The Problem
DHD Cooling were contacted in September 2019 by a plastics manufacturer who has two Cooling Towers running with belt-driven fans. The issue being that the bearing housings that the fan shaft was connected to were failing on a regular basis, causing plant outages and lost production. The client had a shutdown in October and wanted the situation resolved during this time.
The Consultation
The client had the idea that a gearbox driven fan would be a better solution, and DHD’s advice was requested on the possibility to retrofit a solution into the Cooling Towers. DHD used Solid Works software and build a model of the Cooling Tower to explore the options. After a week of consultation with the client a solution was found with components that could be delivered in time for the shutdown window.
The Solution
It was possible to remove the top section of the Cooling Tower which contained the belt-drive and pulley system. This was lowered to ground-level and was installed onto a work platform to ensure the refurbishment could be carried out safely. The externally mounted motor which was installed vertically for the belt-drive was removed from the Cooling Tower along with its support hardware.
DHD designed a new ring-beam support structure and external motor support and had this independently structurally assessed to ensure it would withstand both the weight of the installed components and be free from resonance when the gearbox was in operation.
With the belt-drive and pulley removed from the top of the Cooling Tower, this section was then lifted onto the ring-beam and bolted down, all at ground level. The new Gearbox was installed onto the ring-beam, and the fan installed onto the Gearbox. The motor removed from the Cooling Tower previously was then installed onto the side-support platform.
This assembly was then lifted back onto the Cooling Tower Fill section and bolted down. A new fibre-glass driveshaft was installed between the gearbox and motor and these components were aligned to ensure proper running.
