Vesconite for inline shaft bearings for Mono axial flow pump
| Vesconite bearings fitted to Mono axial
flow pumps abstracting river water from the Orange River in South Africa
have successfully solved wear problems caused by dirty and silt laden water
during seasonal floods. Previously the pump bearings needed regular
overhauls at great cost. Pump size : 12" and 16" 1460 RPM, 110 KW Duty : More than 500 hours per month Bush size 57 x 38 - 127 mm long with 6 longitudinal grooves Part number : 40852 Originally the intake bearings were fitted with bronze bearings that were grease lubricated twice daily. The pumps extract raw river water from the Orange River. During seasonal rains, large quantities of sand are suspended in the pumped water. This sand mixes with the bearing grease giving a grinding paste resulting in very rapid wear within a few days. Bearings needed to be replaced each time high sand concentrations were present in the water being pumped. |
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Worn bearings also resulted in eccentric shafts causing expensive casing wear and loss in pump efficiency. Vesconite was proposed as an alternative. A clean water bearing flush was added to ensure that as little sand as possible entered the bearing. The bearing was sealed on the upstream side and open on the downstream side. The clean flush water exhausted into the pump flow. This proved a very successful operation for Vesconite bearings which lasted significantly longer than the bronze bearings. Vesconite is suited for lubrication with process water, oils or greases. |
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Updated Jul 01 2004
