Boulden and Gulf Coast Bearing & Seal Release Integrated Portfolio of Products for the Power Generation Industry

CONSHOHOCKEN, PA – As part of its merger with Gulf Coast Bearing & Seal (GCBS), Boulden Company has announced the formation of a family of products and technologies aimed at the aftermarket power industry. Inclusive of material solutions such as DuPont™ Vespel® CR-6100, Boulden B-Series composites, and bearing & seal repairs and upgrades from GCBS, Boulden brings efficiency improvement, increased reliability, and safer operation to several applications specific to larger scale power generation facilities. 

A typical pump upgrade is to replace original metal wear rings designed with large radial clearances with engineered composites. High-quality composite materials are low-friction, non-seizing, non-galling, dimensionally stable, and can typically operate at 50% of the radial clearance of the original components, leading to efficiency gains of 4-5%. In the power industry, target applications include heater drain, boiler feedwater, condensate, recirculating, and cooling water pumps. For large-frame gas turbines and generators, GCBS provides upgrades to tilting-pad radial and thrust bearings that reduce operating temperatures. Material upgrades to the bearing pad backing as well as feature additions such as directed lubrication, offset pivots and ball & socket pivot designs improve bearing performance and extend life. In addition to upgrades, GCBS offer quick repair turnaround times on Babbitted bearings, hydrogen seals and oil deflectors. 

About Boulden Company
Boulden specializes in upgrading pump systems and other rotating equipment with non-metallic materials that improve efficiency, reliability, and safety. Boulden applies a wide variety of material solutions including DuPont™ Vespel® CR-6100, Metcar® impregnated carbon graphite composites, and a portfolio of proprietary B-Series composites engineered to address the industry’s most challenging applications. GCBS joined the Boulden group of companies in 2021, bringing over 120 years of combined engineering and technical expertise in hydrodynamic Babbitted bearings and labyrinth seals for turbomachinery. To learn more about Boulden, visit our website at www.bouldencompany.com.