Improved Dual Pump System For A Leading Poultry Processing Business

The Challenge

We had one of our clients – a chicken processing plant – contact us with an issue regarding a failing chilled water pump. The pump was feeding chilled water to the industrial process onto the production lines.

There were several challenges to this project. The first challenge was that there was pipework directly above the pump, meaning it couldn’t be easily removed.

Secondly the isolation valves on the system had failed, so isolating the pump wasn’t possible – and as it was a single pump system, it would’ve led to increased downtime and problems for the factory whilst having the pump repaired.

Our Solutions

Working with the client, we came up with a solution of creating a bypass which was connected to a pump set for a different production line. We froze the pipe work going to the failed pump and installed new isolation valves further up the pipework.

We then relocated and installed the original pump and a new Grundfos CRI pump onto a new stainless steel prefabricated manifold. We also installed non return valves and an inverter-driven control panel to maximise efficiency and provide auto changeover between the two pumps.

With the new pump installed, the old pump was returned to our workshop for an overhaul and repair, which we then reinstalled at a later date.

The installation included all electrical and mechanical works, pipe freezing and commissioning on site.

The Results

As a result, our client had an upgraded dual system which provided ongoing backup in the event of a failure but also minimised the downtime during the installation. The production line did not have to stop working, only reduced its capacity for one day.

Therefore, the customer had increased up time on their production lines going forward and installed two new pumps, which made the system more economical and cost-efficient.