Roots Blower Help Line: Blower Ingesting Product

Blowers are only designed to move air (gas), not solids. Overtime ingesting product can cause major damage to the blower.

This unit has ingested product for quite some time. Most likely failure to filter the inlet air caused contamination.

The product is now lodged inside of the impeller lobes and has abraded the tips and ends of both impellers. The wear of the impeller tips will reduce the efficiency of the blower. Where is the product going once it passes through the blower? Is the silencer starting to clog?

Ingesting-Product-2Impellers are worn from exposure to product (fly ash) in process. Caught early, most impellers are repairable by welding and machining. For a blower in vacuum service, contamination is a potential problem that might only be caught once you see the product exiting the discharge pipe!

For a pressure blower, contamination of the blower could be from running the blower backwards, or a failed/missing check valve. Introduction of material in the blower can also damage the blower by causing an inertia event:

  • Spinning and then suddenly stopping
  • Resting and then suddenly starting
  • In both cases, energy can be directed in ways that are bad for the blower

An inertia event is usually when a blower is in operation and it comes to a sudden stop.  The force of the sudden stop/slow-down is often very detrimental to the blower, i.e., bent and/or broken shafts, twisted drive shafts, cracked headplates and cylinders.  Also, a blower can be spinning backwards from a faulty check valve and then be brought online, which applies enormous forces to the drive shaft as it has to overcome the inertia of the impeller spinning in the opposite direction.

Ingesting-Product-3The flyash has collected inside of the blower due to insufficient air filtration. The build-up on the back of the flange and at the headplate is common when material travels through a blower. The impellers will erode faster than the cylinder. Severe contamination of the blower can cause grooves at the cylinder headplate joints

Root Blower Help Line: Schedule Maintenance

This summer remember to schedule maintenance so you can take a vacation, not your blower!

As summer comes into full effect, the conditions that your blowers operate under could be changing too, and this needs to be taken into consideration before you go on vacation. Make sure to have a clear schedule that other coworkers would be able to follow while you are away.
Your blower is a simple machine that just moves air, and it needs you to allow it do its work by:

  •  Changing your air filter before it is clogged
    – Call us for replacement air filters
    – Ask about restriction gauges to determine the best time to change your filters
  •  Aligning your drives and properly tensioning your belts
    – Call for belts, sheaves, bushings, and tension gauges
    – Ask about field service and training
  • Giving your process air a clear path to do the work it’s designed to do!
    – All valves fully open? They should be…
    – Pressure relief valve working? We have them…
    – Pressure gauges working? We have these too!

A quick review of your blower process could catch a problem before a breakdown!

Remember: air in, air processed, and air out!

Mobile Power Tipline: Pumps GPM PSI

Pumps: Flow and Pressure

How do you determine what size hydraulic pump is need for your specific application?

First determine with the body manufacturer, what flow (GPM) is necessary for operation, and what the system’s max operating pressure (PSI) needs to be.

Sizing your Pump

Muncie Power Products uses pumps that are generally rated at 1000 pump shaft RPM.

To determine what your pump shaft RPM will be, multiply your engine RPM by your PTO speed percentage. For example: a truck running the engine at 1200RPM with a PTO speed percentage of 112% will have a pump shaft RPM of 1344RPM. Using this example with a Muncie pump rated for 15GPM, you would see approximately 20GPM.

Always be sure to have the correct size hoses on your pump, and never bush down of constrict the flow on the suction/inlet side. Doing so will potentially starve the pump for oil and cause it to burn up.

Understanding Pressure Limitations

The pump itself does not generate pressure. The pump is rated to withstand a specific pressure, generated by the system itself. Over pressurization of the pump/system can cause cavitation in the pump and cause failure. A pressure relief valve is a valuable tool in preventing this occurrence.

Note: It is important t avoid using Teflon tape on Muncie Power Products pumps, or any other brand. The use of Teflon tape will void any warranty considerations.

You can find more information on Muncie pumps on Muncie’s website, or by calling R&M Equipment Company at 610-495-9706.

Roots Blower Help Line: Standard Vibration Test for Blower Packages

R&M preforms a vibration test for standard blower packages

This is a video of a full load vibration test of an R&M Equipment Company standard fully assembled blower package. We are using a ROOTS Roots 616 RAM blower and a 125HP drive motor operating at a system pressure of 10 PSIG. This test allows us to verify that all of the equipment is aligned properly, leveled and that the supporting structure is sufficiently designed to operate this equipment in a continuous application.

High vibration levels can lead to blower damage. It is important to have a well built package and properly install the package to maintain low vibration levels. It is also recommended to monitor vibration levels on a regular basis. Should you have a sudden or drastic increase in vibration, please contact us with questions as this indicates a problem.

This is one test we preform here at R&M, we can also preform mechanical run testing, noise level testing. We can also preform testing on site.

For a full speed & load vibration test, the procedure is as follows:

  • The design load will be created by a butterfly valve regulated to create the appropriate pressure drop.
  • The vibration levels for the blowers and motors will be measured on three planes horizontal, vertical, and axial under full load. The base will be measured in the vertical plane.
  • The blower recorded levels must meet the Roots vibration criteria for rotary lobe blowers. Vibration levels less than 0.45 is considered very good. Levels of 0.45 thru 0.62 are considered good. Levels of 0.62 thru 1.0 are considered satisfactory. Levels greater than 1.0 need review by the factory. If any measurements exceed the limits, adjustments will be made as necessary and the equipment will be re-tested until the specifications are met.
  • The NEMA criterion for vibration of un-loaded motors is 0.15in/sec. There are no criteria in NEMA for the vibration levels of loaded motors.
  • The base levels must meet the R&M standard level of 0.60″/sec.
  • Data recorded on the test form: T001

 

Roots Blower Help Line: Ram X Repair

Here we have some recent repairs to a 770 RAM X.

