Flottweg Lubrication Systems At A Glance

Precise, effective, and to extend the service life of decanter centrifuges

Different applications and customer requirements require different lubrication systems to ensure a long service life for the decanter centrifuges in use. Maintenance overhead (operating modes such as continuous operation, seasonal use, etc.) is the determining factor in the selection of a lubrication system. The availability of the different lubrication systems also depends on the centrifuge model.

In a decanter centrifuge, the gears, scroll bearings, and rotor bearings are supplied with lubricants. For rotor bearings, there is a difference between grease lubrication systems (manually using a grease gun, central lubrication system, or automatic central lubrication system) and oil/air lubrication systems. Flottweg scroll bearings are lifetime lubricated or can be relubricated.

Flottweg grease lubrication systems

Manual lubrication with a grease gun

This lubrication procedure permits direct relubrication at both rotor bearing blocks of a Flottweg decanter centrifuge using a grease gun.

Manual lubrication and its advantages

• Simple design (the simplest construction and low costs of procurement)
• Very simple to use the grease gun
• Lowest maintenance costs, since the grease gun can be used for multiple decanter centrifuges

Central lubrication systems from Flottweg

Central lubrication systems supply multiple lubrication points with lubricant simultaneously. This is done using a manually operated pump that precisely distributes lubricant to the lubrication points of the Flottweg decanter centrifuge (using a piston distributor).

The advantages of a Flottweg central lubrication system

• Very precise metering of grease
• Simplest possible handling with a single pump
• Little time needed for relubrication

Automatic central lubrication system

In comparison with a central lubrication system, an automatic central lubrication system ensures that grease automatically reaches the necessary lubrication points at defined intervals.

Automatic central lubrication systems and their advantages

• No overlubrication and no excess greasing
• No personnel overhead for lubrication
• Lubrication quantity and grease reserves are monitored

Flottweg oil/air lubrication system

Oil/air lubrication system

An oil/air lubrication system is a minimum-quantity lubrication system in which oil droplets are transported to the lubrication points using a stream of compressed air. The operational reliability of a Flottweg oil/air lubrication system is due to continuous monitoring. A pneumatically driven variant permits its use in areas at risk of explosion (areas in which explosive atmospheres can occur)

The advantages of an automatic oil/air lubrication system

• Permanent lubrication and cooling of the rotor bearings
• No oil changes needed ► oil consumption reduced to a minimum
• Slight overpressure at lubrication points prevents the penetration of gases or aerosols into the rotor bearings