John Crane, a global leader in flow-control technologies and an innovator in solutions for rotating equipment, and a business of Smiths Group plc, has helped a German sugar producer reduce the water required for mechanical seal cooling and lubrication by approximately 80%.
Across a full six-month production season, the reduction is equivalent to saving more than 6.2mn litres of water.
Water use has fallen from 8 to 12 litres per minute to approximately 1 to 2 litres per minute on each converted application. Across four pumps, this represents a calculated saving of at least 34,560 litres for every 24 hours of operation and more than 240,000 litres over seven days. With all four pumps operating continuously throughout an 180-day campaign, the savings exceed 6.2mn litres, according to a press statement.
Water resilience
In the sugar industry, a production campaign is the seasonal period during which the crop is processed, and the factory operates around the clock. The result demonstrates how targeted changes to industrial equipment can strengthen water resilience without compromising operational performance.
Planning and preparation for the first conversions took approximately one year. John Crane began converting the pumps progressively around seven years ago, enabling the customer to validate the technology in operation before extending the programme to further applications.
“Saving more than 6.2mn litres of water during a single production campaign is a significant result, but this is also a compelling reliability story. These pumps operate in hot, abrasive process conditions where seals had been failing every three to four months. With no reported seal failures since 2019, the customer is seeing measurable value in water efficiency, maintenance and long-term performance,” explained Aziz Sallie, Vice President, Commercial and Service, John Crane.
