Pump and Compressor Course

Lesson 1 • Properties of Fluids

Covers density, viscosity, compressibility, and vapour pressure as they affect machinery performance. Establishes the fluid property baseline needed for all subsequent equipment analysis.

Lesson 2 • Energy Losses in Piping Systems

Quantifies major and minor friction losses using Darcy-Weisbach and equivalent-length methods. Directly supports system curve construction in later sections.

Lesson 3 • Pressure and Head Concepts

Defines gauge, absolute, and differential pressure alongside hydraulic head. Links pressure terminology to pump performance curves and system design.

Lesson 1 • Pump Performance Curves

Interprets head-flow, efficiency, and power curves for centrifugal pumps. Enables students to match pump curves to system curves for operating point determination.

Lesson 2 • Cavitation and Recirculation

Identifies causes, symptoms, and consequences of cavitation and internal recirculation. Teaches corrective actions to protect pump integrity and maintain performance.

Lesson 3 • Centrifugal Pump Fundamentals

Explains impeller action, volute casing, and energy transfer from shaft to fluid. Forms the core knowledge base for centrifugal pump performance analysis.

Lesson 4 • Positive-Displacement Pump Types

Covers reciprocating, gear, screw, and diaphragm pumps and their flow characteristics. Distinguishes constant-flow behaviour from centrifugal variable-flow behaviour.

Lesson 1 • Thermodynamic Foundations for Compression

Reviews isothermal, adiabatic, and polytropic compression processes and their efficiency implications. Provides the thermodynamic framework applied throughout compressor analysis.

Lesson 2 • Reciprocating Compressors

Explains cylinder action, valve operation, and volumetric efficiency in reciprocating compressors. Establishes the basis for capacity control and maintenance topics in later sections.

Lesson 3 • Rotary Positive-Displacement Compressors

Describes screw, vane, and lobe compressor mechanisms and their characteristic performance curves. Differentiates rotary PD behaviour from reciprocating and dynamic machines.

Lesson 4 • Centrifugal and Axial Compressors

Covers impeller and diffuser action in centrifugal machines and blade staging in axial compressors. Connects dynamic compressor geometry to performance map interpretation.

Lesson 1 • Bearing Types and Lubrication

Explains rolling-element and hydrodynamic bearing operation, load capacity, and lubrication requirements. Provides the foundation for bearing failure analysis and predictive maintenance.

Lesson 2 • Mechanical Seals

Describes single, double, and tandem mechanical seal configurations and flush plan selection. Directly supports seal failure diagnosis and API flush plan specification tasks.

Lesson 3 • Wear Rings and Impeller Clearances

Explains the role of wear rings in controlling internal recirculation and maintaining pump efficiency. Links clearance management to performance degradation and overhaul scheduling.

Lesson 4 • Shafts and Couplings

Covers shaft design, critical speed, and coupling types used in pump and compressor trains. Establishes mechanical integrity concepts applied in alignment and vibration sections.

Lesson 1 • Lubricant Properties and Selection

Covers viscosity index, oxidation stability, and additive packages relevant to rotating machinery. Enables correct lubricant specification for diverse operating temperatures and loads.

Lesson 2 • Forced Lubrication System Design

Explains lube oil console components including pumps, filters, coolers, and control valves. Provides the system-level view needed to commission and troubleshoot lube oil circuits.

Lesson 3 • Cooling System Integration

Addresses jacket cooling, air cooling, and heat exchanger selection for compressor cylinders and bearing housings. Links thermal management to equipment reliability and efficiency.

Lesson 1 • Control Loops and Capacity Control

Explains PID control, recycle valves, variable-speed drives, and unloaders for flow regulation. Connects control theory to practical pump and compressor capacity management.

Lesson 2 • Safety Shutdown and Alarm Systems

Covers vibration, temperature, and pressure shutdown logic, alarm setpoints, and safety integrity levels. Ensures students can design and verify protective systems for machinery trains.

Lesson 3 • Process Instrumentation Fundamentals

Reviews pressure, temperature, flow, and level transmitter technologies used on rotating machinery. Establishes the instrumentation vocabulary needed for control and protection design.

Lesson 4 • Surge Detection and Anti-Surge Control

Defines surge in centrifugal compressors, identifies surge line, and explains anti-surge control logic. Critical for protecting dynamic compressors from damaging flow reversal.

Lesson 1 • Post-Overhaul Testing and Commissioning

Defines mechanical run tests, performance acceptance tests, and commissioning checklists for overhauled machinery. Ensures equipment meets design specifications before return to service.

Lesson 2 • Alignment and Balancing

Teaches laser shaft alignment, soft-foot correction, and dynamic rotor balancing procedures. Directly reduces vibration and bearing failures identified in the instrumentation section.

Lesson 3 • Maintenance Strategy Development

Compares run-to-failure, preventive, predictive, and reliability-centred maintenance strategies. Provides the decision framework for selecting the optimal maintenance approach per asset.

Lesson 4 • Pump Disassembly and Inspection

Details safe isolation, disassembly sequence, dimensional inspection, and defect assessment for centrifugal pumps. Builds hands-on competency in overhaul execution and documentation.

Lesson 1 • Systematic Troubleshooting Methodology

Introduces fault tree analysis, cause-and-effect diagrams, and structured diagnostic workflows. Provides a repeatable framework applied to all failure scenarios in this section.

Lesson 2 • Vibration Analysis and Diagnostics

Interprets vibration spectra to diagnose imbalance, misalignment, bearing defects, and resonance. Builds on instrumentation section data to deliver actionable maintenance decisions.

Lesson 3 • Compressor Fault Diagnosis

Addresses high discharge temperature, low capacity, valve failures, and surge events in compressors. Applies thermodynamic and mechanical knowledge to complex compressor fault scenarios.

Lesson 4 • Pump Performance Troubleshooting

Diagnoses low flow, low head, excessive power, and noise faults using performance curve deviation analysis. Integrates fluid mechanics and mechanical knowledge to resolve pump problems.