If your centrifuge just quit on you, you've got two options: call the OEM and wait six weeks, or call Kelsey Machine and get it done right. We've been the go-to centrifuge repair shop in Texas — and across all 50 states — for over 40 years. We repair every centrifuge type, every brand, and we back every rebuild with a written 24-month warranty that the OEM won't match.
Kelsey Machine Services provides expert industrial centrifuge repair and rebuild services for oilfield operations, wastewater treatment plants, food and beverage processors, pharmaceutical facilities, and mining operations. We work on all centrifuge types and all manufacturers, with a structured repair process that gives you full transparency from intake to delivery. No surprises, no shortcuts, and no guessing on root cause — every unit gets a written failure analysis before we touch a wrench.
Types of Equipment We Repair
Decanter Centrifuges
The workhorse of wastewater treatment, oilfield drilling, and food processing. We rebuild scroll conveyors, bowl assemblies, bearings, differential gearboxes, and rotating seals. Scroll wear and bowl damage are the most common failures we see — and our precision machining capability restores both to OEM tolerances. Brands: Alfa Laval, Andritz, Flottweg, Hiller, Pieralisi, Bird, Sharples, and more.
Disc Stack Centrifuges
Used in pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and biotech applications where tight tolerances and clean-room awareness are non-negotiable. KMS disassembles, cleans, inspects, and rebuilds disc stack units with the precision these machines demand. One wrong clearance and your separation efficiency tanks — we don't guess on disc stack work.
Basket Centrifuges
Common in chemical processing and pharmaceutical batch operations. Basket centrifuges need careful inspection for cracking, corrosion, and fatigue — failures that can turn catastrophic fast. We inspect, repair, and balance basket assemblies to restore safe, efficient operation. If the basket is compromised, we'll tell you straight.
Scroll Centrifuges
Scroll-type centrifuges run in continuous-feed environments and take serious abrasive wear along the scroll flight and bowl face. KMS rebuilds scroll flights, applies wear-resistant coatings where applicable, and restores the scroll-bowl clearance that drives your separation efficiency.
Solid-Bowl Centrifuges
Used in dewatering and solids recovery in mining, aggregate, and municipal operations. Solid-bowl units carry high loads and significant abrasive wear. We rebuild the bowl, replace bearings and seals, and restore balance to minimize vibration in operation.
Common Failure Modes We See
Scroll Wear & Erosion
When scroll-to-bowl clearance opens up, separation efficiency drops and throughput falls. Left unchecked, the scroll eventually contacts the bowl wall — a very costly failure that we see more often than we should.
Bowl Damage
Corrosion, erosion, cracking, and out-of-round conditions all affect bowl performance and safety. Often the result of running abrasive slurries without adequate wear protection or operating above design spec.
Bearing Failure
Centrifuge bearings carry high radial and axial loads at significant speeds. Contamination, overloading, improper lubrication, and misalignment are the leading causes. Vibration and noise are usually the first signs.
Internal Gearbox Problems
Decanter centrifuges use a differential gearbox to maintain scroll-to-bowl speed. Gearbox wear, oil contamination, and seal failure are common — and require complete gearbox rebuild capability. We have that in-house.
Vibration & Imbalance
Excessive vibration is a symptom, not a root cause. Worn bearings, damaged scroll flights, bowl damage, or process material buildup on rotating components — we diagnose the root cause rather than just chase the symptom.
Seal & Gasket Failure
Leaking process fluid, contaminated oil, or loss of internal pressure are all signs of seal failure. We replace all seals and gaskets as part of a standard rebuild — not as an add-on.
Our Repair Process
- 01
Intake & Inspection
Every centrifuge that comes through our doors gets a complete disassembly and written failure analysis before a single repair is authorized. You'll know exactly what failed, why it failed, and what it will cost to fix it — before we touch a wrench.
- 02
Component Assessment
We measure, test, and evaluate every component against OEM specifications. Scroll flights, bowl dimensions, bearing fits, gearbox condition, seal surfaces — all documented.
- 03
Precision Machining & Repair
Our in-house machine shop handles bowl restoration, scroll flight rebuilding, shaft repair, and bearing housing reconditioning. We don't farm out the critical work.
- 04
Dynamic Balancing
Every rotating assembly is dynamically balanced before reassembly. This isn't optional — it's standard. An unbalanced centrifuge will destroy its own bearings.
- 05
Reassembly & Testing
Rebuilt to OEM specifications, tested under load, and documented. You receive a complete repair report with before/after measurements.
- 06
Warranty & Return
Every centrifuge repair is backed by our industry-leading 24-month rebuilt warranty. We coordinate return freight and get your equipment back to you fast.