Magdrive and mechanical seal industrial pumps
Horizontal and vertical centrifugal pumps

Innovative RunSafe SiC Bearings (RSSiC)
The revolution against Dry Running Conditions on Magnetic Driven Pumps

One of the weak points of standard SiC bearings commonly used in magnetic driven pumps is the poor resistance to dry running conditions. Magnetic driven pumps are highly safe and reliable machines. Plain bearings, if pumps are properly operated, are generally working wear-free. However, when pumps are running dry or lubrication is insufficient, the frictional heat produced in the plain bearings is so high that common bearings are damaged in a few seconds only. On plastic pumps damage is made worse by consequent failure of plastic components in contact with the bearings, leading to pump breakdown.

Safety and reliability, most typical features of magnetic driven pumps, are now improved, thanks to the use of the innovative RunSafe SiC bearing concept , that considerably reduce dry running problems. It consists of an amorphous layer made of diamond-like-carbon applied to the SiC bearings by a special process.


Specially treated RunSafe SiC bearings provide an impressively lower friction coefficient than that of standard SiC, maintaining high corrosion and wear resistance. Thanks to the very low friction coefficient of CDR New RunSafe SiC, much less heat is generated in critical or dry running conditions. RunSafe SiC bearings are more forgiving of dry-running conditions that can often be encountered at start up, when pumping low boiling media or in case of accidental unprimings. Extremely hard surfaces minimize wear and prolong pump life time, while resistance to chemicals remains unaltered.
Several dry running tests have been carried out with UTN-BL 65-40-160 PFA lined pump, 5.5 Kw motor and UTS-B 65-40-160 stainless steel pump, 5.5 Kw motor. Tests involved repeated starting / stopping of pump without media, prolonged running of the same pump with closed suction valve, sudden opening of suction valve with room temperature water entering the pump (thermal shock) and working conditions involving air with liquid.

On inspection, no damage or cracks were observed and RunSafe SiC bearings were in perfect conditions.

According to test results, RunSafe SiC bearings can virtually eliminate or greatly delay bearing failures caused by brief dry running, that would otherwise immediately occur with standard SiC compounds.

In testing conditions a dry run of several minutes is possible, depending also from pump material (less temperature-stable plastics allow shorter dry running periods; the same is valid for metallic pumps as well, where internal heat generation is bigger). However, a few minutes are usually enough for the operator to detect an error on site and to intervene accordingly.

With RunSafe SiC bearings lifetime of magnetic driven pumps is improved, maintenance intervals are extended and process downtimes are drastically reduced, all being essential requirements for cost-effective operation of plants and installations.

• Increase service life of mag-drive pumps virtually eliminating production interruptions due to poor lubrication or dry running situations
• Possibility of stopping the pump on time before any major damage caused by dry running occurs
• Extend Maintenance Intervals thus reducing process downtime costs
• The revolution against Dry Running Conditions on Magnetic Driven Pumps
• Widening of the range of applications with low boiling liquids
• Maximum chemical resistance for use in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry