Save electricity and improve pump efficiencies with Vesconite Hilube.

South African wear parts manufacturer Vesconite Bearings produces no-swell components for pump applications that are well-suited for abrasive environments.

The company specialises in unique materials with negligible water swell, handle abrasion well, and do not delaminate. Vesconite supplies wear rings for a vast range of vertical and horizontal centrifugal pumps, including, vertical turbine, sump, submersible, end suction and split casing pumps.

Vesconite Bearings' Vesconite Hilube wear rings are proving to be an energy-efficient, cost-saving solution for centrifugal pumps, especially when replacing traditional metals such as bronze and stainless steel.

The installation of Vesconite Hilube wear rings can also give rise to electricity savings. This was proven when a large pump original equipment manufacturer in an independent study compared energy usage on a typical end suction centrifugal pump with a Vesconite Hilube casing wear ring installed versus a bronze wear ring.

“By reducing the diametrical clearance, Vesconite's bearing material reduces water bypass by allowing less backflow or re-circulation of water, which increases the efficiency and reduces the amount of electricity needed to produce the same amount of pressure over each stage. Combining Vesconite Hilube bushings and wear rings also improves pump efficiencies by reducing shaft deflection, which increases efficiency over the entirety of the pump,” explains Vesconite senior technical representative Phillip de Villiers.

Vesconite offers wear ring solutions for pumps across multiple industries, including mining, chemical and municipal industries that require the movement of chemicals and water. The casing wear ring acts as a seal, preventing recirculation and reducing bypass; it also serves as a long-lasting and replaceable wear component, protecting expensive impellers. Vesconite Hilube has reduced clearances with no swell and no galling, extending the service life of the pump.

Several pump manufacturers have discovered that a combination of Vesconite Hilube bushings and wear rings can improve pump efficiencies even more than the introduction of either the bushings or the wear rings.

"Efficiencies are improved by matching together the running clearances of the Vesconite wear rings and bushings. This reduces leakage and stabilizes the shaft, providing electricity savings," comments de Villiers.

“The technical advantages that Vesconite offer in this industry are significant, and the company is committed to being a part of this movement,” he says. “Every pump manufacturer is trying to achieve better efficiencies.”

Additionally, as global CO2 emissions from electricity generation increase and awareness spreads that pumps account for 10% of global electrical energy consumption, technological interventions are valued by pump manufacturers and pump users.

Vesconite advises on the application of the pump and the specific material to be used for each industry. Wear rings are a critical component of pumps, limiting contact between two metal moving parts.