Simple Yet Sophisticated

It isn’t often that a new product is introduced and one could argue that the method used in its development is far more interesting than the product itself. How many of us wish we were asked to give our input in the early design phase of the products we select and specify on a daily basis? For example, I just purchased a Toyota Sequoia and found that it really has some nice features, like both the driver and passenger front windows will automatically roll up or down when the driver’s side buttons are fully depressed. But does it make any sense that if my four year old wants the dome light on, I have to take my eyes off the road and reach behind my head and flip the switch with my hand? Every car I’ve ever owned had an easily accessible switch on the dash. I curse those Toyota engineers every time! Research and development is the basis for any new innovation that comes along, but how innovative can a good old fashion centrifugal pump be? Well, I can tell you that Bell & Gossett used some very simple-sophisticated techniques in the development of their new VSX double suction pumps.

They simply started their research by asking the customer what features and benefits were important to them. Utilizing a technique known as The Voice of the Customer, Bell & Gossett sent their centrifugal pump Product Line Manager, Steve Schmidt on an extensive information gathering assignment all over the country and the world for that matter.

Some of you might have even been part of the process about two years ago when Steve conducted in-depth interviews with more than 300 consulting/specifying engineers, contractors, building managers, wholesalers, distributors and other industry experts. He focused on learning about their business, their long and short term goals, and any problems or concerns that might have developed over the years. As a result, he did a lot of listening and little talking to flush out the true requirements of the customer, compiling a list of 600 legitimate "needs". Incredibly each "need" was listed on a "Post-It-Note" and displayed in his office where he could be constantly reminded of the task at hand. These "needs" were then broken down into groups and entered into an elaborate concept matrix that ranked the importance of each, in order to help with their implementation in the design phase of the project.

They sophisticatedly developed the new line of pumps by utilizing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). In the past, pumps had been "improved" by either "tweaking" an existing impeller design or modifying the volute to enhance performance. Until now, a completely new double suction pump had not been developed by Bell & Gossett in over forty years. By implementing CFD technology, impellers were hydraulically matched with pump volutes, allowing pump engineers to concentrate on the desired "sweet spot" the pump curve was to incorporate.

Determining the curve’s "sweet spot" required taking a step back and looking at how pumps are being applied today and what prime movers are being offered in today’s market. Hydraulic targets were identified for several market applications and design parameters were then entered into the computer. This process was no simple task and required a bank of 18 computers working up to 30 hours to solve equations for just one set of hydraulics! During the course of the design process, liquid flow was electronically visualized and pressures generated along the pump surfaces were studied for optimization. When a design concept was narrowed down, and prior to moving to large scale CFD analyses, rapid prototype parts were created to either validate or disprove the computer model. Foam blocks of the pump parts were then created and served as stepping stones until a desirable design was finally developed.

The result of this tedious process is a product that will offer exceptional reliability and versatility to the HVAC industry. It truly is an exciting time to be associated with this industry. By the way, does anyone have Dr. Phil’s number? I’m really hung up on this dome light thing. HAPPY PUMPING!