Canada’s Thordon Bearings is playing a vital role in the world’s largest irrigation project in south central India with the installation of axial shaft seals and a filtration system. The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project on the Godavari River in Kaleshwaram, Bhupalpally, Telangana, India is aiming to efficiently utilise available water resources for agriculture.
As the world’s largest multi-stage lift irrigation project, it runs for about 500km (310 miles) through 13 districts and is connected to a 1770km canal network incorporating 20 reservoirs and extensive underground tunnels. It features some of the largest water pumps ever built.
The Francis-type inward-flow turbine pumps at Kaleshwaram work using a combination of radial and axial flow, requiring a reliable and robust seal design.
Thordon and its authorized distributor in India, Soneji Engineering Pvt Ltd (SEPL), won a tender to supply 24 large diameter axial shaft seal assemblies, along with a water filtration system, for the project’s turbine pumps.
Thordon has designed the seal assembly and supplied its proprietary SXL material to SEPL, which was responsible for manufacturing all other components, as well as testing, installation, and commissioning on site. The work undertaken by SEPL was commissioned by Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited (BHEL).
By December 2023, SEPL had supplied all 24 Thordon seals to BHEL, eight of which have now been installed.