In our last newsletter focused on Boiler-feed pumps, we analysed the top 3 operational pain-points for Boiler-feed pumps. These pain-points often are outcomes derived from varying technical issues, when not attended, tend to escalate into serious risks that may lead to complete pump breakdown or even safety issues which nobody can afford to. The following trends warrant attention as well:

Renewables & Flexible generation needs
On the other hand, increased renewables integration has meant that grids expect power plants to operate more flexibly to mitigate renewables' intermittent nature to deliver better energy security. Increased frequencies of start-stops, partial load operations speed up the degradation of boiler-feed pumps. 

Your BFPs may not be built to withstand all the stress
Boiler-feed pumps engineered of yesteryears may not have been produced to handle the level of stress, duty requirements, and pressure etc. The metallurgy applied might be outdated as well. Targeted retrofits with relative short lead-times with minimal disturbance to on-site infrastructure is a feasible action to overcome these risks.

Today, we'll highlight 4 of the most common component risks causing pump breakdown