PLANETARY GEAR BOX

BHEL has established a successful track record of supplying Power

Generating Equipments up to 500 MW capacity, made to the design of
M/s CE-USA, to various customers. Pulverisers are one of the major
auxiliaries in a coal fired thermal power station. Most of these power
plants are supplied with XRP type Bowl Mills of M/s Combustion
Engineering USA design.

With deteriorating coal quality and requirement of Higher out put per
mill to meet the demand of large size Steam generating units for 660
MW capacity, it was decided by BHEL to manufacture state of art
large size Bowl mill (size XRP 1103), install in a suitable unit which is in
operation to study its performance. This mill of M/s Combustion
Engineering USA Design, is in the series of XRP 1043-1103, with
modifications/ developments incorporated at design stage itself, site
feed back, experience with Indian coal, in-house developments and
Corporate R&D considered in the design. The mill has been named as
BHEL 280 mill with a nominal diameter of bowl as 280 cms.

Chandrapur STPS 500 MW unit-5&6 being the only units in India having
XRP1043 size bowl mill, it has become the automatic choice of site for
installing and testing of the BHEL 280 mill, which is since completed
successfully.

The BHEL280 Mill is the FIRST Mill to be supplied with Planetary

Gearbox in place of the triple reduction gear box existing in XRP 1043
mill (supplied by M/s CE-USA). Planetary Gearbox is compact in design
and has higher operating efficiency and choice of all the leading
Pulveriser manufacturers in the world.
Later on, BHEL-NTPC has decided to introduce Planetary Gearbox
(KMP300 size) for XRP1003 Bowl Mills for their projects, to start with
SIPAT STAGE-II 2x500MW. BHEL went into a MOU with M/s Flender
Germany for manufacturing this Gearbox for XRP883 to 943, XRP1003
and XRP1043 to BHEL280 Mill. BHEL-Hyderabad has supplied nearly
150 Planetary Gearboxes for XRP883 (Size KMP280) to XRP1003 (Size
KMP300) Bowl Mill. The highest size of Planetary Gearbox (KMP350)
will be supplied for the First time to Khaperkheda Project 1x500 MW
of M/s MSPGCL.

The conventional gearbox offered earlier with XRP883 to XRP1003 Bowl

Mills has the following dis-advantages compared to a Planetary
Gearbox:
* The gear box is very bulky and the grey iron casting is
complicated and heavy.

* Maintenance of Internals has to be carried out in situ thus

resulting in long shut down of mill and to be carried out in dusty
atmosphere.

* Gear box oil quantity requirement is high.

In comparison to conventional gearbox, the Planetary Gearbox has the

following advantages:

• Compact design and is placed independent of mill foundation.

• Gears are made of hardened special steel material. Hence give
long trouble free operation.
 • Easy to replace. Hence, the gear box can be taken out to work
shop for any maintenance (clean area).

• Less down time of the mill for maintenance of Gearbox.

• Less Lube oil requirement.

Other points in favour of planetary gearbox are :

• Most of the Vertical mill manufacturers are providing withdrawal

type gear box like triple reduction bevel helical gear box,
planetary gear box (MPS mills, E-Type mills etc.)

• M/s. ALSTOM Power (Combustion Engineering USA) has gone for

Planetary gear box for their HP series mills of higher size like
XRP 1003, 1103 and 1203.

• NTPC in their 660 MW projects have planetary gear boxes for

the vertical mills in their tender documents.

• Flender Germany Has Supplied More Than 200 Planetary

Gearboxes.

• No Components Are Replaced In Last 10 Years Of Operation In

Power Stations Of China.

Other than Flender Germany M/s RENK Germany, MAAG Germany,

CMD France Mitsubhishi Japan supply Planetary Gear Boxes for All
Vertical Coal & Clinker Mills Of Cement Plants & Power Plants.
A Brief description on the Planetary Gearbox of M/s Flender Germany
is provided below:

Technical Data

Type: KMP
Size: 280 FOR XRP883 TO 943 MILL
300 FOR XRP1003 MILL
Motor power: 425 KW TO 450 KW FOR KMP280
525 KW FOR KMP 300
Required power: 380 KW FOR XRP883 TO 943 MILL
490 KW FOR XRP1003 MILL
Actual ratio: 23.376

