Gearboxes are used on various types of industrial machinery to provide increased torque while reducing speed from one type of rotating power source to another using gear ratios. A gearbox can be set up to do the opposite and provide an increase in speed with a reduction of torque. Some of the simplest gearboxes merely change the physical direction in which power is transmitted.
Gearboxes are used in many applications, such as wind turbines, conveyors, draglines, bridges, wastewater treatment pumping systems, and many other large pieces of machinery that require a power source.
In an effort to cut costs and improve system reliability, a manufacturer of high quality construction materials examined maintenance costs of their fifteen facilities. One of the findings showed spending in excess of $650,000 annually to maintain and repair 500 gearboxes across all plants.
Coal fired power generation plants produce electricity making conveniences of modern life possible. The process and environment from which power flows is challenging for equipment. Water and coal dust are ever present. This combination of moisture and dust are the two most common avoidable contaminates found in lubricants.
For this environment, the Air Sentry® X Series or XR Series is the best choice for performance, serviceability and value. For stationary applications, Air Sentry® X Series, with double check valve design, delivers maximum life for the silica gel desiccant and the cost savings of a replaceable cartridge. The double check value design allows air exchange as needed, while maximizing desiccant life in a wet, humid environment. For mobile or high vibration applications, such as conveyor lines, the XR Series with metal reinforced base is the best choice.
Pump manufacturers report a 50% increase in service life if pump lubricants are protected from airborne contaminates. Bearing manufactures report a 3 fold increase in bearing life when lubricants maintain ISO cleanliness standards. With Air Sentry® on duty, equipment is more reliable, downtime is reduced and return on investment increases.
Air Sentry® set the standard for contamination control breather technology in 1997, creating new state-of-the-art features that reduced particulate and moisture contamination. This innovative breather line was the first to integrate check valve technology and the first to offer replacement desiccant/filter cartridges, significantly reducing maintenance costs.
Air Sentry's GUARDIAN® is the industry-leading breather series. It's casing is constructed from Tritan®, a patented material highly resistant to impact and chemicals, with a broad range of operating temperatures. Some models also incorporate an isolation check valve, which keeps exhaust air from depleting the desiccant and also protects employees from volatile fumes and splashing fluids. These unique features equate to a longer life for your breather and your equipment.
GUARDIAN's modular construction and optional add-on features allow you to customize each GUARDIAN model to your specific application requirements. Because of these options we're going to discuss, your GUARDIAN will last longer and reduce downtime, giving you the flexibility you need to protect your industrial assets.
HIGH-CAPACITY AIR FILTER
Can be used with a desiccant cartridge or as a standalone particle filter. The filter's 0.3-micron HEPA filter is 99.97% efficient, making it ideal for extremely dirty/dusty environments.
Watch how easy it is to change out an Air Sentry GUARDIAN® desiccant breather on a gearbox.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VVGsBoQw6M[/embed]
GUARDIAN® is Air Sentry's industry leading breather series. Some models feature an isolation check valve that keeps exhaust air from depleting the desiccant and protects from volatile fumes and splashing fluids. The GUARDIAN's casing is constructed from Tritan®, a patented material highly resistant to impact and chemicals with a broad range of operating temperatures. These unique features equate to a longer life for your breather and your equipment.
GUARDIAN's modular construction and optional add-on
Air Sentry® set the industry gold standard with their first line of contamination control breathers in 1997, and now that standard is raised with GUARDIAN®.
Watch the video below to see how the Air Sentry® GUARDIAN® protects your process fluids from particulates and moisture.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh65qS2DvQs&feature=youtu.be[/embed]
Air Sentry® breathers should be an integral part of any proactive maintenance and reliability program. The breathers are designed to replace the breather cap or air filter on gear boxes, hydraulic fluid reservoirs, bulk storage tanks, oil drums, oil-filled transformers, and other fluid reservoirs. Most older style air venting methods provide minimal, if any, contamination control. Air Sentry® breathers provide the first line of defense in contamination control methodology, utilizing patented designs and featuring color indication silica gel and self-cleaning 2-micron filtration.
There are two important threats to productivity that an Air Sentry breather can protect you from:
Particulates
One research group found that greater than 75% of all machine wear related failures were due to particulate contaminants. Frequently the greatest cost of equipment failure is not the component replacement cost, but the labor production downtime. Most particles start off as dirt that becomes airborne, finds its way into lubricant and fuel reservoirs, and is later transported to bearings, bushings, seals, valves, and other machine components. There they become key ingredients in abrasion, erosion, and fatigue failures. The contaminants also cause lubricant degradation, shortening the life of the lubricant and decreasing its ability to lubricate.