Vertical or Side-Entry, GRAPHALLOY Mixes It Up!

Industrial mixer manufacturers have been using self-lubricating GRAPHALLOY bushings for decades, especially in high-temperature environments.

That’s why when it came to choosing a bearing for a newly designed side-entry tank mixer, a major manufacturer decided to put GRAPHALLOY bushings to the test. Since this mixer was for a brewery application (part of the beer making process), the bushings needed to be oil-free, capable of being submerged and FDA acceptable.

Side-entering mixers work efficiently when a tank is too large for convenient installation of a top-entering mixer or when headroom is severely limited.

The company had been using GRAPHALLOY bushings in their various industrial mixers for many years and were pleased with the long life and low maintenance. Prior to using GRAPHALLOY, they had used a glass-filled Teflon material but their customers complained about the short life of these bushings.

Their new mixer is a high-efficiency, robust side-entry mixer designed for applications from 10,000 to 1,000,000 gallons, speed is 154 RPM, and temperature is 200°F.

Working with Graphite Metallizing engineers, they purchased thirteen pieces of GRAPHALLOY FDA acceptable bushings and installed them in the mixers in their brewery customer’s tanks.

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GRAPHALLOY® at Turbomachinery & Pump Symposia 2018

Graphite Metallizing Corporation will be exhibiting at the 2018 Turbomachinery & Pump Symposia. This conference is being held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, TX from September 18-20.

Please visit us in Booth 1216.

To learn more about this conference, click here.

GRAPHALLOY® Upgrade Eliminates Failures in Waste Water Sump Pumps

A major refinery was experiencing frequent bearing failures in their vertical oily wastewater sump pumps. The bronze packing box and line shaft bearings were wearing out within two months of service, damaging the shaft and causing leakage through the packing at the stuffing box. Upgrading to GRAPHALLOY bushings solved the problem.

The bearing failure was also causing an environmental issue when the hydrocarbon/water slime leaked into the ground.

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GRAPHALLOY® at ACHEMA 2018

Graphite Metallizing Corporation will be exhibiting at ACHEMA 2018, World Forum and Leading Show for the Process Industries.

This conference is being held from June 11-15, 2018 in Frankfurt, Germany. Please stop by and visit us in Hall 8.0, Stand H84. To learn more about this exhibition, click here.  

GRAPHALLOY® at AISTech Show 2018

Graphite Metallizing Corporation will be exhibiting at AISTech 2018, The Iron & Steel Technology Conference and Exposition. This conference is being held from May 7-10, 2018 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA.

Please stop by and visit us at Booth #1958.

To learn more about this exhibition, click here.

John Warhoover Joins Sales Team at Graphite Metallizing Corporation

Graphite Metallizing Corporation, the manufacturer of self-lubricating GRAPHALLOY® bushing materials for pumps and process equipment, has appointed John Warhoover as Territory Sales Manager for Missouri, Southern Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Western Iowa, and Arkansas.

Warhoover holds a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering Technology from Southeastern Missouri State University. With nearly thirty years of experience in sales and engineering, he previously served as Regional Director of Sales and Technical Support at Rotating Equipment Repair and Senior Sales Engineer at Weir Minerals. He will be based out of his Missouri office.

“John brings extensive rotating equipment and, particularly, pump experience to our sales team,” said Eben Walker, General Manager of Graphite Metallizing. "He can help our customers use GRAPHALLOY to achieve greater equipment reliability.”

Graphite Metallizing Corporation of Yonkers, NY has been solving tough bearing problems for over 100 years. The company began in 1913 when two engineers developed a method for putting molten metal into carbon to create a new material called GRAPHALLOY, a graphite/metal alloy.

Used in the manufacture of bushings, bearings and other components for machinery and process equipment, GRAPHALLOY can be the solution to the toughest bearing, bushing, thrust washer, cam follower, or pillow block bearing design problem. It is available in over 100 grades with specific properties that meet a wide range of engineering solutions and specifications. FDA accepted grades of GRAPHALLOY are available for use in food service equipment. NSF® International has certified two grades of GRAPHALLOY material for use in municipal well pumps and water treatment plant applications. 
  
GRAPHALLOY bearings have operated for twenty years and longer in some applications. Standard designs are available but most GRAPHALLOY products are custom designed to the unique requirements of the specific application. Graphite Metallizing Corporation is ISO certified. For more information about Graphite Metallizing and its products, please visit us online at http://www.graphalloy.com or call 914-968-8400.

Cryogenic Pump Survival

A manufacturer of cryogenic 2-stage overhung pumps needed a non-galling bearing material that could survive shaft contact, be oxygen compatible and perform in cryogenic temperatures.

The manufacturer’s 2-stage, cryogenic pumps are used in the liquid gas industry. These units operate at up to 8000 rpm and can pump liquid oxygen at a temperature of minus 320°F (-195°C). The 2-stage design is required to meet the design point of 70 gpm of flow and 1,020 ft. of total differential head.

Due to the shaft length required for the 2-stage pump, shaft deflection leads to a number of issues including contact, rubbing and excessive wear. A tighter fitting bushing can add support to the shaft and can be mounted between the two impellers in the diffuser.

This solution required a material with the properties to withstand the loading and contact with minimal wear. In addition, the material had to be oxygen compatible and reliably perform within cryogenic temperature ranges. The pump manufacturer contacted Graphite Metallizing Corporation...

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Coal-Fired Power Plant Slashes Maintenance Time with GRAPHALLOY Bushings

The conditions inside of a coal-fired power plant can place heavy stress on components. The dampers and burners have to deal with high temperatures and the presence of particulate. Bearings functioning in this environment have to be durable and must be able to operate without frequent maintenance.

This was not the case at one North American coal plant. The plant manager and his staff spent too much time maintaining the bearings inside the wind boxes that control the air supply to the combustion process. The bearings still failed regularly despite hours of work each week. Bearing failure meant that the combustion mix had fluctuated, leading to damaged boiler tubes, higher emissions and increased fuel costs.

By switching from lubrication-hungry roller-element bearings to GRAPHALLOY self-lubricating bushings, the plant greatly reduced maintenance demands while achieving a more predictable combustion mix. Click here to read more...

GRAPHALLOY Upgrade Improves MTBF of Refinery's Storm Water Pumps

Engineers at a U.S. refinery’s wastewater treatment plant upgraded the bronze bearings on their vertical turbine pumps in wastewater service to GRAPHALLOY® bushings and solved their packing failures.

This refinery was experiencing frequent bearing failures in their single-stage vertical turbine wastewater pumps. The bronze stuffing box bearing often failed which allowed shaft movement and, in turn, put stress on the packing. This caused the packing to quickly wallow out resulting in a leaking packing.

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