PUMPX: an expert system for pump diagnosis

Diagnosing problems with centrifugal pumps usually requires personnel with extensive experience or education. Centrifugal pumps represent the largest power consumption of any type of liquid movers in industrialized countries. Diagnosis of problems with recommendations from a computerized assistant would be highly useful. This paper describes the implementation of PUMPX, an expert system for diagnosis of pump problems and for recommendation of corrective action. Four main symptoms are included: vibration/noise, high temperature, leaks and low performance. The use of this program can lead to utilization of lower experience personnel for diagnosis and can be used for training. The correct and timely diagnosis and correction of pump problems will lead to reduced power consumption and avoid unnecessary expenditures for upgrades.