Nov Mono ends 20-year project to preserve the Mary Rose 04 December 2013

When Mono pumps were switched off recently in Portsmouth, it marked the end of a 20-year operation to preserve the remains of Henry VIII's flagship, the Mary Rose.

The progressing cavity pumps had been used to help spray the fragile timbers of the Mary Rose with a mix of water and wax – a crucial stage in the preservation process, which has now come to an end.

Mono's association with the ship began in 1994, when a pair of E122 pumps was chosen for duty/standby roles to help spray the hull with a solution of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to stabilise its waterlogged timbers.

The pumps provided a continuous stream of PEG to 360 spray nozzles located around the ship, and were supported by four smaller Mono pumps, which operated the heating and cooling circuits that maintained the PEG at an optimum spray temperature.

According to Mono's senior sales engineer Mike Burtona after 10 years of operation when maintenance was required on a gearbox, the Mono pumps were also inspected and found only to need one stator component replacing.

The pumps then returned to operating at speeds of 279rpm, circulating 2,000 litres per minute of PEG solution around the spray system, he says.

Six additional Mono Industrial E range pumps were later added to increase the capacity of the heating and cooling circuits.

"The ship's timbers had to be kept fully moistened at all times, so the pumps used had to be totally reliable if the timbers were to be properly preserved," comments Burton.

"This project really has shown how Mono pumps can provide consistently high levels of performance year after year and simply go on giving excellent service."

Until she sank in 1545, the Mary Rose was one of the largest war ships in the English Tudor fleet. She is now the only 16th century warship on display anywhere in the world, and forms the centrepiece of a new £27 million museum built at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.

Brian Tinham

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