Logan Bell-Housing PTO Clutches for Pumping Stations in Taipei

The Jingmei River pumping station in Taipei, Taiwan uses Logan Bell-Housing Power Take-off (PTO) Clutches driven by CAT C27 diesel engines to supply power to the water pumps.

The City of Taipei lies at the center of the Taipei basin. With many streams and rivers passing through the basin and flowing out to sea, the region is prone to flooding during the rainy seasons of summer and autumn. Controlling the excess water is critical to maintaining the safety of citizens and infrastructure, so the city government builds pumping stations in low-lying areas and near main waterway outlets to accelerate the discharge of excess water during flooding. At the Jingmei River pumping station, Logan distributor Formosa Fluid Power has supplied a pumping system that utilizes Logan LC314 and LC318 Bell-Housing Power Take-off (PTO) clutches to reliably transmit power from CAT C27 diesel engines and other engines to the water pumps through Flender gear boxes.

The Challenge: 

Many pumping stations use Twin Disc style mechanical clutches, a technology that has remained practically unchanged since the 1940s. Mechanical clutches require manual engagement via a lever arm that is usually in a position that is difficult to operate. Further, as the clutch plates wear, the pressure provided by the lever arm is no longer enough to engage properly, so operators must remove a cover plate and adjust the plates to ensure proper torque transfer during operation. In addition to the added labor of manual engagement and adjustment, failure to properly maintain the clutch can cause failure of the clutch, which could be devastating in an application like flood water pumping stations where reliability is so important.

The Logan Advantage

Logan Bell-Housing PTO clutches are self-adjusting and actuated via pneumatic or hydraulic pressure. The Logan Bell-Housing PTO clutches easily fit within the same envelope space of the mechanical clutches, while eliminating the need for manual adjustment and engagement. The pneumatic or hydraulic actuation allows the clutch to be engaged and disengaged with push-button controls or remotely through wireless controls.  These improvements provide the pumping station with the reliability needed to meet the demands of pumping excess water in emergency situations, ensuring public safety. According to C.Y. Fung of Formosa Fluid Power, “The pumping station appreciates the simplified push-button engagement of the Logan clutches over the lever arm of the mechanical clutches.”