Field case · Condition monitoring
Fifteen boiler feed pumps: bearing life of 10 months, 2X and 2LF in every spectrum, and a line on the load zone
Quick answer
Fifteen boiler feed pumps shared a short bearing life, at most 10 months, and a common vibration signature: high 2X and 2 times line frequency. Alignment ignored thermal growth, and a cleaned old bearing showed a distinct line on its load zone and none on the other side.
What the case covers
- The problem
- The signature
- The cause found
- The teardown
- The author's lesson
- What to take from it
Takeaway. When many machines fail the same way, the cause is the procedure. Allow for thermal growth in alignment, and look at the wear track in an old bearing.
Read the full case, with the data and the numbers