Component refurbishment via laser cladding: Repair of an impeller shaft
A 3- to 4-week delivery time or a 2-day repair? We carried out the repair of a shaft and its associated shaft protection housing for SachsenEnergie AG. The components came from the Dresden gas turbine combined heat and power plant. Thanks to targeted component refurbishment using build-up welding, the customer saved 88% in costs compared to purchasing a new part.
Technical challenge:
- Failure of fan 4 at the Nossener Brücke power plant. The fan provides an air exchange rate of 105,000 m³ per hour and removes waste heat from the boilers.
- Damage to the impeller shaft (material C45 / 1.0503) and the shaft protection housing (bearing bracket for the evaporator start-up pump).
- The lead time for a new replacement of the assembly (impeller with shaft) from the original equipment manufacturer was 3 to 4 weeks.
Objective:
- The customer’s request: Complete the repair within two days to avoid a 3- to 4-week shutdown caused by the lead time for a new part.
- Significantly reduce costs (goal: 88% savings compared to the original price).
- Save material and conserve resources by keeping the existing assembly intact and avoiding the need to remove the undamaged impeller.
Technical solution:
- Repair of components using laser cladding.
- FeCrMo was used as the filler material (hardness: approx. 40 HRC).
- The components were then cylindrical ground to precisely restore the shaft.
Project outcome:
The repair was completed in exactly two days. This eliminated the three- to four-week wait for a new part. The cost of the repair amounted to only 12% of the original price, achieving the targeted savings of 88%. By reconditioning the shaft, we were able to salvage material. The intact impeller remained in the housing, which minimized the effort required and also conserved resources.
We would like to thank SachsenEnergie AG for their trust and the successful collaboration on this repair project.
Do you have worn-out components and are looking for a cost-effective solution? Contact us for an objective assessment of the repair options.