TL;DR
High vibration with rising temperature points to bowl bearing degradation. Lock out, inspect lubrication, take vibration readings, and plan a bearing replacement at the next outage.
What you might see
- high vibration at bowl speed
- rising bearing temperature
- grinding or rumbling noise
- auto-balance alarm active
Likely causes
Lubrication failure, depleted or contaminated bearing grease
Bowl imbalance driving excess radial load into the bearing
Bearing fatigue after extended operating hours
Solids ingress past the bearing seal from a failed labyrinth or lip seal
Required tools
- Vibration meter
- IR thermometer
- LOTO kit
- Bearing grease per equipment class
- Torque wrench
Safety first
- The centrifuge bowl rotates at high speed. Never open the bowl chamber until the bowl has completely stopped and the LOTO is in place.
- Pharma centrifuges may handle hazardous solvents or toxic intermediates. Wear appropriate chemical PPE before opening the bowl chamber.
- Pressurized nitrogen blanketing may be present on solvent-service centrifuges. Vent the blanket gas to a safe point before opening.
Procedure
- 1
Stop the centrifuge and wait for the bowl to reach a full stop. Lock out and tag out the drive disconnect.
- 2
Check the bearing temperature reading in the control panel log. Compare to the previous trend.
- 3
Remove the top cover and inspect the bowl bearing housing for grease leakage or discoloration.[1]
- 4
Rotate the bowl spindle by hand. Any roughness, binding, or axial play indicates bearing wear.
- 5
Collect a vibration measurement at the bearing housing with a vibration meter before shutting down on the next planned restart.
- 6
Check the grease nipple condition. Re-grease with the grade specified for this centrifuge class if the interval has elapsed.[1]
- 7
If vibration exceeds 1.0 mm/s RMS or bearing temperature exceeds 80 degrees C, schedule immediate bearing replacement.
- 8
Replace bearings following the general bowl-shaft removal procedure. Torque locknut to specification.
Sources
Alfa Laval Alfa Laval AFPX / Foodec Centrifuge general technical documentation, Alfa Laval
Alfa Laval AFPX / Foodec centrifuge general maintenance and bearing inspection procedures (general)
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A drip at the shaft seal housing means the mechanical seal faces are worn or the flush supply has failed. Stop the unit, check flush flow, and replace the seal.
Stop fixing the same fault twice.
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