Thanks to their increasingly compact and cost-effective design, concentric shaft reducers are becoming increasingly popular for high-torque applications. Like any other Falk gear reducer, a concentric drive requires some sort of cooling mechanism in order to maximize its thermal horsepower capacity, or the amount of horsepower it can transmit continuously for at least three hours without overheating.
Inadequate cooling can result in severe damage to the drive’s components – not to mention costly down time while the Falk gearbox is repaired or replaced. Fortunately, there are a variety of cooling systems available for concentric shaft reducers, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. Here’s a look at a few of the basic options:
Shaft-driven cooling fans. A shaft-driven cooling fan is powered by the rotation of the shaft to which it is connected; less than one quarter of a percent of the Falk gear reducer’s rated horsepower is needed to drive the fan. Shaft-driven cooling fans for concentric shaft reducers are not only efficient, but they produce minimal sound even at 1750 rotations per minute.
Electric cooling fans. This type of fan is powered by an electric source, rather than by the horsepower of the drive itself. Electric fans can be mounted on either side of the Falk gearbox, allowing full use of the reducer’s shaft extension. More significantly, electric fans can allow concentric shaft reducers to achieve double the thermal capacity that shaft-driven fans offer.
Cooling tubes. When the application demands thermal capacities beyond what fans can provide, cooling tubes are a cost-effective alternative. A series of tubes is used to circulate water through the drive’s sump. (Because this cooling system has no joints or connections inside the Falk gear reducer, there’s no risk of water leaking into the drive.)
External cooler assemblies. To reach a concentric shaft reducer’s full mechanical rating, an even more heavy-duty cooling system is required. An external pump and cooling system provides far more cooling power than any other option.
Posted under Machinery Maintenance, Tips and Tricks on Monday, March 12th, 2012