Aging facilities drive rising maintenance costs; need for cost effective solutions

Posted on Monday, May 22nd, 2017 and is filed under News

Energy companies are facing rising maintenance costs as decades-old hydro plants face issues created from aging equipment. Rusting, out-of-round and pitted shafts are among the problems contributing to frequent downtime and thousands of dollars in unbudgeted maintenance costs associated with ongoing emergency repairs, equipment replacement and lost revenue.

The implications of these and other age-related equipment issues go beyond hard costs to water quality and environmental concerns for plant operators who use oil lubricated bearings and seals. The risk of oil or other lubricant leakage into important water supplies is real, and the long-term consequences of these types of failure is significant.

Even many widely used water-lubricated composite or manufactured material bearings carry ongoing maintenance challenges. Filter systems designed to facilitate water-lubricated equipment often become clogged over time, impeding water flow and leading to scoring or shaft from insufficient lubricant.

Fortunately, there is a proven water-lubricated solution that does not rely on oil, filters or other costly equipment or material that requires ongoing investment in expensive maintenance contracts and repairs: lignum vitae.

Astute hydro operators looking for cost-effective solutions are converting to run-of-the river water-lubricated bearings engineered using lignum vitae material, and engineered by Lignum Vitae North America, LLC. Lignum Vitae solutions are NSF61 certified, safe for drinking water and boast more than 130 years of superior performance in extreme hydro plant conditions. In addition to the virtually maintenance free operating environment, lignum vitae bearings are produced without harmful VOCs, toxic metals or chemicals, and create no risk of air, water or landfill implications.

Lignum Vitae total water-lubricated solutions may be the right fit for your operating environment.