Bedford Pumps Ltd, a leading manufacturer of high-capacity flood defence pumps, has selected Thordon Bearings water-lubricated SXL bearings for a new pump design developed for the Islington Pumping Station, in King’s Lynn, Norfolk.
This project will see four fish-friendly land drainage and flood control pumps installed at the new pumping station which, when commissioned, will ‘protect’ 6,000 hectares (almost 15,000 acres) of low-lying fenland. The existing pumping station, built in 1959, has reached the end of its service life and will be demolished following the construction of the new pumping station.
Canada-based
Thordon Bearings, a ‘pioneer’ in elastomeric polymer materials, supplied eight 200mm inside diameter fully finished water lubricated SXL bearings, in a contract that marked the first application of a Thordon bearing in a Bedford pump.
Alix Macdonald, Bedford Pumps’ engineering manager, said: “We have created a brand-new type of axial flow pump to offer better efficiency, better solids handling, and enhanced environmental protection compared to other concrete casing pumps of comparable size. We found the Thordon product to be the best solution for large diameter vertical shaft bearings. The water lubricated elastomeric polymer material allows the impeller to run at much tighter tolerances, improving overall efficiency, maintainability and reliability.”
Axel Swanson, Thordon Bearings’ business development manager, said: “The SXL bearing is the market leader in product lubricated vertical pump bearings due to its durability, resistance to abrasion, shock loading and vibration. Wear life and performance are the biggest advantage to using Thordon materials.”
To achieve ‘fish-friendly’ status, a key requirement for pump station owner Kings Lynn Internal Drainage Board, Bedford Pumps designed a 4,000 litre/sec pump capable of allowing fish, migratory eels and other marine life to pass through unencumbered. At full capacity, the Islington Pumping Station will be capable of pumping 1.4 billion litres of water per day.