KSB Account Manager Desmond Wilson brings decades of experience, and a gift for strong customer relationships, to every facet of his work. His top professional priority is minimizing customer downtime. One of the most effective ways to accomplish this is to help customers with proactive pump maintenance.
Mr. Wilson is an expert in his field and well-versed in pump maintenance procedures, including bolting down cartridge bearing assemblies (CBAs). In the following, he explains and demonstrates the standard method, along with two “fast action” options, each with specific process, tool, and time requirements.
Standard bolt up
The first available option is the standard bolt up. Standard bolt ups typically take an hour and require a minimum of three maintenance employees: one to operate the torquing equipment, one to hold the nut with a wrench, and one to facilitate the torquing equipment’s bilateral movement. Standard CBA bolt ups should occur each time a pump’s packing is changed and with each nose gap adjustment.
A standard bolt up is the most time- and labor-intensive option because of the equipment required to achieve the 4,500 foot-pounds of necessary torque to bolt the CBA down properly. Examples involving a reaction arm include specialized torquing equipment. The reaction arm can cause damage when used without a spacer, as the arm may encounter CBA accessories (e.g., sight glasses, temp gauges), causing them to break. Another drawback to the standard approach is the potential for misalignment, which then requires loosening the bolts and starting over. To counter this, maintenance techs must either change which bolts are tightened first, use different torquing equipment, or opt for a faster bolt up procedure.
Superbolt® from Nord-Lock Group
The Superbolt® is a trademark of Nord-Lock Group. This method utilizes eight smaller bolts to tension one nut, with special lubrication and torque factors, so there is less torque required on each bolt to meet final overall torque requirements. This option uses a tensioning force, rather than the standard method’s twisting force, to avoid affecting alignment.
The Superbolt® technique has been around the industry for a while and is sometimes used in bolt up applications to speed up CBA torquing. It requires two people and the following tools, including:
- One ¾ in. ratchet and 3-1/8 in. socket for the adjustment nut.
- One ½ in. drive torque wrench.
- Two ½ in. drive 7/16 in. impact sockets.
- Two ½ in. drive ratchets.
- Two ½ in. drive impact guns, preferably air operated or cordless.
- Two 75 foot-pound torque sticks.
- A dial indicator.
This method replaces twisting forces with tensioning, eliminating the reaction arm problem along with the risk of potential damage to CBA accessories.
The Superbolt® approach, clocking in at 35 minutes, outpaces the standard bolt up by 25 minutes and reduces the risk of damage.
VIPER™ Hydraulic Nuts by Integra® Engineered Products
Hydraulic nuts have also been used for many years, but they are a recent addition to the CBA bolt up application. In this new context, the process uses hydraulic pressure to stretch the CBA bolt with ease and efficiency. As far as tools go, this approach requires:
- One pump with hoses and quick connects.
- One 3-1/8 in. socket with ratchet.
- One torque bar.
- One 2-7/8 in. socket ¾ in. drive.
- A dial indicator.
The hydraulic nut approach requires two people. Like the Superbolt® method, it uses tensioning rather than twisting force, and at approximately 8 minutes, requires the least amount of time.
Choosing the best option
Each of the CBA bolt up options has its place, and all three will get the job done. Different approaches allow customers to consider their operation priorities and choose the best option for optimizing their time, labor, and tool resources.
The KSB GIW, Inc. Fort McMurry Service Center strives to keep every customer operating at top efficiency. Employees, like Desmond Wilson, use their field and industry expertise to educate and assist customers for effective maintenance management, which maximizes resources and minimizes unexpected downtime.
For more insight on proactive pump maintenance, take a look at this GIW blog, How Do You Simplify Pump Maintenance, contact customer service at GIW-Parts@ksb.com, or visit ksb.com for technical and after sales service resources.