Gearbox Input Seal Upgrade

There is nothing worse than an oil leak that cannot be fixed. Consider this: A brand new piece of machinery with oil leaks from the day it starts work. When the reliability of your equipment is key to your business, you do not want to have unnecessary oil leaks creating hazards and making a mess of your machinery and workplace.

Vella Asset Management was recently made aware of an oil leak on a gearbox that had leaked from the day of delivery. The OEM (original equipment manufacturer) provided a temporary solution (due to restricted access and installation time constraints) that was inadequate.

Earlier, an aftermarket concept had been proposed but lacked the necessary detail to be effectively implemented. Vella Asset Management worked with key suppliers so that critical information could be provided and operational and ongoing maintenance requirements could be met through an iterative process in order to develop and implement a successful seal upgrade design.

The new design incorporated a mechanical and conventional seal arrangement with lubrication to extend the life of the seals and provide adequate access for the replacement of seals during maintenance activities. In addition, because the new design utilised the existing seals, there was no need for increased inventory and changes to the machine drawings and parts manuals were unnecessary.

This upgrade was implemented during a major maintenance shutdown and has continued to be effective in eliminating oil leaks from the gearbox. Do you have a sealing issue or oil leak that you need resolved? Call Vella Asset Management today to find an effective solution.