When Optibelt was asked to
investigate why drive belts on a local
waste-to-energy plant’s air cooling
condenser fans were breaking down
every four to six weeks, with one unit
breaking down every two to three
weeks, it recommended fitting an
Omega HP timing belt to replace an
existing belt while an evaluation was
conducted. The Optibelt drive belt
lasted four times longer than the
original part.

The problem was premature belt
wear caused by pulley misalignment
and incorrect belt tension. This was
hard to rectify due to the steel
framework on which the drives were
mounted, the continuously vibrating
environment, and the fact that fans
and drive systems are in a
horizontally-positioned framework
some 40ft in the air.

Optibelt recommended its V-belts
which are said to be more forgiving
of misalignment. Optibelt ‘Red
Power’ Kraftbands were fitted. These
are energy efficient, long wearing
and maintenance-free. The
conversion programme was carried
out during a planned shut-down.