Bearing Temperature by RTD

Bearing Temperature by RTD

Question: The bearings on my unit are too hot to touch and I am worried there may be a problem. What is a normal/safe bearing temperature?

Answer: It is not abnormal for bearings to be "too hot to touch." Following is a list of standard temperatures for both mineral-oil-lubricated and synthetic-oil-lubricated bearings.

Mineral-oil-lubricated bearings:

run temperature: 80° C
alarm temperature: 90° C
shutdown temperature: 100° C

Synthetic-oil-lubricated bearings:

run temperature: 110° C
alarm temperature: 120° C
shutdown temperature: 130° C

These temperatures apply to grease-lubricated as well as oil-lubricated bearings. In addition, new bearings often require a break-in period of up to 100 hours. During this time, temperatures and noise levels can be slightly elevated. However, these levels should decrease somewhat after this break-in period.

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