GRAPHALLOY^®

GRAPHALLOY Bearings Replace Ball Bearings in Damper Application

At a refinery in Italy, the damper bearings were failing frequently. These bearings were important to plant operations- they allowed a 90 degree rotation to occur every ten minutes in order control airflow as part of the plant's proccesses. The original ball bearings were unable to withstand the temperatures up to 400ºC (750ºF), well beyond the point where grease is cooked out. Maintenance was constantly replacing the damper bearings, and the outages were expensive.

The refinery contacted the Graphalloy sales engineering department to discuss a solution. Graphalloy engineers suggested 845 Flange Block Assemblies with Graphalloy Bearing inserts, in the same standard size as the original bearings. Unlike the original ball bearings, the upgraded bearings would be sleeve bearings in Graphalloy copper grade, a graphite-copper alloy material that is self-lubricating and can withstand high temperatures. There would be no maintenance requirements related to re-greasing, and no failures due to temperature.

Graphalloy damper bearings were installed at some locations in the refinery, and after a successful few months, the refinery ordered more bearing assemblies to be installed across the facility. "Graphalloy materials are essential because they eliminate the need for maintenance on rotating parts exposed to high temperatures,” said the engineer at the facility. “We have been using them for many years. They are reliable and are still running well since we installed them.”