Adesign fault on the bearing
assembly of a large
centrifugal fan that could
have potentially caused a cement
plant to reduce, or even stop
production due to a failure to comply
with dangerous emission regulations,
has been resolved with the help of
Brammer who provided engineering
input, advice and a solution.

An unreliable fan on a wet gas
scrubber was preventing Hanson
Cement’s plant in Clitheroe burning
alternative fuels due to downtime on
the gas cleaning system, forcing the
plant to resort to more expensive fossil
fuels. It was found that material buildup
on the impeller caused increased
vibration, which was damaging the
non-drive end bearing and its housing,
potentially resulting in its failure.

Brammer visited the site with
representatives from SKF, to diagnose
the problem. A solution was to
replace the non-drive end bearing
with an SKF CARB toroidal roller
bearing, and introduce a regular
cleaning routine. No bearings or
housings have needed to be replaced
since the change, with an estimated
cost saving of £15,000.