Menzel create replacement motor and avoid lengthy downtime

When the main drive for Toronto Cement’s raw mill suddenly failed at Ugandan Cement Plant, Toronto had to think fast in order to prevent a potential high cost standstill in October 2014. Within 15 days, Menzel Elektromotoren made extensive modifications to a standard stock motor, which provided a 100% mechanically and electrically compatible replacement.

The plant operators were unable to make on-site modifications to accommodate the 5000 KW slip ring motor with a nominal speed of 992 min-1, Menzel modified the motor frame and shaft measurements in order to fit the plant's requirements instead.

The failed motor featured two shaft ends and was significantly longer than the advanced design of Menzel's new motor. This posed as a big challenge. “Replacing the whole shaft with a longer one would have required too much time, so we decided to extend both shaft ends instead. This method is technically demanding, but requires much less time,” says Dipl.-Ing. Guido Wolf, Head of High Voltage Drives at Menzel.

The diameter of the shaft had to be matched to the original motor, which in turn required new bearing seats and the installation of larger roller bearings. Since tapped holes in the mounting foundations at the Ugandan cement plant were already in place, Menzel's engineers also modified the motor's foot plates to ensure an accurate fit. The terminal box was also repositioned to ensure a more convenient electrical installation. Menzel completed all adaptations as well as extensive function-tests in their state-of-the-art load test field within 15 days.

Adapted from press release by Harleigh Hobbs

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/product-news/28042015/menzel-create-replacement-motor-and-avoid-lengthy-downtime-758/