A larger amp draw and trip outs from the motor indicated that the blower was having a problem. Once the blower was taken apart, R&M service technicians found a bad bearing had overheated and the inner bearing race began to fuse to the drive shaft. Because of the bad bearing the impeller end was grinding on the headplate and high friction, heat, and pressure caused detonation and deformation. These problems were probably caused by insufficient oil maintenance. We urge our customers to set up a proper maintenance schedule for oil, checking air filters, and monitoring instruments.

For further reading please refer to our other articles:

How to Lubricate a Roots Blower

bearing fused to shaft
bearing fused to shaft

bad bearing
bad bearing

bearing detonation
bearing detonation

grinding on the head plate
grinding on the head plate

Mobile Power Tip Line: Stud Kits

Stud Kits – an often overlooked aspect to PTO installation

Correct stud kit installation is essential to PTO operation and ensuring long life. Failure to follow correct stud kits installation could result in leaks and PTO/transmission damage.

6 & 8 Bolt Installation

Install the stud until the barrel of the stud is even with the transmission pad. This typically requires a torque limit of 30-35 lbs.-ft. (6 bolt pad) or 40-45 lbs.-ft. (8 bolt pad). If more torque is required to install the stud to the barrel or to the depth shown in the table below, remove the lock patch form the stud and transmission mounting holes and use a liquid Loctite in place.

stud-kits-chart-one

Place the shims/gaskets over the installed studs. Position the PTO and start the nuts. Do not tighten yet. Check for gaps and proper mesh between gear teeth. Check for proper backlash. Tighten and torque using the “X” pattern. Torque mounting cap screws/nuts to 40-45 lbs.-ft. (6 bolt) or 50-55 lbs.-ft. (8 bolt).


CS24 & CS25 Bolt Installation
Install alignment studs in transmission housing the correspond with the following diagram.

stud-kits-in95-02The mounting gasket on the installed studs. Check for gaps/proper mesh between gear teeth. Assure correct installation of Nordlock washers on the correct cap screws; tighten top and bottom cap screws.

 

stud-kits-image-2

Tighten remaining screws using “X” pattern. Torque 40-45 lbs. ft.stud-kits-image-3

You can find information on correct stud kit installation in the owner’s manual provided with you PTO, on Muncie’s website, or by calling R&M Equipment!


2016 WMMR Cardboard Classic

DeathMobile1

R&M recently participated in 93.3 WMMR’s 2016 10th Annual Cardboard Classic at Jack Frost / Big Boulder. This was our first Cardboard Classic so we were wary whether our sled would make it all the way down the snow tubing hill. Sure enough, R&M Equipment company builds a sturdy steel package, we can also build a sturdy and fast cardboard sled! We whipped down the hill in our sled decorated as the Deathmobile from the movie Animal House.

Shout out to Chorus Photography, our nearby neighbor, for photographing the event! Thanks to J.P. Mascaro & Sons for coming out and recycling all the sleds, and finally thank you to 93.3 WMMR for making the event possible. We can’t wait for Cardboard Classic 2017!!

Here’s the video. All the sleds that participated were great! See us at the 2:00 minute mark.

See some pictures below:

DeathMobile3DeathMobile4DeathMobile5cardboard mascaro 053Johnny_Nick_Cardboard_Classiccardboard mascaro 682cardboard mascaro 683cardboard mascaro 684cardboard mascaro 685

ROOTS Roots Blower: Blower Package Manufacture

From start to finish, R&M Equipment’s blower package manufacturing process

R&M Equipment Company recently made a unique duplex ROOTS Roots blower package. We documented the process to show our customers each step in the blower package manufacture process. We can work with any constraints you may have and come up with a good solution.

Blower Package from Start to Finish

Engineering

R&M Equipment can quickly provide CAD drawings of pressure or vacuum blower package designs up to 1000 Hp. We will work with closely with the customer to comply with all system requirements.

Fabrication

Once the drawing meets the customer’s approval, the blueprints are fabricated in our shop. Our certified welders can handle any welding spec our customer may have.

Blower Packages

We offer both standard and custom packages. Pictured is a custom bent plate, elevated table base. We also make a non elevated design, both options are either made out of a bent plate or structural steel. When designing we always consider minimizing vibration on all base styles.

Painting

R&M Equipment takes great pride in offering a quality product. Priming and painting can be matched to your specs, such as sandblasting, custom colors, or epoxy paints.

Assembly

This is a custom duplex design for a customer. In the assembly we mounted two 36 URAI ROOTS Roots blowers to the package. Once everything is in place, the V-Belt alignment takes place.

Enclosure

R&M also offers sound enclosures from ArtUSA Industries custom made for your blower package. The free standing enclosure features galvanized steel with 2″ absorption material, ventialtion hoods and removable access panels.

 

Blower_Package_Start_to_Finish-

Roots Blower Help Line: Truck Blower Repair Seal Leak

Maintenance on a Trinado 1112 DVJ Vacuum Blower

Last week our Service Technicians worked on this Truck Blower Repair to fix a seal leak.

The Hydro Excavator truck is used in many industries such as wastewater treatment, mining, and oil fields for digging and excavating. The truck has a ROOTS Roots Truck Blower – Trinado 1112 DVJ Vacuum Blower. The service team performed routine maintenance and lubrication on the blower. Silencers were taken off to access to the blower to fix the seal leak. R&M Equipment’s evaluation found a clogged air filter on the truck, which we replaced. Please visit our Service page for more info.

Truck-Blower-Repair.v1