CASE SERIES|AEROSPACE INDUSTRY|LASER CUTTING MACHINE · TURBINE BEARINGS
PLANT REFERENCE AND TECHNICAL REPORT · 2013–2015
series of 3 acts
PLATINO 2040: turbine bearing overheating eliminated without part replacement
PRODUCTXADO "Protective 60K" grease with revitalizantcavities flushed with XADO universal industrial flush · 25-30 g packed into each bearing unit
OBJECTPRIMA POWER PLATINO 2040 metal laser cutting machinegenerator turbine bearing units, operating speed up to 40 000 rpm
DOCUMENT TYPEChief Mechanical Engineer's reference
and KhGAPP technical reportsignatures of authorised officers, company seal
and KhGAPP technical reportsignatures of authorised officers, company seal
Key result
↓23months
machine running in normal mode after treatment with no bearing replacement, January 2013 → December 2014
| OBJECT AND DOCUMENT | HOURS AT START | WHAT WAS RECORDED |
|---|---|---|
| PLATINO 2040 machine, blanking and stamping shop — Chief Mechanical Engineer's reference, 13.02.2013 | over 5000 h, three years in service | 23 days of normal operation after the treatment of 21.01.2013, overheating emergency stops did not recur |
| Same machine — technical report, approved by the Chief Engineer, 23.01.2015 | same, treatment 21.01.2013 | about 23 months of operation (January 2013 — December 2014), bearings never replaced, one preventive inspection with grease top-up |
Turbine bearing units: before and after treatment
| PARAMETER | BEFORE TREATMENT (December 2012 — January 2013) | AFTER TREATMENT (2013–2015) |
|---|---|---|
| Bearing unit temperature | On reaching critical values the machine's automatic emergency shutdown was triggered | Does not exceed the values permitted by the operating manual; emergency stops ceased |
| Reaching operating modes | The unit was never switched from the 14 000 rpm test mode to the operating mode | The machine runs in normal mode, turbine operating speed up to 40 000 rpm |
| Bearing condition | Extraneous noise; one bearing worn more than the others — found during disassembly on 21.01.2013 | Bearings not replaced throughout the period; over two years — one preventive inspection with a top-up of the same grease |
| Cost per unit | Set of new SR sleeves with bearings — about 93 000 UAH (2013), over 90 000 UAH (2015) | Flush and XADO "Protective 60K" grease — under 300 UAH in 2013, under 500 UAH including the top-up |
Temperature was monitored by the machine's built-in system with emergency shutdown on overheating; bearing noise and wear were assessed during unit disassembly.
Timeline: what preceded the treatment
| STAGE | WHAT WAS DONE | RESULT |
|---|---|---|
| About 4000 h of service | 10-15 g of the standard grease added to each bearing unit | Extraneous noise disappeared, later intense heating of the units developed |
| December 2012 — January 2013 | Standard grease replaced with high-speed Shell GADUS S5V42P, selected on the recommendation of its manufacturer | Heating did not stop; on severe heating the machine's emergency shutdown system was triggered |
| 21.01.2013 | Units disassembled, old grease removed, working cavities flushed, 25-30 g of XADO "Protective 60K" grease with revitalizant packed into each unit | After removing excess grease and 18-25 h of running-in, the temperature fell smoothly and stabilised — the machine was switched to the operating mode |
The unit, the fault and the maintenance personnel were the same in all three episodes — only the product changed.
Conclusions of the plant
The machine came to the treatment in a failed state: after three years of service and over 5000 hours of operation the turbine was overheating, the emergency protection kept tripping, and replacing the standard grease with high-speed Shell GADUS S5V42P produced no result; on disassembly one of the bearings proved to be worn more than the others. The Chief Mechanical Engineer of KhGAPP in the reference letter of 13.02.2013: "Considering the result obtained and the cost of the flush and the XADO "Protective 60K" grease (in this case the financial outlay amounted to under 300 UAH), I recommend using XADO "Protective 60K" grease as a replacement for, or an addition to, the standard grease for the high-speed bearings of the generator turbine." Two years later, the technical report of 23.01.2015 approved by the plant's Chief Engineer: "it is expedient to use the high-speed XADO "Protective 60K" grease as the best replacement for the standard grease for the high-speed bearings of the machine's gas turbine… the cost of the grease is under 500 UAH, whereas the cost of a set of new SR sleeves with bearings amounts to over 90 000 UAH".
The results relate to the generator turbine bearing units of the PRIMA POWER PLATINO 2040 laser cutting machine and to its operating conditions at KhGAPP; on other equipment and under other duty cycles the figures may differ. The originals of the reference letter of 13.02.2013 and of the technical report of 23.01.2015 are published in full and available for download.
Current equivalent
Revitalizant gel for compressors and bearings →
Piston, screw and centrifugal compressors; rolling and sliding bearings running in an oil bath; machine-tool spindle units and slideways.
How such units are treated: