BHS UltraCool Bearings to increase system stability. Case

BHS UltraCool Bearings
to increase system stability.
Case Study
Problem
A Sonatrach residual gas facility in Algeria required a gearbox bearing temperature
of max. 90 °C in the compressor system, at full load and full speed. Under the specific conditions, conventional bearings would have heated up to a temperature of
105 to 110 °C.
Solution
With the specially developed BHS UltraCool Bearing by Voith, the bearing temperature - depending on bearing construction - is kept between 5 and 20 °C cooler
in comparison to other bearings. The oil therefore ages slower. This in turn results
in higher system stability and longer service life of the gearbox, which increases
profitability and sustainability of the facility.
BHS UltraCool Bearings
to increase system stability.
Product:
BHS UltraCool Bearing
Industry:
Oil & gas - gas reinjection
Application:
Gearbox between “gas turbine
and compressor”
Voith customer:
Nuovo Pignone, Florence (ITA)
End customer:
Sonatrach
Place of installation:
In Amenas, Algeria, Africa
Startup operation:
2006
The maximum permissible temperature in gearbox bearings plays a very important
role in critical applications, e.g. in the oil and gas industry. If, for example, the bearing becomes too hot, then the oil ages faster and residue accumulates within the
bearing. In a worst-case-scenario, the complete system shuts down. The specially
developed BHS UltraCool Bearing by Voith achieves top-of-the-line results with
pitchline velocities of up to 100 m/s, even in sophisticated applications: With this
bearing - depending on the model - the temperature can be kept approx. 5 to 20 °C
cooler.
An inquiry by the international oil company Sonatrach initiated the development of
the BHS UltraCool Bearing in 2004. A residual gas facility in Africa required a gearbox bearing temperature of max. 90 °C in the compressor system, at full load and
full speed. Under the specific conditions, conventional bearings would have heated
up to a temperature of 105 to 110 °C. This would have resulted in the faster aging
of the oil as well as the accumulation of oil carbon within the bearing, which in turn
would have led to shorter oil change cycles and a higher breakdown risk for the
complete system.
The systematic modification of the material and design enabled Voith to
develop a bearing that fulfills all the requirements of the customer. The
BHS UltraCool Bearings use a bearing material with a heat conductivity that is six
times higher than that of other materials. The geometric optimization of the bearing
body also ensures faster heat discharge. This enables a reduction of the bearing's
operating temperature by 15 to 20 %. The BHS UltraCool Bearing is an offset sleeve
bearing. The special interior shape of the two offset half-shells affixes the shaft, in
particular for light-duty or idling speed.
In the case at hand, the “cool bearing” significantly exceeds the customer's expectations: Since 2006, the year of commissioning, the measured maximum temperature of the bearings never exceeded 78 °C. Under the following framework conditions, it therefore falls well short of the required maximum value of 90 °C: 100 %
load, 1.7 bar oil inlet pressure, 49.5 °C oil inlet temperature, 3.3 MPa bearing load
at 90 m/s pitchline velocity (see Image 1). The number of oil changes is reduced
significantly due to this low temperature, which results in a significantly more sustainable use of resources.
The advantage of the bearing is even more succinct when it comes to the warming
of the oil: we achieved an improvement of 35 % in comparison to the required
maximum value of Δ 35 °C. In its test bed in Sonthofen, Voith was able to confirm
the customer‘s positive results. Bearing tests were, for the first time, performed at
full load and under realistic operating conditions if required and requested by the
customer. By 2013, BHS UltraCool Bearings have already been installed at fifteen
orders for the oil and gas segment. Classic applications are, for example, gearboxes
used in drive trains “electrical motor to compressor” or “gas turbine to compressor”.
Cutting mark for letter fold / Schnittmarke für Wickelfalz
Image 1: Measured bearing temperatures at normal operation in the compressor system of Sonatrach, In Amenas, Algeria
BHS UltraCool Bearings in comparison to the normal version (1) as well as tilting pad bearings (2)
Advantages
User benefits
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
Reduction of gearbox bearing temperatures by 5 - 20 °C
Reduction of the oil consumption
Power loss reduction
Higher bearing insulation
Fewer oil changes (1) (2)
Lower operating costs (2)
Gearbox efficiency increase (2)
Increased system stability of the train (2)
Cutting mark for letter fold / Schnittmarke für Wickelfalz
The innovation by Voith is also proven to be of advantage in comparison to tilting pad
bearings (see Diagram): the oil requirement is lower, the efficiency is higher, and the
bearing insulation is better.
Voith Turbo BHS Getriebe GmbH
Tome Stanic
General Manager
Service & Business Development
Phone +49 8321 802-535
Fax +49 8321 802-685
[email protected]
voith.com
Voith Turbo, the specialist for hydrodynamic drive, coupling and braking systems for road, rail and industrial applications, as well as for ship propulsion
systems, is a Group Division of Voith
GmbH.
Voith sets standards in the markets
energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials
and transportation & automotive.
Founded in 1867, Voith employs more
than 42 000 people, generates € 5.7 billion in sales, operates in over 50 countries around the world and is today one
of the biggest family-owned companies
in Europe.
Voith Turbo BHS Getriebe GmbH
Hans-Boeckler-Str. 7
87527 Sonthofen, Germany
Phone +49 8321 802-0
Fax +49 8321 802-689
[email protected]
voith.com
CS | 06.001.02 | en | file | 1310 | aio | bax
Voith Turbo BHS Getriebe GmbH is a
division of Voith Turbo GmbH & Co. KG.
From its location in Sonthofen, Germany,
it has been working on high-quality,
technically advanced gearboxes, couplings, and rotor turning gears for more
than 80 years. Until today, more than
20 000 gearbox references and a transmitted total load of more than 70 000 MW
are documented in the reference lists.