A customer was experiencing catastrophic bearings failures in a rotary coal valve within an Ore Preparation Plant. Failures were occuring up to three times in one year resulting in significant lost production and damage to associated components. NSK Engineers carried out an application review identifying which showed that the current bearing design was inadequate for the high temperatures involved.
NSK recommended a customized RHP HLT bearing insert within a Self-Lube® cast iron FC housing with a special heat isolating spacer. A trial was conducted with NSK Applications Engineering overseeing the correct fitting of the bearing units within the application. The NSK bearings fitted ran for over 12 months with no bearing failure. In addition the need for compressed air cooling was removed. This resulted in a large overall cost saving for the customer.
Before | Cost p.a. | NSK Solution | Cost p.a. | |
---|---|---|---|---|
$9,004/hour x 8 hours shift x 3 times per year | $216,096 | No downtime | $0 | |
$45/hr x 8 hours shift x 2 engineers x 3 times per year | $2,160 | $45/hr x 8 hours shift x 2 engineers | $720 | |
Cost of bearings x 3 times per year | $383 | Cost of bearings once per year | $128 | |
Annual cost of compressed air | $95,358 | No compressed air used | $0 | |
Total Costs | $313,997 | $848 |
Reference:SS-E-2050