Clogged Impeller Diagnosis in the Centrifugal Pump Using the Vibration and Motor Current Analysis

The impeller-clogging phenomenon in centrifugal pumps is such a kind of the fault that leads to increase the vibration and reduce the performance of pumps. In addition, impeller-clogging could make some problems in the production process of factories. This research assigns to the detection of clogged impeller in a centrifugal pump using the vibration and motor current analysis. In this research, a test rig is set up and one of the impeller’s passageways is clogged by the sealing tape. The clogging detection, based on the vibration analysis, is done using the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). The obtained results show that the dominant frequency in the impeller-clogging phenomenon is the rotational frequency of impeller (1xRPM). The measuring vibration values in three directions (horizontal, vertical, and axial) show that the clogged impeller has more effects on the axial vibration responses. Furthermore, in this case, the electrical current consumption of electromotor is reduced