Replacing 40‑Year‑Old Economiser Pumps Boosts Offshore Platform Reliability

We recently completed a project for a marine‑sector client operating a floating offshore platform. The platform’s boiler system incorporates an economiser driven by two hot‑water circulation pumps that had served for over four decades. As their operational life neared its end, replacement was necessary, and we were tasked with delivering a modern, high‑reliability solution.

What is an economiser and how does it improve boiler efficiency?

An economiser is a heat exchanger that recovers waste heat from flue or exhaust gases to pre‑heat boiler feedwater or fresh air, boosting system efficiency while cutting fuel consumption, operating costs, and emissions. Hot gases flow through a tube bank, transferring heat to incoming water and re‑using energy that would otherwise be lost. Because high‑temperature boiler pumps are prone to mechanical‑seal failure, gland packing is often employed. These heat‑resistant soft rings—made from graphite, aramid, or PTFE—are chosen based on operating temperature, pressure, and chemical exposure.

Which pumps did we select?

We installed two hot‑water circulation economiser pumps from our XCP line. Designed to ISO 2858 standards, XCP pumps are large, heavy‑duty, close‑coupled centrifugal units that excel in demanding industrial and marine settings. They handle high flow and pressure, pumping low‑viscosity, clean or slightly contaminated fluids such as diesel, petrol, kerosene, fresh water and sea water.

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In this design, the centrifugal pump and motor are on separate shafts, meaning only the pump shaft needs replacement if it fails. Other less robust pumps combine the motor and shaft, so a shaft break forces a complete motor replacement.

The long‑coupled configuration prevents fluid ingress and provides easy pump‑head access for maintenance. The unit is engineered for continuous operation and longevity, featuring extra bearings in the pump head that relieve the motor of strain during service.

Each economiser feed‑water pump is fitted with a flushing connection to keep packing cool even at high temperatures. Centrifugal pumps can run at temperatures up to 65 °C, which can cause elastomer failure if not correctly specified.

Certified for use in explosive environments

The pumps function as hot‑water circulation units, delivering roughly 200 L min⁻¹ at 3 bar and handling water up to 170 °C continuously. To meet these conditions, the motors were specially rewound for 460 V, 50 Hz operation—a rare specification, as 460 V is typically paired with 60 Hz.

Dealing with high temperatures

These pumps feature a ductile‑iron casing and a 316‑grade stainless‑steel impeller, guaranteeing many years of uninterrupted service.

If you have a project that needs our expertise, please contact North Ridge Pumps.

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North Ridge Pumps

About us

North Ridge Pumps is an independent manufacturer and distributor of pumps, established in 1998. With a broad range of experience, we have become specialists in supplying pumps for diverse processes.

We serve industries across the UK and internationally, specifying pumps for a wide variety of applications—from the transfer of corrosive and aggressive chemicals, to dewatered sludge, viscous grease, resin, glues, food, and seawater.

Our product line spans standard centrifugal and multistage pumps, immersed and overhung solid‑handling pumps, and a wide range of positive‑displacement units including vane, piston, progressing‑cavity and peristaltic models. This breadth ensures we can match any application with a suitable solution.

We offer the following services:

Technical support – Pump selection can be challenging. Our technical sales engineers understand your process, enabling confident decisions and equipment engineered beyond your needs.

We prioritize design longevity. If you face high maintenance costs, frequent service periods, repeated breakdowns, inconsistent flow rates, clogging or product inconsistency, we work with you to resolve these issues.

Application experience – With over 20 years of application experience, we bring proven solutions to similar processes, delivering results faster.

Our pumps are fully configurable; we design them with materials and duty points tailored to your requirements, whether they are baseplate mounted, within a mobile frame or supplied as kit with couplings, hoses and dispensing nozzles.

Industry knowledge – From offshore oil and gas to paper mills, chemical plants and food manufacturers, we understand the importance of downtime and how small design tweaks can reduce maintenance, improve longevity and increase uptime.

If you require a pump for a specific process or need to enhance an existing setup, contact us to explore how we can help.

What we do in a nutshell

Pump Specification & Supply