Pump Bearings

By
Er. Laxman Singh Sankhla
B.E.Mech., Chartered Engineer
Jodhpur, India
Mail ID: laxman9992001@yahoo.co.in
Pump Bearings
Bearings support the shaft and reduce friction as the shaft rotates in the
casing. As previously discussed, bearings do two other important things:
Control the forward and backward movement (thrust) of the shaft.
Control the side to side (radial) movement of the shaft.
Bearings which control thrust of the shaft are called thrust bearings, and
those which control radial movement of the shaft are called, radial bearings.
Essentially, there are two kinds of bearings used in centrifugal pumps:
Ball bearings.
Sleeve bearings.
Ball bearings (Figure 2.15) are circular rings of smooth metal balls which are
free to roll as the shaft rotates. Ball bearings are usually lubricated with either
oil or grease. When oil is used, slinger rings throw oil from the oil reservoir

onto the bearings.

FIGURE 2.15 BALL BEARINGS

Sleeve bearings (Figure 2.16) are stationary, smooth metal cylinders in which
the shaft rotates. A thin film of oil between the bearing surface and the shaft
lubricates and cools the bearings. The oil is brought to the sleeve bearings either
by a ring oiler, which transfers oil from an oil reservoir to the pump shaft, or
under pressure by a lube-oil pump.

FIGURE 2.16 SLEEVE BEARINGS

Proper lubrication of bearings (Figure 2.17) is extremely important. Without
proper lubrication, bearings will overheat, rust, or corrode, which will
eventually cause the shaft to seize or stop . Proper lubrication not only means
regular lubrication but also using the correct lubricant in the proper amount,
e.g., a pump used for pumping water should have a grease that is water

repellant.

FIGURE 2.17 BEARING LUBRICATION

There are several different methods to ensure proper lubrication of bearings.

Some of these methods include: oil reservoirs, drip feed or ring type oilers, and
various pressurized systems.
Heat generation is sometimes a problem in centrifugal pumps, particularly in
large pumps or in pumps moving high temperature fluids. Excessive heat is
most damaging at bearing locations and in packing glands. In many
applications, this heat is carried away by ambient air or fluid being pumped;
however, in some applications where additional cooling is needed, water jackets
are commonly used.
Water jackets (Figure 2.18) are channels located in the casing near bearing
housings
and packing glands. Water or other coolants are pumped through these channels
to absorb the heat. Then the water or coolant is either piped to the sewer or
pumped to a heat exchanger to be cooled before recycling it back through the

water jackets.

FIGURE 2.18 WATER JACKETS