excessive vibrations in machinery can sometimes be a challenge, though a necessary step to resolve current issues and prevent future downtimes for rotating equipment. This article explores three common causes of vibrations in rotating equipment, such as centrifugal pumps, in an effort to prevent further issues due to excessive vibrations. The three common...

One of the most useful and under-appreciated inventions in the world of rotating equipment and valves is most definitely the valve actuator. This is because without an actuator, many industrial processes requiring a valve would become much, much more time-consuming, if even still possible at all. Actuators “control the opening and closing of valves. They can provide either linear or rotary motion and work with different types of valves, including ball and butterfly valves.” 1 Though as...

There are over a dozen different types of flanges commonly used in industrial piping systems, the most common flange being used today is known as a weld neck flange. A weld neck flange is a type of flange which “features a long tapered hub that can be welded with a pipe.” 1  This is done to ensure that none of the product flow is lost or restricted. Among the many versatile uses for a welding flange, its most common application is in piping systems which have great fluctuations in temperature...