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earing topics and lubricant application topics overlap in process pumps. The main issue here is that not all pumps are designed and sold with provisions ensuring that lubricant is consistently reaching the bearings. Many pumps will benefit from thoughtful upgrading; simply repairing these pumps and restoring the mechanical assembly to as-bought condition wont reduce the risk of failure. The relevance of this statement is best understood by observing the disappointingly high rate of repeat pump failures in industry. Repeat failures can occur only if the root cause of a problem hasnt been found or, if it is known, someone deliberately chose not to remedy the problem. Among the often-overlooked fundamental causes of repeat process pump failures is cage-induced windage, the unidirectional blower effect of slanted ball separators (cages) in angular contact bearings. The effect of this windage on oil flow illustrates the interdependence of bearing design and lubrication matters. Needless to
say, concerns for bearing initial cost and the often misguided desire to standardize or consolidate product selection are responsible for bad bearing choices. Not all pump designers are aware of this particular fact. This article brings it to your attention because bestof-class pump users make it their business to upgrade the design and move beyond mere restorative maintenance efforts.
A bearing housing with lower oil level and intended for DN values in excess of 6,000 is shown in Figure 2. Bearings with DN values in excess of 6,000 will require the addition of either a flinger disc (as shown in this figure) or an oil ring (Figure 3) or similar lube
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application component to dependably lift or spray-feed oil into the bearings. However, oil rings are potentially vulnerable components. They will not interact the same with lubricants of different viscosities or at different immersion depths. Unless used on perfectly horizontal shaft systems, oil rings will run downhill and then often make contact with the bearing housing. Note that already in the 1970s, a then-prominent U.S. pump manufacturer recognized the pitfalls of oil rings. Its advertising literature pointed out that this companys reliable pumps incorporated an anti-friction oil thrower ensuring positive lubrication to eliminate the problems associated with oil rings. Some Europeanmade pumps have avoided the pitfalls of oil rings by incorporating flinger discs; they have had good success for decades. To resist deformation while operating, oil ring manufacturers must include an annealing step to relieve stresses. Oil rings tend to become progressively more unstable as DN values approach or exceed 8,000. Instability means that the oil rings skip, skew, misalign and abrade. While the oil ring shown on the left side of Figure 3 shows the chamfered edges and moderate contact pattern of an oil ring in its near-new condition, the one on the right has abraded to the point where the chamfers are no longer visible. Good maintenance practice would be to measure the new ring at assembly and to again measure it at the time of repair. The width difference represents lost metal; the lost metal became an oil contaminant and will have caused the bearings to fail prematurely. To get oil rings to function as designed, the shaft system must be almost perfectly horizontal. Ring immersion in the lubricant must be in the right range usually close to 5/32 of an inch or 8 to 10 millimeters below the oil level. Moreover, to avoid ring abrasion and dangerous oil contamination, ring eccentricity must be within 0.002 inches (0.05 mm), and surface finish should be reasonably close to 32 and, at most, 64 RMS. Oil viscosity should be in close range of typical ISO VG 32 properties and temperatures must be in the moderate range. These different and equally important parameters are rarely all within their respective desirable range in actual operating plants. If several of the individual parameters are just borderline acceptable, oil rings will intermittently malfunction. That, then, is an elusive failure cause. It has been pointed out that grooved oil rings perform slightly better than the plain or flat oil ring variety. Also, certain plastics perform a little better than the brass or bronze rings typically found in pumps. It is more commonly known that oil rings work better with ISO Grade 46 oil than with ISO Grade 68 oil. (A well-formulated synthetic Grade 32 may be required to suit both the constraints of oil rings and the needs of a particular pump bearing). Here is the bottom line for the truly reliability-focused: Because oil ring behavior is very difficult to control, some reliability-focused purchasers try to avoid them. These users often specify and select pumps with large-diameter flinger discs in DN applications where lower oil levels are needed. Small-diameter flinger discs are sometimes used in oil bath applications. Labeled oil throwers in Figure 4, small-diameter discs are intended to simply prevent temperature stratification of the oil. Without them, hot oil would tend to float at the top of the oil sump. Due to their relatively small diameter, they arent the equivalent of large-diameter discs. Where the latter throw oil into the bearings for the purpose of lubrication, the
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Figure 2. Bearing housing with oil level lowered to accommodate high DN values. A flinger disc lifts or sprays oil into the bearings. Note that oil pressure/temperature-equalizing passages must be provided at each bearing.
former are used in bearing housings with oil levels reaching the center of the lowermost bearing balls. They serve to keep oil temperatures uniform in pumps with DN values below 6,000.
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LUBRICANT APPLICATION
bearings and housing end caps is essential. This requirement appears to be disregarded in some pump models. In some cases, it would be best to provide equalization passages at both top and bottom. Lack of these passages is one of the explanations for oil leakage and overheated oil. Overheated oil and/or oil contaminated with slivers of black Oring material will result in black oil. This is an important comment since old-style bearing protector seals are often designed with a dynamic O-ring in close proximity to sharp-edged O-ring grooves. Also, note that the 1960s-vintage bearing housing of Figure 4 shows lip seals and water-cooling provisions. The lip seals shown would no longer be acceptable; modern bearing protector seals (shown in figures 1 and 2) would be used instead. Cooling water was deleted from pumps with rolling element bearings in the early 1970s.
Figure 3. An oil ring in as-new (wide and chamfered) condition on the bottom, and one in abraded (narrow and chamfer-less) condition on the top.
Heinz Bloch works as a consultant for Process Machinery Consulting. He is the author of more than 400 technical papers and similar publications. He has written 17 books on practical machinery management and oil mist lubrication published by major engineering publishers. To learn more, e-mail Heinz at hpbloch@mchsi.com or visit www.heinzbloch.com.
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