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ME446
FO Purifier Bowl Malfunction
Technical committee

Ship type Bulk carrier

Date of build July 1995
Navigation route
Trouble machinery
Category Purifier
Name FO purifier
Type SJ40EH
Maker Mitsubishi Kakoki Kaisha, Ltd.
Date of trouble

1. Outline of breakdown

The cap nut of the No.1 FO purifier loosened within a short period of operation, bringing about ab-
normal vibration.
Also, the water supply device was damaged by the loosened cap nut.

2. Damage Condition

The maintenance history record of this equipment is as follows:

z June 1999
In about 1 month from start of operation, abnormal vibration occurred and the water supply unit was
damaged.
The cap nut, bowl bushing, and the water supply unit were replaced with new ones.
z August 1999
On the 3rd day of operation, abnormal vibration occurred and the water supply unit was damaged.
The bowl bushing and the water supply unit were replaced with new ones.
z October 1999
In about 20 hours from start of operation, abnormal vibration occurred and the water supply unit
was damaged.
The vertical shaft was pulled out, and each part was inspected, and measured. (No abnormality in
measurements)
The bowl bushing and the water supply unit were replaced with new ones.
z November 1999
In 2 weeks from start of operation, abnormal vibration occurred and the water supply unit was
damaged.
The bowl bushing and the water supply unit were replaced with new ones.
Further, when a similar abnormality occurred in January 2000, the vertical shaft was pulled out and
inspected. From measurement of each part, all the dimensions regarding the spring retainer, bearing case,
steel ball, leaf spring height, lower spring length, etc. fell within the specified values. Dimension A of
the vertical shaft height exceeded the reference value (±1.0mm) and was equal to -1.5mm, while Di-
mension B was 84.3mm (reference value 84±1.0mm). Thus, the vertical shaft was replaced with a new
one. (Dimension A after replacement; -0.3mm, Dimension B; 84.3mm)

1
Further, the cap nut and the water supply unit were also replaced.
Following the above maintenance, in about 6 months from start of operation, similar vibration occurred.
It was found from a re-inspection that while Dimension B of the vertical shaft fell within the reference
value, Dimension A exceeded the reference value and was equal to -1.5mm.
As a result, the water supply unit was damaged, and due to severe vibration, abrasion to the bowl
bushing was also found.

3. Repair

It was clear that the bowl had descended due to the fact that Dimension A exceeded the specified value.
The descent was temporarily improved after the vertical shaft was replaced, but the reference value was
exceeded once again in about 6 months.
On a presumption that, as long as the vertical shaft was in good condition and abnormality-free, descent
of the bowl could be attributed to a problem of the bowl itself (abrasion of the contact surface with the
bushing). Therefore, a replacement bowl was arranged and operation was resumed.
On the 10th day of operation with the replaced bowl, ABNORMAL ALARM occurred and abnormal
vibration occurred once again. Inspection of the vertical shaft revealed that Dimension A was -2.0mm.
When the mounting position of the bowl bushing to the vertical shaft was checked, it was found that the
bowl bushing of the vertical shaft had descended.
Other measurements confirmed that the spring retainer, bearing case, steel ball, leaf spring height, lower
spring length, etc. were all satisfying reference values. Therefore, the vertical shaft and the bowl
bushing were replaced.
Although the equipment exhibited no problem ever since, the No.2 unit had a similar malfunction within
about 2 years’ delay and the bowl was replaced.

4. Cause

The contact area between the bowl and the bowl bushing should have been protected from abrasion by
abrasion occurring to the bushing. However, in reality, the contact area between bowl and bowl bushing
incurred abrasion, and the bowl descended.
The maker's explanation in response to our inquiry is as follows: The cap nut fixing the vertical shaft and
bowl may loosen due to temporal bowl rotation speed-down during sludge discharge and insufficient
tightening. As a result, the contact area between the bushing and the bowl may incur hitting by vibration.
Although the bushing made of soft copper alloy should have been abraded, it is possible that the bowl
contact area could incur slight abrasion over a long period of operation under micro-vibration due to a
loose cap nut. According to them, this kind of malfunction tends to occur with purifiers subject to rela-
tively large vibration due to aging with 4~5 years of operation history.

5. Others

As preventive measures against cap nut loosening, the maker has already implemented an operation test
with a different screw pitch (5mm Æ 3mm) and has obtained favorable results. Based on this, SJ-F
series currently in manufacturing has adopted the change in cap nut screw pitch of 3mm and change in
bushing height. The SJ-F series has marked an accumulated delivery record of approximately 6,000
units since 1996 and no problem similar to this has been reported.