Chesterton installs new test rigs
A.W. Chesterton recently installed three pump rig stations for advanced testing of packing used in pumps, mixers, and agitators.
The rigs will allow the company to test all its rotary packing products and provide data for the relatively new industry standard, EN16752 Centrifugal Pumps – test procedure for seal packings. Data will be available to its customers later in 2020.
Each Chesterton simulated pump rig is equipped to monitor fluid pressure, gland and fluid temperature, power consumption, shaft speed, and leakage rate continuously via a digital data acquisition system. Each stand is fitted with a 15hp motor and variable speed drive to allow fine-tuning of shaft speeds for any configuration used. Leakage rates from the stuffing boxes are collected and measured automatically for the duration of the test.
Initially developed jointly by the European Sealing Association (ESA) and the North American Fluid Sealing Association (FSA), EN16752 allows prospective buyers to make valid data comparisons for the first time between packing products from various manufacturers or for two different packing products from the same manufacturer.