Input speed: 984 1/min

Output speed: 43.00 1/min
Weight (without oil filling): 10000 kg
Heaviest component weight: 3808 kg
Overall dimensions l x b x h: 2350 x 1750 x 1450 mm
Lubrication: hydrodynamic lubrication
Oil quantity of gear unit: 1100 liters l
Oil viscosity: ISO VG 320
Oil grade: SERVOMESH SP 320 OF IOC
OR EQUI.
Measuring surface sound pressure level (LpA): 85 dB (A)
Ambient temperature: +5 ... +50 °C
1. General

The vertical mill drive type KMP is a bevel gear planetary gear unit
with triple power transmission path for driving a vertical mill.
High axial forces are generated during the milling process, which
are transmitted into the foundation via the gear unit housing.
2. Housing

The gear unit is made from steel (welded design).

The perfect proportion of bearing diameter and supporting housing

walls provides for extremely low specific bending stresses and
deformations. The strong ribbing of the housing provides for a high
rigidity which is especially important for the reliability and life of
the thrust bearing.

The strong ribbing of the housing also subdivides the wall surfaces
resulting in an excellent noise damping.
For checking the gear wheels and the pad bearing, inspection holes
are provided.
3. Toothed components

The bevel gear set is case-hardened and has a cyclo-palloid HPG or

ground gearing. The sun gear and the planetary gears are
protuberance hubbed, case-hardened and the tooth flanks are
ground. The internal ring gear is made from high-alloy tempering
steel. The tooth flanks are hub-milled or shaper-cut.

The load distribution is realized by means of a self-adjusting sun

gear which is connected to the bevel gear shaft by means of a
double-jointed toothed coupling.

4. Bearings
All shafts are mounted in anti-friction bearings. For compensating
the high axial forces from the bevel gears, taper roller bearing kits
are used. Roller bearings are also used for the other bearing
points.

The planetary carrier is linked rigidly with the output flange and
runs with high precision in radial bearing and the axial tilting-pad
thrust bearing.
A tilting-pad thrust bearing located in the upper part of the
housing compensates for the high axial forces. The bearing is
designed for hydrodynamic lubrication and has a low specific surface
load.

All pads are mounted on ball pieces so that they can be adjusted
freely in each level. The elastic deformation of the ball thrust
pieces compensates for processed tolerances and housing
deformations.

Thus, the percentage contact area is 100 %.

All pads have a perfect length-to-width ratio and a support offset

in the direction of rotation. The tilt is adjusted according to the
load and thus an optimum lubricating film is achieved.

Fresh oil is supplied through spray pipes located between the pads.
In case of a failure of the oil supply system, the bearings remain
under oil as the overflow lies above the sliding surface.

The anti-friction metal used for coating shows good emergency

running properties and high static and dynamic strength. The
temperature is monitored by means of temperature sensors with the
sensors lying underneath the anti-friction metal coat. Also,
temperature of input shaft (high speed shaft) bearings is monitored
by means of temperature sensors.

5. Lubrication

Lubrication and cooling are provided by a continuous oil circulation

from a separately installed oil supply system. For a KMP 280/ 300
size planetary gearbox hydrodynamic lubrication method is adopted
for the axial tilting-pad slide bearing.

For low ambient temperatures, the oil has to be preheated.

Submerged heaters are installed in the oil container.
The oil supply is ensured by means of two pump assemblies, one of
which acts as a standby pump.
The oil is drawn in by the oil pump, cleaned in the double-switch
filter which is equipped with a visual and electric contamination
indicator (DPI & DPS), and is then cooled in the cooler and directed
to the lubricating points. The quantity of heat generated by losses,
which is not dissipatable by convection, is dissipated by means of a
cooler. The modules described above are mounted on the oil
reservoir of the oil supply system.

The oil flow is divided by, as per flow requirement for each
location, piping/ tubing and nozzles (which serve the purpose of
orifice) for lubricating the roller bearings, gear wheels and the pad
bearing.
Volume flow, pressure and temperature are continuously monitored
by monitoring devices.
Compensators (Flexible hoses) are provided in the piping system to
avoid vibration and compensate for heat expansions.
6. Sealing

The input shaft and the output flange are sealed with labyrinth
seals. Air filters/ breathers are provided on the housing for
pressure compensation.