GRAPHALLOY® Bearings: Installed and Forgotten for Over 20 Years!

More than 20 years ago, a major chemical manufacturer was experiencing frequent failures of their pumps in ethylene service. They had (and have) six 15-stage Pacific vertical can pumps installed and one spare. Each pump has fourteen inter-stage assemblies, and head and lower bearing assemblies.

These pumps were originally fitted with bronze bearings which were failing within

one month of installation. Ethylene is a very light hydrocarbon that creates problems in pump operation. Because of its low viscosity, ethylene provides minimal lubrication to the rotating parts of the pump. As a result, these pumps are prone to failure when running with bronze bearings.

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