vertical pump bearings
- February 22, 2018
Thermal Power Station Condensate Pump
Texas, USA - A thermal power station required a high-wearing, low maintenance bearing alternative for a condensate pump assembly. The line shaft and pump bowl bearings used in this vertical spindle pump operate in pure water conditions at a temperature ranging between 30˚C and 60˚C (86°F to 140°F). Removal and maintenance cost on the pump are high. Vesconite Hilube bearings were manufactured and fitted. Resultant performance has been impressive – the replacement bearings have run without fault for four years, on a pump assembly that has a seven yearly maintenance rebuild schedule.
Water Utility Uses Hilube on Vertical Spindle Pumps
Texas, USA - A water utility in Texas had over the years experimented with different grades of nylon bearings in its vertical spindle pumps, but with little success. The pumps operated in the abrasive conditions found in pit-wells. The combination of debris and sand would eventually lead to excessive wear of the original bushings and eventual seizure. The original parts were subsequently replaced with Vesconite Hilube, which requires no lubrication, does not swell and can operate in dirty conditions as characterized by the above. The re-fitted pumps have since been running without incident for over a year now.
Why Use Vesconite in Pumps?
Vesconite has been used for decades in a wide range of specialized pump bushing applications. The material thrives in water and exhibits excellent dimensional stability, with zero delamination. The result is low downtime and associated hassle factor. Its friction coefficient range of 0.1 – 0.2 allows for dry starting – an issue commonly associated with high wear rates in traditional bushing materials. Corrosion of the bushing is entirely eliminated with Vesconite, Vesconite Hilube is recommended for most pump applications.
- July 18, 2017
Thordon non-metallic bearings have been used in a wide range of industries and various applications such as in pumps, pivot points, screw conveyors, hydro turbine wicket gates, agitators, and flocculator paddle wheels. Thordon Bearings are design to work under the most extreme conditions: abrasive, corrosive, high impact load, high humidity, and infrequent maintenance periods.
Key Attributes
Self-Lubricating
With a low inherent coefficient of friction, Thordon bearings typically do not require grease lubrication. This results in reduced maintenance costs and safety issues. Environmental and product contamination concerns associated with grease lubrication are eliminated. Thordon Bearings are homogenous polymers with built-in lubricants. The lubricants, being dispersed through the bearing material, continue to provide low friction through the life of the bearings.
- May 11, 2017
Non-metallic bearings may not be the best answer in every case but have been an excellent choice for many applications worldwide. In general, these product-lubricated bearings preclude additional contaminants (oils, greases) infiltrating the pumped fluid.
Materials
Non-metallic bearing materials include rubbers, synthetic rubbers (elastomers), plastics, graphite based materials, ceramics and lignum vitae. Thordon XL, Thordon SXL and Thordon Composite (GM2401) are elastomeric grades that offer exceptional wear life, low friction, reduced starting torque and dry start-up capability (SXL only). The inconvenience of pre-lubricating with water and the failures that can result if the flow of liquid is interrupted are eliminated. These elastomeric grades perform particularly well in dirty water and in applications where shock loading is a factor. These grades have high resilience, readily restoring to original shape from impact or localized deflection caused by passing minor particulate. In addition, the high toughness of the material enhances the natural resistance to abrasion damage.
ThorPlas is a proprietary, engineered thermoplastic bearing material. While the range of high performance elastomer bearing grades clearly offers superior performance in the applications in which they can be specified, there are technical limits, such as maximum temperatures and pressures beyond which they cannot be used. To address these limitations, this new grade significantly expands the range of applications where bearings can be specified while still maintaining many recognized elastomeric performance advantages.
- February 07, 2017
Thordon Bearings is the world's leading manufacturer of high performance, long lasting bearings that require no oil or grease. Thordon is recognized around the world as the bearing material of choice for thousands of pump repair shops, OEM's and end users.
Thordon's abrasive wear rates far outperform all the other "standard" bearing materials, such as phenolic, PEEK, rubber, and many others. The table below shows the bearing volume loss in a Rotary Drum Abrasion Test (ASTM D 5964-96).
- October 13, 2016
Gallagher Fluid Seals is the northeast and Mid-Atlantic distributor for Thordon Vertical Pump Bearings.
These bearings are among the many offerings from Thordon, a Canada-based manufacturer of high-performance, non-metallic journal bearing solutions.
In addition to providing solutions to the marine, hydro-turbine, offshore oil, and other industries, Thordon designs and manufactures a complete line of grease and oil-free vertical pump bearings.
Thordon also produces a number of water or medium-lubricated bearing grades which offer specific operating advantages for any pump bearing application:
