Root Cause Analysis (RCA): 450 KW 1500 RPM plant fan motor frequent Journal Bearing failures posed plant outages.
Article Type: | Root Cause Analysis (RCA) |
Category: | Mechanical |
Equipment Type: | Miscellaneous Rotating Machine Problems |
Author: | S. Raghava Chari |
Note: This root cause analysis (RCA) is from real-time scenarios that happened in industries during the tenure of two or three decades ago. These articles will help you to improve your troubleshooting skills and knowledge.
A new installation 450 KW 1500 RPM motor Journal Bearing (JB) failed too often. The author RCA Queries (Q) and crews’ answers (A) are:
Q: Describe failed bearing condition
A: JB side babbit blacked and peeled off
Few minutes thinking flashed the probable RC:
Crew reported they checked the warehouse held six tires widths and found they vary as much as 6 mm. The coupling vendor accepted that is how tires are; hence our instruction manual says adjust the coupling face to face gap at each tire change to suit the tire width.
The author concluded crew remembering tire couplings’ unique requirement is hard and mistakes recurrences, more JBs damages, and frequent downtimes are too easy also.
Implemented RCA solution follows:
The author recalled that German make Pin and bush couplings (PBCs) coupling the carbamate and liquid ammonia feed pumps to same motors types never posed problems during their 10 years’ service. They allow the JB motors rotors axial travels.
The author made the shop to make Pin & Bush couplings using the plant PBC as model. The machinist took essential dimensions from the standby pump’s coupling in the field with proper work permits, from the spares held in stock to machine the 3 Nos., couplings.
A local rubber parts maker made bushes using the spare bushes as model. PBCs in place of Tire-couplings eliminated the problems forever.
Author: S. Raghava Chari
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