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Product category: Bearings, lubrication, oil and filters
News Release from: SKF UK | Subject: CARB bearings
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial Team on 14 July 2004

Bearings create a revolution in the
water industry

Thames Water, recognising that there was a need for improvement in the design of the bearing units used to support their Archimedean screws, got in touch with SKF, for modern bearing expertise

Technology thousands of years old still plays a pivotal role in the transportation of water Used by the majority of the water supply and treatment companies, the Archimedean screw is still recognised as an extremely efficient way of transporting high volumes of water

The ancillary equipment used to drive and support these devices is considerably younger in design but, in many cases, has difficulty in coping with the demands placed on it by the screws.

One could argue that modern technology has failed to keep pace; that is until now.

Thames Water, recognising that there was a need for improvement in the design of the bearing units used to support the screws, got in touch with SKF - a company known to have the right mix of experience, skills and products to deal with a problem on this type of scale.

The first step in the SKF appraisal, a condition monitoring survey and application review, identified that the existing bearing unit had limitations that affected reliability, predictability and ease of maintenance.

It was identified that repair and replacement costs, following collateral damage to a gearbox, would be in the region of GBP25,000; with the annual costs of inspection, repair and maintenance estimated at GBP10,000.

The SKF solution was to eliminate all of the shortcomings of the existing installation - in short, it wanted to improve the reliability, predictability and maintainability.

Reliability was addressed through the introduction of SKF groundbreaking CARB bearings as they can handle the misalignment and axial displacement.

Advanced mechanical seals were also designed specifically for this application to cater for the misalignment while offering negligible oil loss and an oil header tank ensures a constant positive system oil pressure.

SKF also incorporated its industry leading condition monitoring expertise, the primary aim being that there would be no unplanned change-outs or failures.

Finally, maintainability was addressed by a split housing with a separate stainless steel cartridge unit.

SKF is confident that the life expectancy has been significantly extended and the condition monitoring will ensure early warning of the need to change a cartridge.

Change-out and maintenance costs will also be reduced due to the cartridge concept and collateral damage will be eliminated.

Wear, stress and energy consumption will also be reduced through the use of the low friction CARB technology.

The SKF solution is a true engineered solution - demonstrating the company's expertise above and beyond the basics of bearings.

This application is far from unique - SKF has helped countless companies, across a huge variety of industries, overcome the shortfalls of existing installation as well as helping and advising on a vast array of new builds and engineering projects. Request a free brochure from SKF UK ...

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