Post by Kasun Udawela

🔧 Roller Press Bearing Replacement | INSEE Cement – Puttalam Cement Works As part of the Roller Press Shutdown at PCW, I was fully involved end-to-end in the complete bearing replacement process with the mechanical maintenance team. 🎯 Why the Replacement The moving roller of the roller press is subjected to significantly higher dynamic and compressive loads compared to the fixed roller. While the design life of the SKF spherical roller bearings (241/630 ECAK30/C3W33) is approximately 6 years, the plant follows a planned 3-year replacement cycle for the moving roller bearings — installing brand-new bearings while reassigning the removed bearings to the fixed roller after inspection. This rotational strategy optimizes component life while ensuring reliability. ⚙️ My Hands-On Involvement Across the Full Process 🔹 Dismantling — Carried out sequential removal of lock nut, sealing ring, V-rings, O-rings, sealing bush, and bearing housing using hydraulic jacks and chain block arrangements 🔹 Bearing & Sleeve Removal — Performed the SKF Oil Injection Method, applying hydraulic pressure through the withdrawal sleeve and hydraulic nut to safely remove the bearing without mechanical force or shaft damage 🔹 Cleaning & Inspection — Cleaned all bearing components using kerosene and coordinated with the CBM team during ultrasonic testing (UT) on the shaft and bearing components to detect cracks and internal defects 🔹 New Bearing Installation — Installed the labyrinth ring & cover, applied Mobilith SHC 100 grease, fitted the withdrawal sleeve with HD32 oil, and drove up the new bearing using the jack nut and support nut arrangement 🔹 Clearance Verification — Measured and confirmed bearing internal clearance before and after installation on both the moving and fixed roller bearings to ensure correct fitment 🔹 Final Assembly — Installed the distance ring and sealing components, and torqued the lock nut to 200 Nm, securing it with a locking plate 🔹 Shrink Disc Installation — Took part in tightening the HSD 560-32 shrink disc to the specified torque of 1800 Nm, following the correct clockwise bolt sequence 🛠️ Challenge Faced During shrink disc removal, we encountered broken loosening bolts and an excessively tight fit on the shaft. After induction heating proved unsuccessful, we adapted and safely separated the shrink disc using carbon arc cutting — a valuable hands-on lesson in problem-solving during critical shutdown work. ✅ Outcome The roller press was successfully restored to reliable operation ahead of the next maintenance cycle. This shutdown gave me deep, practical exposure to precision bearing mounting, hydraulic dismounting techniques, shrink disc systems, and rotating equipment maintenance in a heavy industrial cement manufacturing environment. #MechanicalEngineering #IndustrialMaintenance #CementIndustry #BearingReplacement #ShutdownMaintenance #SKF #RollerPress #INSEE #SriLankaEngineering #TraineeEngineer #UniversityOfMoratuwa