I have hammer mill bearings (skf 23244) double row roller type with forced oil lubrication. my problem is, in order to prevent spillage of oil the operators restrict the flow to slightly larger than a pencil lead. the bearings appear to have plenty of return capacity. we had a recent failure, lack of oil.... we currently have a gate valve for restricting the flow. is there another product that is better???

What is the issue with spillage in the first place?? Isin't it an enclosed bearing? Where does the return go?? Is the system a closed loop or is it a once through application?

yes the bearing is enclosed,the return has two 3/4 inch return lines, gravity flow also.The return goes back to the main storage tank with pump, filter, and heater. There is a 35 gal. tank with overflow for storage above the crushers. This is where the bearings get the oil from. Any access in that tank also goes back to the main tank below. The OEM now says the bearing requirement is 1 qt. per min flow.

If your overflow/return is set up to maintain the proper oil level in the bearing sump. slightly less flow should not be a problem if there is no excess heat buildup in the bearing housing. Your tank and pump system is a conditioning unit. Many oil filled bearings work fine with just the oil in the bearing housing. If by turning up the system to get the 1 qpm flow overfills the housing causing leakage then your return lines may be inadequate. If your operators cannot resist tampering with the flow controls maybe they should be guarded somehow.

There are several companies that make metered flow controls for installation on pressure fed lube systems, that surely is better than using gate valves to control the flow to the bearings, however the cost will be considerably more than a gate valve. The control to the bearing will be more accurate, I would recommend getting on line and checking with Parker, Vickers, Bosch, Sonnoco or others.

Bashley
Our lubrication system cosists of a 7L/min pump feeding 2 bearings plus a hydraulic valve to by-pass some of the oil back to tank.
MACABF