A wastewater treatment plant in Florida was replacing conveyor screw ball-bearings much more rapidly than the OEM scheduled service interval, and at great expense in downtime and maintenance labor. The conveyor uses a 4-inch shaft that drives the conveyor screw. Sludge would penetrate the pressurized grease-sealed ball-bearing cases and accelerate the wear, eventually resulting in a complete failure approximately nine months from the last rebuild.  

The solution 

SealRyt designed a PackRyt bearing from polymer composite material, along with a reconfigured housing that utilized a pressurized air flush system. The PackRyt BLR (bearing with integrated lantern ring) is designed with close clearances to eliminate shaft movement, allowing it to seal effectively. Once the shaft has been stabilized, the air flush system creates a pressure differential that keeps sludge from entering between the BLR bearing and sleeve, eliminating excessive wear. The design also eliminates any internal moving parts.

The result

The PackRyt BLR was installed over 10 years ago (in September 2012) and continues to run today without replacement or adjustment.