GRAPHALLOY® Bearings:
Installed and Forgotten
for Over 20 Years!
More than 20 years ago, a major chemical manufacturer was experiencing frequent failures of their pumps in ethylene service. They had (and have) six 15-stage Pacific vertical can pumps installed and one spare. Each pump has fourteen inter-stage assemblies, and head and lower bearing assemblies.
 These pumps were originally fitted with bronze bearings which were failing within one month of installation. Ethylene is a very light hydrocarbon that creates problems in pump operation. Because of its low viscosity, ethylene provides minimal lubrication to the rotating parts of the pump. As a result, these pumps are prone to failure when running with bronze bearings.
They converted all the pumps to GRAPHALLOY shortly after installation.
Recently, the plant performed a safety upgrade to all of their vertical can pumps and  replacing the cans. As each pump was pulled, the pumps were being rebuilt. These ethylene pumps were still in service and still contained the original GRAPHALLOY bushings that were installed in 1996 - over twenty years later.
This success in ethylene service demonstrates why so many pump users choose GRAPHALLOY for their toughest services. Ordinary fitted pumps do not allow for run-dry conditions and will not survive upsets and flashing. The unique properties of GRAPHALLOY permit dry starts, survive frequent loss of suction, and extend life for continuous service.
12/21/2020
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