GRAPHALLOY^®

High Temperature Bearings Help Oil Field Operators Meet
EPA Requirements

Lubrication Failures

High temperature, self-lubricating GRAPHALLOY bearing materials are uniquely suited to help control volatile gas burn-off flares at oil and natural gas production sites. This innovative development resulted from a customer requirement to overcome design problems in a control linkage. The high heat of these flares caused bushing lubrication failures and this, in turn, caused flare control systems to fail.

These repeated failures resulted in unacceptable maintenance and replacement costs. EPA regulations require that oil field flares destroy the volatile organic compounds emitted into the atmosphere in an environmentally friendly manner. To meet these requirements, oil field operators must use flares at their production sites that provide a clean burn. These flares must operate reliably at remote sites under all conditions.

Providing Clean Burns

Given the loss of lubrication within the faulty linkage, it became obvious that flare controls and gas burn-offs were not meeting EPA regulations and were not providing “clean” burns. The flare manufacturer tested other bearing materials. None met the challenge until the high temperature, self-lubricating, graphite/metal alloy material of GRAPHALLOY was tested, approved, and put to work.

Results

GRAPHALLOY bearings were retrofitted to thousands of existing flares and are now standard on new systems. Today, the flares operate successfully without stoppages! We can solve your challenging bearing problem.

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