Cut downtime, improve equipment performance and save costs
2 mins read
Water engineers know the importance of equipment reliability and predictability. It is their responsibility to keep plant running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But it's a tough task in an industry where the environment is harsh and machinery is subject to heavy vibration, shock and corrosion. Nuts and bolts shake loose, hydraulic and pneumatic systems leak and bearings fail.
To help engineers cut downtime, improve equipment performance and save costs, Henkel offers a wide range of Loctite, Nordbak and Hysol products for repair and maintenance. They are designed to rectify problems caused by wear, abrasion, chemical attack, erosion, corrosion, impingement and mechanical damage. Typical applications range from concrete repair to extending the operating life of devices like pumps, gearboxes and centrifuges.
Rebuilt, repair, protect
Flow control mechanisms and influent structures are particularly prone to wear and corrosion making them less effective and susceptible to leaks and further damage.
Components such as butterfly valves or grit chamber paddles and spindles are typical examples. They can be rebuilt or re-profiled by the application of Nordbak epoxy wearing compounds or Hysol polymer composites not to mention Loctite brushable ceramics. The key advantage is the products' capability to create a sacrificial and renewable working surface, protecting the structural integrity of the original substrate.
Loctite coatings are proving particularly valuable for improving pump efficiency. Cavitation effects and wear on impellers and casings is a common cause of pump underperformance and eventual failure. Indeed, Eriks has proved that the use of Loctite products can quickly restore the desired flow and pressure of a worn pump, resulting in it consuming a lot less power. Before and after tests have confirmed efficiency gains of up to 43%.
A centrifuge is one of the most important machines in a water utility plant. The bowl and the conveyor of a decanter centrifuge, for example, is subjected to wear and chemical attack but system efficiency can be restored with Loctite. Depending on the condition of the bowl, cost savings of up to 75% can be achieved by repairing it instead of replacing the part.
Secure, seal and safeguard
Threadlockers are widely used in the water utilities industry for preventing vibrational loosening, leakage and corrosion between threaded and parts. They are available in a range of viscosities and also strengths, from semi-permanent formulations to those that are removable with standard hand tools. Typical applications are bar screen and clarifier components which will loosen under high duty cycles requiring periodic shut downs for surface repairs and re-tightening of the threaded assemblies.
Costly hydraulic and pneumatic leaks are eliminated using Loctite® sealants. They fill the space between threaded parts providing an instant, low pressure seal. When fully cured they seal to the burst strength of most pipe systems. Anaerobic, silicone and sealing cord are available to suit the substrate.
Complementing the threadlockers and sealants are Loctite retaining compounds that secure bearings, bushings and cylindrical parts into housings or onto shafts. They achieve maximum load transmission capability and uniform stress distribution and eliminate fretting corrosion.
