Hydraulic brake for cooling tower fans

4th Quarter 2011 Hydraulic systems & components

Hansen Industrial Transmissions recently introduced an hydraulic brake system for its M4 ACC air cooled condenser industrial gearboxes. This allows the user to safely slow down the gear unit and condenser fan and keep them at standstill during maintenance activities in dry cooling towers. With this hydraulic brake system, Hansen gearboxes can now prevent maintenance personnel being injured due to ‘windmilling’ (an idle fan which starts rotating due to airflow, thus driving the gear unit).

The brake system is unique in that the braking force not only holds the fan and gear unit when at standstill, but can also decelerate it to a safe stop within a limited braking time. It consists of two hydraulic brake cylinders with brake shoes and a hand pump with hose. The brake cylinders are built onto the motor lantern and brake on the coupling between the motor and the gear unit. A single brake kit can serve a whole batch of fan drives.

If the user prefers a stationary solution, two hydraulic brake cylinders with brake shoes are assembled to each gear unit. This allows several gear units to be kept at standstill at the same time. The number of hand pumps can be chosen freely.

The system also allows demounting of the motor during maintenance activities because the brake shoes only work on the bottom half of the coupling. The mechanical locking mechanism on each brake cylinder gives additional safety. Limit switches can be installed on the hydraulic brake cylinders to detect their position. The signal can be used to prevent the drive from being started while the brake is engaged.

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

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