• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Bearing Tips

Ball Bearings, Roller Bearings, Thrust Bearings, Tapered Bearings

  • Bearing Basics
  • Ball Bearings
  • Roller Bearings
  • Thrust Bearings
    • Ball Thrust
    • Roller Thrust
    • Tapered Roller Bearings
  • Lubrication
  • Resources
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Suppliers
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
You are here: Home / Featured / Water-lubricated elastomeric polymer bearings

Water-lubricated elastomeric polymer bearings

November 8, 2022 By Mike Santora

thordon bearing image
hordon’s SXL bearings installed in KSB three-stage mixed flow impeller-type pumps

Thordon Bearings’ water-lubricated elastomeric polymer bearings have been installed to well pumps aboard an undisclosed offshore oil platform operated by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

Five KSB three-stage mixed flow impeller-type pumps were each retrofitted with Thordon pump bearings – 13 SXL intermediate bearings, four Composite bearings, and a single SXL throttle bearing – replacing the original silicon carbide bushes.

Dubai-based engineering firm Ocean Power International (OPI), Thordon’s authorized distributor in the Middle East region, received the full scope of supply direct from Thordon’s plant in Burlington, Canada, just four weeks after placing the order.

“The problem with silicon carbide bearings is that they have a long lead time, and are brittle which means there is a risk of the bearings chipping and breaking. They are simply not as robust and are very expensive to replace,” said Rafid Qureshi, Managing Director, OPI.

“By comparison, Thordon SXL and Composite bearings resolve the price and lead time issues, are very durable, and they are also more considerate to the environment as they don’t require lubricating oil or grease.”

thordon-bearing-application-image
Thordon’s Composite pump bearings provide excellent abrasion resistance.

After OPI gathered all the parameters and reviewed the pump drawings, the Thordon bearings were delivered well within the requisite time frame, allowing KSB, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), to carry out the retrofit installation work and commission the pumps in quick time, avoiding any rig downtime.

KSB Abu Dhabi has now refurbished all five pumps with the new Thordon bearings, the last of which was completed in August 2022. However, the company has been converting its pump bearings over to the Thordon polymer material over the course of the last 10 years.

Michal Belina, Mechanical Engineer, KSB Service, said: “The technical and engineering specifications of the bearings meet and exceed expectations. Compared to silicon carbide, which is typically used in these vertical pumps, Thordon’s products are not only more cost-effective, but one of the biggest advantages is that they are easy to machine. They have excellent resistance to abrasion, even after a few years of operation, the bearings have correct clearances. We are very satisfied with this product and our main factories in Germany are now using Thordon bearings in our new pumps.”

Thordon Bearings
thordonbearings.com

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: thordonbearings

Primary Sidebar

Search

RSS Featured White Papers

  • Polymers Outperform Metals In Precision Gearing
  • Crossed Roller Bearings Offer Many Benefits for Robotic Systems
  • Miniature Linear Bearings Offer Maximum Performance

Footer

Bearing Tips

Design World Network

Design World Online
The Robot Report
Coupling Tips
Motion Control Tips
Linear Motion Tips
Fastener Engineering
Wire and Cable Tips

Bearing Tips

Subscribe to our newsletter
Advertise with us
Contact us
About us

Copyright © 2025 · WTWH Media LLC and its licensors. All rights reserved.
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media.

Privacy Policy