Crucial Pump Replacement At Hospital Protects Staff And Patients

The Challenge

An NHS hospital located in Oxfordshire approached the Dura Pump team with the challenge of replacing an old, obsolete belt-driven heating circulator pump. The pump was responsible for circulating all of the secondary hot water around the hospital, and its failure or removal would cause big issues as it’s a crucial asset of the pump system.

Due to the age and design of the belt-driven pump, there were no up-to-date or more cost-effective pumps that would fit as a direct replacement. A direct replacement would have streamlined the process but Dura Pump embraced the challenge of creating a solution for a new layout and design. To overcome the issue, our team of specialists manufactured new pipework to connect any existing components to the new pump.

Our Solution

To achieve the best system solution for the hospital, our team installed a Lowara E-SH end-suction centrifugal pump. The pump had custom-built pipework to fit in the place of the existing belt-driven pump. This pump was required to have the same duty and flow rate as the belt-driven pump (as it was needed to carry out the same application). The pump our engineers installed had a stainless steel volute as well as stainless steel piping. These features all improve the performance, efficiency and durability of the system.

As we prefabricated the pipework and fixed the baseplate onto the pump, we were able to minimise the downtime. We carried out the work overnight not only to reduce the downtime and effect on the pump but more importantly to minimise the negative effect it would have on the hospital’s operations.

The Results

The new pump that has been put in place is a DIN standard pump. This means it can be easily replaced in the future if the demands of the hospital evolve or if requirements change.

It was very important that downtime was minimal as the hospital needed to keep patient care services on track and reduce disruption. The project was finished within three hours (and overnight) for the convenience of the hospital and our services included draining the system and installing the new pump and pipework. The hospital now has a reliable system in place with the added long-term advantage of reduced energy costs as a result of replacing a belt-driven pump with a new energy-efficient direct-drive pump.