Gear drives for gasifiers

March 2011 Electrical switching & drive systems & components

Hansen Transmissions secured an order in March 2010 for the supply of nine gear drives for the expansion of the Sasol FBDB gasification facility at the Sasol Synfuels plant in Secunda.

Hansen constructed the original gear drives for the Secunda gasifiers from 1977 to 1980, using the LL56SU Hansen gearboxes. Specifically manufactured to suit Sasol’s application requirements, the gearboxes and components were so rugged and well engineered that they have operated with exceptional reliability at the plant for more than 30 years.

The order specified eight units plus one spare. Model LL56SU Hansen gearboxes have an AGMA rating of 191 kNm, a ratio of 600:1, 15 kW installed power and an operating temperature of 70°C. Each unit weights 6305 kg including oil.

The gearbox drives a grate pinion which in turn rotates the ash grate assembly inside the Mk IV Sasol FBDB gasifier, which amongst other functions extracts ash from the gasifier. The customer specified only one modification, changing the gearing inside the Hansen gearboxes. The original gears were manufactured in the 1970s when gear technology was based on nitrided gears. Gas carburised gears replaced nitrided gears in 1985 and the new, modified gasifier drives contain gas carborised gears. These gears are capable of carrying twice the load of similarly sized nitrided gears due to the increased surface strength and optimised gear geometry.

Hansen Transmissions delivers turnkey large industrial gear drive solutions to diverse industries. The company holds a number of industry awards, including the prestigious Frost & Sullivan 2009 African Helical Gearboxes Market Leadership Award. “Sasol is one of our longest standing customers and we are pleased that the Hansen drives have served the Sasol Synfuels plant so reliably that Sasol again placed its trust in Hansen Transmissions as a gearbox supplier,” concludes managing director of Hansen Transmissions, Fritz Fourie.

For more information contact Fritz Fourie, Hansen Transmissions, +27 (0)11 397 2495, [email protected], www.hansen.co.za

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