One of the biggest food processing facilities in North America converted split-case style pumps to new Grundfos CR 185 multistage pumps and immediately saw improvement in the application.

Introduction

Recently, one of the leading food processing companies in the United States was experiencing problems with several of their pumps. The plant was using horizontal split-case pumps that were vital for reverse osmosis and pressure boosting applications. By design those pumps had a flat performance curve, making it difficult to maintain stable flow control. This created maintenance issues where the pumps had to be rebuilt once or twice a year and when coupled with downtime became too costly to repair. This is when they turned to Grundfos, a leading pump solutions manufacturer, that had supplied them with reliable solutions in the past.

Grundfos experts worked together with the plant operator, maintenance engineer, and distributor to decide whether to stick with a horizontal split-case design or change to a newer vertical multistage product released in the United States, early 2021. Grundfos provides both the vertical multistage pumps and horizontal split-case products which made the process simpler.

New innovations recently released, like the Grundfos CR 185, made it possible for larger flow sizes and pressures ever seen before in this market while products and solutions in the horizontal split-case market were still viable options. Ultimately, the final decision came down to key factors including:

• Pressure/Flow
• Reliability
• Ease of Maintenance/Serviceability
• Efficiency
• Footprint
• Options & Special Configuration

The Solution

After weighing all factors, the food processing plant chose one pump above the rest to replace five of their pumps, the CR 185-4. A prefilter was also chosen as part of this solution ensuring optimal efficiency and reliability in their system to protect the pump from incoming well debris.

“We are really glad they chose the CR 185. There’s a large majority of our customers out there using a split-case style pump and Grundfos now has a multistage pump that basically does the exact same thing and has added benefits. We really want them to know there are alternatives to the old way of doing things. Grundfos new CR is changing the way facilities are moving water.” – Colin Cummings, Channel Development Manager, Grundfos.

The Outcome

New Products Installed in Place of Faulty Ones Eliminating Costly Repairs: With the early adoption of one of the latest state-of-the-art Grundfos pumps equipped with 21st-century technology advancements, the leading food processing plant was able to eliminate the reliability issues and unwanted operational costs tied to faulty pumps and costly repairs.

Satisfied Systems Designers: Engineers involved reported liking the CR 185 multistage pump so much over the split-case pumps they communicated plans to replace the rest of the pumps with the CR 185, taking advantage of lower overall lifecycle costs.

To learn more about the CR 185 and the full range of Grundfos Vertical Multistage Pumps, Click Here.