PUMP BEARING RELIABILITY: 4 Installation Procedures to Maximize Performance
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PUMP BEARING RELIABILITY:
4 Installation Procedures to Maximize Performance
In tough working environments, machine reliability can be difficult to maintain – especially when contaminants threaten bearings and components. NSK engineers devote their attention to the needs of bearings in the real-life applications and challenging environments in which they will be used. One such application is the impeller slurry pump – a piece of machinery that often faces frequent downtime, high maintenance costs and high levels of premature bearing failure.
In the case of one cement producer, screw pump failure due to failed bearings was resulting in high replacement, maintenance and downtime costs – something the company couldn’t afford to ignore. Because screw pumps operating in a cement plant are subjected to extreme levels of cement dust and dirt, dust contamination was determined to be the ultimate cause of the bearing failures.
Impeller pumps require specific installation practices to ensure that they achieve top performance under contaminated conditions:
• When the bearing assembly is not held in place by the fit between the shaft, the sleeve and the bearing, all metric bolts in the bearing assembly need to be torqued correctly and LOCKTITE must be used. This practice ensures that the bearing assembly does not spin on the shaft. If your bearing is slipping on the screw bushing and/or the screw bushing is slipping on the shaft, the bolts holding the plate that is pressing against the bearing inner ring are the wrong type, wrong torque, or both.
• Bearing lubrication can have a significant impact on the operation of bearings and machinery, especially in contaminated environments. For slurry pumps, a highly stable EP grease is the best option, preferably with a Bentone base, which is suitable for antifriction bearing lubrication at temperatures from 0F to +300F.
• Maintenance and relubrication are also vital to the life of bearings. For screw pumps that operate continuously, monthly relubrication is recommended as is monthly preventative maintenance. During the relubrication process, check the grease for oiliness and dirt contamination and adjust the relubrication schedule accordingly.
• Operating temperatures can be used as a guide for lubrication – a sustained temperature drop could indicate insufficient lubrication prior to the addition of grease, while a noticeable rise in temperature could indicate excess grease.
An application such as this demands not only correct installation and maintenance procedures, but the right product choices. To achieve the highest level of contamination resistance NSK engineers recommended the Tough Steel series, designed to resist contamination when operating in some of the harshest industrial environments. The NSK team trained the customer’s staff on correct installation and maintenance, and supervised the change-out. After the switch, the company realized more than $53,000 in savings and gained valuable employee knowledge.
NSK’s Asset Improvement Program (AIP) is designed to reduce costs and improve productivity through correct product choices, specialized application knowledge and expert technical support. To learn how NSK AIP can create value and maximize uptime for your business, contact us today!
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Stephanie Eldred
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