18
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September - October 2014
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www.machinerylubrication.com
The "Lube-Tips" secTion of MaCHINEry LuBrICaTION
magazine feaTures innovaTive ideas submitted by our readers.
additional tips can be found in our Lube-Tips email newsletter. if you have a tip
to share, email it to us at editor@noria.com. To receive the Lube-Tips newsletter,
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Pinpointing Water Contamination Sources
After a recent rebuild of a small steam turbine and a gearbox
that drive a cooling tower water pump, the first monthly oil sample
results showed high water content. Rather than just use the
"shotgun" approach to eliminate all the potential sources of water,
attempts were made to identify the water source.
The gearbox serves as an oil sump for both it and the turbine. It
has a shaft-driven oil pump, external oil cooler, filter and small
decanter settling pot. Clear acrylic sight glasses were added to the
drain ports on the turbine bearing housings and oil cooler drain
without shutting down the unit. After just one day, the sight glass
on the governor-end turbine bearing housing showed 0.5 ounces of
free water along with "milky" colored oil. This narrowed the search
for the water source considerably.
The three possible sources were the housing breather, which was
a desiccant type and not changing color; the bearing housing water
jacket, which was valved out to test but water still appeared; and
the labyrinth oil seal, which faced the carbon rings that seal the
steam in the turbine casing. The simple labyrinth seal was replaced
by an upgraded bearing isolator, and the water contamination
problem was eliminated.
Keep Moisture Out of Grease
When changing grease drums, you may find condensate on top
of the follower plate. To eliminate this problem, place two or three
paper towels on top of the plate in the new drum. When it is empty,
the towels will have absorbed the water. Change the towels when
you change the drum and the water.
Advice for Storing Grease Guns
In some plants, grease guns may sit on the shelf for a while,
allowing oil to separate. For grease guns used less frequently, relieve
the tension from the follower rod by pulling it out and locking it in
the groove of the follower rod and cylinder cap.
Bearing Installation Tip
To get optimum reliability from a newly installed bearing on a
