Similar Cases:

Penstock Failure at PG&E's Helms Creek Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Plant

Transformer Explosion at a Hydroelectric Station

Aptech Engineering Services, Inc. has been acquired by Intertek USA, Inc. Please visit us at www.intertek.com/aptech.

Failure of Roller Bearings in a Radial Kaplan Hydroelectric Turbine

A paper mill in the eastern United States had been experiencing repetitive failures of a 2.5-foot diameter roller bearing in their radial Kaplan hydroelectric turbine. The turbine's recent performance indicated that the bearing had again failed. In response, the plant dismantled the turbine and prepared to repair the bearing. APTECH was retained by the plant's insurance carrier to find the cause of the repetitive failures and to determine if the latest proposed repairs were justified. From our site inspection, records review, and follow-up engineering analyses, we concluded that the bearing housing was improperly anchored to the foundation. This created a magnitude of axial stress that the roller bearing was not designed to withstand, which eventually led to the numerous failures. Our visual examination and metallurgical analysis of the bearing revealed that it had not yet failed on this particular occasion. Recommendations were made to prevent further failures.

Satish Almaula		Plant failure and root cause analysis; process and design engineering analysis; process technology development and testing; plant engineering, operations, maintenance and safety management; plant and process control system management.

Kimble Clark, Ph.D.		Failure analysis, heat transfer & thermodynamics, process plant equipment failures & explosions, fuel science, combustion, industrial fires and explosions.

Michael Cronin, P.E.		Stress analysis, design evaluation, engineering mechanics.

Eric Sullivan, P.E.		Metallurgy, welding, failure analysis, fire and explosion investigations, equipment, piping.

Richard Schreiber, P.E.		Machinery and mechanical device failure analysis, mechanical testing, combustion and heat transfer, industrial fires and explosions, gas appliances.

Geoffrey Egan, Ph.D.		Engineering mechanics, welding engineering, stress and fatigue analysis, risk analysis, nondestructive examination, project management.