Thrust Bearing Oil Coolers delivered to Clyde

Pressure Worx have completed phase one of their delivery program with delivery of three (3) thrust bearing oil coolers to the Clyde Power Station. The 3 large shell & tube oil coolers were fabricated in Auckland from stainless steel Gr.316. Pressure Worx won the tender to supply 6 coolers for Contact Energy’s Clyde Power Station earlier this year. These thrust bearing coolers cool the bearing oil enhancing bearing life and allowing increased generator performance. Rather than the cooler sitting within the oil bath, these coolers site external to the generator with oil circulated via pump. This results in much higher heat transfer rates with better efficiency and a more cost effective solution.

Phase 2 of the project is the delivery of larger 3x 1MW Transformer Oil Coolers. These are also in stainless steel, with the coolers weighing in at around 2500kg each. The transformer coolers will be completed and delivered to site during November.

“Pressure Worx was responsible for doing the complete thermal and mechanical design of each cooler type during the tender process to match the clients process requirements”, said Steve Rowntree, Director at Pressure Worx. “We specialise in non-standard niche applications, requiring thermodynamic and mechanical design expertise. Fabrication and testing of the heat exchangers is done locally in New Zealand, supporting NZ businesses.”