Root Cause Failure Analysis Gas Plant Fin Fan Motor Bearings Improvement

Gas Plant Fin Fan Motors Excessive Radial
Bearing Failures: Reliability Solution 2004
By Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter
Failure Problem: Existing 40 HP Allis-Chalmers motors driving fin fans through cogged
belts have a top bearing MTBF of only 9 months for many years. There are approximately
150 identical fin fans at the UGP Chill Down plant, installed in year 1982. This study was
made in 2004.
1. Average motor top bearing life is 9 months MTBF, detected by vibration analysis or
seizure in some cases. Motors are TEFC type.
2. The motors are identical with regards to rating, service and bearings. 1800 RPM
3. Primary visible mode is overheating of top bearing. Greased Bearings.
4. Motor MTBF should be 4 years but is limited by bearing failure at 9 months or 20%
of expected life. Note: Motor Bottom bearing does not fail early.
5. When removed, bearings show signs of overheating and lack of lubricant.
6. Calculate the yearly total economic loss to the company.
Page 1 of 11
Typical Motor Driving Fan Low Speed Pulley
From: Khowaiter, Abdulrahman O

Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2004 11:51 AM
To: Othman, Mohammad A; Hajji, Mustafa K
Cc: Abbad, Hussain A; Zamil, Riyadh F; Jaafari, Riyadh A; Marry, Subaih S; Worrell, Keith M; *UGP
Subject: Chill-down, Fin-Fan Heat Exchanger Motors ==> Excessive Failures and Reliability Unit Solution
Hello Mohammad,
Your machinist Ihab has explained that the newer Siemens motors and Teco-Westinghouse
motors at the Chill-Down plant Fin-Fans have an acceptable failure rate of their motors windings
and bearings, about four years from maintenance history. However the existing old motors Allis-
Chalmers have a high failure rate of their inboard bearings sheave side. Below are the existing
Shielded-Sealed ball bearings that have a high failure rate.
Page 2 of 11
Existing Bearing: Dynamic Radial Load Rating = 60,000 Newton
Keith Worrell and I investigated the difference in the bearings, and found that the new Siemens
motors have a much larger bearing size, with an 84,000 Newton load rating that is 40% greater
load capacity than the existing Allis Chalmers motor bearings. However, due to the fact that these
have larger diameter and width, they cannot fit into existing motors housings. Modification is not
possible due to wall thickness constraints in bearing housing and loss of strength. [Author: This
is an example of comparative analysis here, a powerful logic tool from your Failure Analysis
toolbox].
Since we cannot fit these new larger bearings to the existing motors, we searched for an
alternative higher load bearing to fit the same dimensions. We found Cylindrical Roller bearings
available in Aramco stock which has a Dynamic Radial Load Rating equal to 108,000 Newton. They
have the exact same dimensions and are a drop-in replacement.
Page 3 of 11
New Bearing: Dynamic Radial Load Rating = 108,000 Newton
We would like you to order three of these bearings from stock, SAP # 1000312480, or SAP #
1000311353, and install them on the inboard bearings of three motors:
1. Add grease connections to the motor inboard housing, since these bearings are not sealed
or shielded. For the NDE outboard bearing, continue to use existing bearings.
2. Add a special brass tag on these motors, with the word: Cylindrical, so we can monitor each
one in the field. We would like to be informed when these modified motors are installed.
If the modified motors show an inboard bearing temperature lower than 175.0 DegF, at normal
duty, then consider this design change permanent and make all future orders to the new stock
number.
Page 4 of 11
Exploded Diagram of Rotating Parts
From: Othman, Mohammad A

Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2004 2:30 PM
To: Khowaiter, Abdulrahman O; Hajji, Mustafa K
Subject: RE: Chill-down, Fin-Fan Heat Exchanger Motors ==> Excessive Failures and Reliability Unit
Abdulrahman,
As you explained below regarding the roller bearings the friction area will be bigger, so the
temperature will be higher and then we will get shorter period of grease life.
From: Khowaiter, Abdulrahman O

Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2004 3:51 PM
To: Othman, Mohammad A; Hajji, Mustafa K
Subject: RE: Chill-down, Fin-Fan Heat Exchanger Motors ==> Excessive Failures and Reliability Unit
Page 5 of 11
Hello Mohammad,
Yes, Ihab expressed to me that opinion last week; it’s a good point. However, overheating will
not occur with the new bearings because the Cylindrical bearing load rating is much higher than
the existing. The Cylindrical Roller bearing dynamic load rating of 108,000 Newton means that
the new bearing was designed to operate with higher radial forces from the fin-fan without
overheating or fatigue. We know that the new bearing proposed below is operating well below
its limits. In addition its design speed limit is 6000 rpm; so again, we are far from overstressing or
overheating of this bearing since we are only running at 1750 rpm.
This is essentially a mechanical engineering design issue that requires careful analysis of heat
input, heat transfer, rpm, load rating of bearing, and lubrication. We have analyzed this new
modification from all five aspects, and consider it superior to the existing bearing.
Page 6 of 11
Solving this Failure by MEX-624 Machinery Failure Analysis Methods
1. Develop a list of at least 15 possible Failure Mechanisms on the motor that led to the poor
bearing life by studying the failure mode list of ten universal failure modes.
2. Need to study the cross sectional drawings of motor and installation drawings to be able
to accurately and comprehensively produce failure mechanisms.
3. After completion of the possible failure mechanism list; Look for evidence of each failure
mode to judge if it’s a true mechanism or that it’s not occurring.
4. After finding all actual mechanisms, go to the Failure Root Causes Five point list and
identify the root causes of failure.
5. After identifying all root causes, now it’s time to develop solutions to eliminate the
failures and greatly extend machine life.
Page 7 of 11
The Possible Failure Mechanism List [Using Universal Failure Modes as Guide]
1. Belt tension excessive, overloaded bearing.

2. Lubrication deficiency on top bearing, due to poor quality lubricant.
3. Insufficient grease quantity.
4. Insufficient grease frequency.
5. Contaminated bearing by water, or dust particles. Foreign object mode.
6. Vibration excessive due to inadequate structure.
7. Vibration due to pulley misalignment.
8. Vibration caused by fan shaft bent or unbalanced.
9. Vibration caused by loose or unbalanced motor sheave.
10. Vibration due to motor loose bolting to structure.
11. Bearing failure due to overstressed material, meaning fatigue failure due to poor quality
manufacturing including low quality materials.
12. Underrated bearing has low Dynamic load rating for this service.
13. Bearing overload from internal bearing misalignment in motor housing.
14. Bearing overload due to high radial bearing outer race thermal growth.
Page 8 of 11
15. Overloaded motor by driven fan leading to excess load on bearings. For example, it’s a 40
HP motor but load is 55 HP.
16. High temperature operating environment leads to bearing overheating.
17. Wrong belt type or pulley teeth worn out. It’s an HTD toothed belt drive.
Actual Evidence found for above list:
1. Belt tension excessive, overloaded bearing. Checked belt tensions on many machines,
found perfect. Not applicable.
2. Lubrication deficiency on top bearing, due to poor quality lubricant. Lubricant was
company high quality NLGI-2 grease suitable for the operating speed.
3. Insufficient grease quantity. Not possible since poor greasing cannot cause all 150 motor
failures for past twenty years.
4. Insufficient grease frequency. Greasing frequency is three months which is found
sufficient on all similar motors on similar drive services, giving long life on other
installations.
5. Contaminated bearing by water, or dust particles. Foreign object mode. Failed bearings
were checked for contamination, only slight dust contamination found, no water
evidence found since no corrosion evident on steel bearing parts.
6. Vibration excessive due to inadequate structure. Vibration has been measured monthly
for past 15 years, no excess readings, all fans typically below 0.18 inch/s rms velocity
which is good for fans on flexible structures.
7. Vibration due to pulley misalignment. No high vibration.
8. Vibration caused by fan shaft bent or unbalanced. No high vibration.
9. Vibration caused by loose or unbalanced motor sheave. No high vibration.
10. Vibration due to motor loose bolting to structure. All bolts found tight.
11. Underrated bearing has low Dynamic load rating for this service. By studying similar size
motors on same service from another manufacturer, it was found that other motors
bearings had a dynamic load rating 40% greater than existing motor. Therefore, we now
found a true failure mechanism. Keep looking for other mechanisms, as multiple failure
modes can occur.
12. Bearing failure due to overstressed material, meaning fatigue failure due to poor quality
manufacturing including low quality materials. Bearings were examined and found to be
made in Germany [FAG] and were purchased through reputable vendors, and stored
properly.
13. Bearing overload from internal bearing misalignment in motor housing. We tested this by
rotating the shaft by hand on overhauled motors; rotation was free without binding,
which is proof of correct internal alignment.
Page 9 of 11
14. Bearing overload due to high radial bearing outer race thermal growth. Checked
diamteral clearance around motor DE bearing and found correct clearance of 0.003 inch.
However, did not make calculation of actual total thermal growth, so this check was not
adequate.
15. Overloaded motor by driven fan leading to excess load on bearings. For example, it’s a 40
HP motor, but load is 55 HP. Checked motor amperes while running, found correct load,
about 95% of motor design load on majority of motors.
16. High temperature operating environment leads to bearing overheating. Fans are actually
located below heat exchanger and motors are therefore cooled by the inflow air since it’s
a forced draft fan. Also, the Heat exchanger acts as sun shade for motor, protecting from
direct sunlight.
17. Wrong belt type or pulley teeth worn out. It’s an HTD toothed belt drive. All bests are
correct size and type, high quality made in USA. Investigation of existing operating belts
shows proper replacement due to wear, no problems found.
In this case only one failure mode was occurring according to the comprehensive analysis. Next
we go to the Root Cause list to determine who is at fault:
The Five Root Causes of Machinery Failure
1. Manufacturer design defect.

