Improvements In Bearing Life Using New Sealing Technology

Abstract

As many as 91 percent of all rolling element bearings fail to achieve their calculated theoretical lifetimes. One of the primary reasons for this failure is contamination of the lubricants. Past practice for protecting bearing from contamination includes the use of lip seals and labyrinth isolators, but both of these solution suffer from certain shortcomings that lead to premature bearing failures. Using modern mechanical seal technology, it is now possible to hermetically seal pump bearing housings, gearboxes, and other rotating equipment, so as to completely contain the lubricant and totally exclude contaminants. With this hermetic seal in place, it is easier to cost-justify the use of superior (but more costly) synthetic lubricants, and lower the total cost of operating the equipment significantly.