Nuclear energy demands components that never flinch—whether they face 1000 °F (535 °C) steam, borated water, or unplanned dry-running events. GRAPHALLOY® self-lubricating bearings meet that challenge by combining the strength of metal with the lubricity of graphite.

Read the full article on our website

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.

Click here to read more...

Graphite Metallizing Issues New Catalog of Products

Graphite Metallizing Corporation, the manufacturer of self-lubricating GRAPHALLOY^® bushing materials, announces the release of a new catalog of its products. The catalog provides a thorough introduction to the company's highly regarded line of bearings and bushings which thrive in harsh environments.

“This will enable potential customers to learn about the advantages of GRAPHALLOY and why it can reduce downtime and provide years of maintenance-free operation," says Eben Walker, General Manager of Graphite Metallizing.

The catalog includes a list of industries and applications that are well-suited for GRAPHALLOY products. Additionally,there is comprehensive explanation of its features and benefits, particularly its success in high temperature and submerged industrial environments.

GRAPHALLOY, a graphite-metal alloy, is available in over 100 grades with specific properties that meet a wide range of engineering solutions and specifications. Most GRAPHALLOY products are custom designed to the unique requirements of the specific application. The engineers at Graphite Metallizing have extensive experience with all types of industrial machinery and will work customers to design the appropriate solution.

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.

For a copy of this new catalog, contact sales@graphalloy.com.

Bearings that Excel in Pumping Anhydrous Ammonia

Keeping ammonia pumps running was a problem for fertilizer companies until they installed GRAPHALLOY^® self-lubricating bearings.

A major pump manufacturer was repairing a large number of vertical pumps in Anhydrous Ammonia (NH₃) service. Their customer serves the fertilizer industry and needs the pumps back quickly, especially during the short growing season. The pumps, with bronze bushings installed, were failing due to running dry.

Anhydrous Ammonia is an efficient and widely used nitrogen fertilizer. When used as an agricultural fertilizer, it is compressed into a liquid. When injected into the soil, the liquid ammonia expands into a gas and is readily absorbed in the soil moisture. With a boiling point of -28.01° F at a pressure of one atmosphere, Anhydrous Ammonia requires special equipment and technology to transport, store and apply.

The refrigeration or pressurization system can fail and the pumps can flash, run dry and ultimately fail. The pump manufacturer knew from experience that GRAPHALLOY is one of the most recommended bearing materials found in Anhydrous Ammonia service and typically includes the stuffing box bushing, line shaft bearing and bearings in the bowl assembly.

The manufacturer, working with GRAPHALLOY engineers, replaced the bronze bushings with GRAPHALLOY Babbitt Bearings. GRAPHALLOY has kept the pumps from seizing during dry-run, low-flow, start up and shutdown.

According to the pump manufacturer, the usual service life of Anhydrous Ammonia pumps fitted with GRAPHALLOY bearings is 5 - 7 years. In one instance, the pump manufacturer said the GRAPHALLOY bearings showed no wear after running dry for over 24 hours.

GRAPHALLOY provides reliable, problem-free solutions for the most difficult applications. Contact us to find out what GRAPHALLOY can do for you.

Switch to Rubber-Based Bearings Saves Money and Maintenance Time

Bearings from Graphite Metallizing result in six-figure savings:

Trigen-Kansas City Energy Corporation, a Veolia company, provides centrally produced steam and chilled water to customers in the Kansas City, Missouri, central business district and cogenerates electricity. A Floway VU vertical turbine pump captures up to 24,000 gallons per minute of water from the silt-laden Missouri River to feed chillers and steam generators. In the past, particulate in the water caused the bronze-backed rubber bushings to fail after approximately thirty months, requiring the company to spend $60,000 to replace them along with shafts.

Read more in Modern Pumping Today

For more information about Graphite Metallizing, visit http://www.graphalloy.com