2. Manufacturing process defect: Assembly, machining, casting, welding
material.
3. Incorrect specification by customer or installation-system defect
4. Incorrect operation
5. Incorrect maintenance
From the above we can eliminate the following based upon the failure mechanisms found: No
maintenance defects found, no incorrect operation, no installation errors, no selection error
by customer, and no manufacturing errors found. However, the bearing design loading was
found underrated as compared to same size motors that gave 4 years average bearing life in
exact same installation. So root cause here is Manufacturer Design Defect.
Page 10 of 11
Solutions Proposed to Solve Problem of Under-Rated Bearing
1. Purchase new bearings of higher load rating that can fit with minimum of modification
into existing motors.
2. There are two methods of finding the new optimum bearing load rating required. One is
to use bearing design handbooks to calculate all stresses on motor bearings, and then
calculate the required dynamic load rating based upon standard bearing calculation
formulas.
3. The second creative method is to apply the comparative analysis tool from the toolbox.
Since we already have proof of at least ten motors recently applied in exact same service,
and able to achieve 4 years of life which is acceptable, then by comparing the load rating
of these motors with that of existing motor we can then simply calculate the required
dynamic rating load for the new bearings.
4. As explained in report body, older motors had Deep Groove ball bearings [Conrad Type]
rated at 60,000 Newton at top bearing. Newer motors had 84,000 Newton rating top
bearings, also Conrad type but with larger dimensions.
5. In rolling element bearing life, the impact of overloading on bearing life has been carefully
studied by bearing manufacturers for many years, leading to a well-known bearing life
formula: Life-2/Life-1 = [Load Rating-2/Load Rating-1] **4
So for existing Allis Chalmers old bearings compared to the Siemens motor bearings, the
resulting life increase by this formula is:
Life-2/Life-1 = [84,000/60,000] **4 = 3.84 Increase compared to existing. Actually, from field
testing the actual life extension was: 4 years or 48 months/ 9 Months = 5.3 factor.
By using the selected NUP-213 Cylindrical Roller load bearing with rating of 108,000 Newton,
the following life extension occurs theoretically:
Life-2/Life-1 = [108,000/60,000] **4 = 10.5 factor Increase compared to existing which means
10.5 x 9 months = 8 years actual operating life.
Conclusion: The most likely cause of this design error was that these motors were not designed
for belt duty; they were probably designed for normal coupling drive which has far less radial
loading on motor compared to belt drives.
Page 11 of 11

Root Cause Failure Analysis Gas Plant Fin Fan Motor Bearings Improvement

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Gas Plant Fin Fan Motors Excessive Radial

Bearing Failures: Reliability Solution 2004

Typical Motor Driving Fan Low Speed Pulley

From: Khowaiter, Abdulrahman O

Existing Bearing: Dynamic Radial Load Rating = 60,000 Newton

New Bearing: Dynamic Radial Load Rating = 108,000 Newton

Exploded Diagram of Rotating Parts

From: Othman, Mohammad A

From: Khowaiter, Abdulrahman O

Solving this Failure by MEX-624 Machinery Failure Analysis Methods

1. Belt tension excessive, overloaded bearing.

Actual Evidence found for above list:

The Five Root Causes of Machinery Failure

1. Manufacturer design defect.

Solutions Proposed to Solve Problem of Under-Rated Bearing

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