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February 2005
by John Shephard and John Sutherland |
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In order to succeed in the cost-competitive aggregates industry, high production is only one piece of the pie. It is also equally important to maintain reliable production at lower costs. However, this is challenging since aggregates operations function in extreme environments that make rigorous demands on equipment due to weather, dust, dirt, and other external contaminants. Selecting the proper lubricants and maintaining their health is critical to sustaining an efficient operation, extending equipment life, and enhancing equipment reliability. Furthermore, well-designed lubricants storage and handling practices enable significant savings in maintenance-related expenditures. The right viscosity First and foremost, work with your lubricants supplier to ensure that your lubricants meet the original equipment manufacturer’s specifications for each piece of equipment, in terms of viscosity, oxidation stability, and additive package. |
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This is essential to ensure that your equipment gets the lubricants best suited to enable it to run at optimal performance for extended service periods that also help uphold its warranty. Using the right viscosity oil is key in the aggregates industry, with its severe conditions and heavy shock loading equipment such as crushers and butt motors. If the oil is too thin, it creates increased wear for equipment. If it is too thick, it takes more energy to adequately lubricate all moving parts. Keep it clean and dry Secondly, keep your lubricants cool, clean, and dry. Good housekeeping practices are as important at your operation as they are inside your home. Although, it may be a tough order in an aggregates operation, aim to keep spotless the area that houses your equipment and its lubricants. A clean and dry storage area with a steady, moderate temperature will help maximize lubricant shelf life. However, a dirty, moist environment with fluctuating temperatures will greatly reduce shelf life, since extreme hot or cold temperatures can cause chemical degradation, moisture contamination, and performance losses. Aggregates operations in the Southwest are particularly subject to these temperature challenges. Handle it right If oil is handled incorrectly, it may become contaminated with dirt, water, and other fluids, reducing the service life of equipment and potentially causing lower performance, catastrophic failures, and exorbitant maintenance expenses. More than 50% of component failures directly result from fluid contamination with dirt and foreign particles, so it is important to have a cost-effective technique to remove these particles. Today’s equipment is built to exceedingly close tolerances, and it takes a miniscule amount of dust to bring a massive diesel engine to a halt. Contamination is particularly relevant when it comes to aggregates operations because they are, by nature, prone to abundant tiny particles, dust, and sand. Filtration with a high quality filter can assist to reduce this contamination and achieve compliance with ISO cleanliness codes. Lubricants suppliers and manufacturers often offer these types of services. For instance, one lubricants company service for on-site lubrication contamination control helps to remove damaging particulates from fluid systems and maintain fluid cleanliness. Consequently, when the oil contains fewer contaminants, the oxidation rate is reduced, and the oil has better hydrolytic stability and exhibits better water separability properties. All of this helps reduce wear, decreases unscheduled downtime, and goes a long way toward extending equipment life. Keep it inside Keep lubricants inside, protected from the weather. If this is not possible due to environmental, financial, or space constraints, at least shelter them from rain and snow. Moisture and humidity must be avoided, since petroleum-based lubricants are hygroscopic, and water is the enemy of lubricants and all metal parts. Oil levels in reservoirs and storage containers rise and fall, much like human lungs when breathing. When exposed to humid air, lubricants naturally absorb airborne moisture, which immediately begins to degrade the additive package and accelerates oxidation of the lubricant’s base stock once it is put into service. Desiccant breathers offer an effective solution to this issue, by removing both moisture and dirt from the air that the machine or storage container breathes. They use filter media to remove particles greater than three microns and a silica gel desiccant to remove moisture. In addition to this, desiccant breathers can be installed on applications such as exhausts, fan bearings, gearboxes, bulk oil totes, storage racks, service trucks, and hydraulic units. Correct storage techniques for oil include using closed, sealed, airtight containers that protect against water and particulate contamination. It is best to have a drum cover since even a sealed drum can accumulate water on top, which can enter the drum when temperature changes occur. If covers are not available, tip the drum so the water will move away from the bungs, or drum plugs. Bungs must be kept tight at all times, and drum covers should be used whenever drums are stored in the upright position. Ideally, lubricants should be stored on their side with the bungs in a horizontal position (the three and nine o’clock position) below the lubricant level. This will reduce the ingestion of moisture, as well as the chance of the seals drying out. Wrong lubricant, right machine A guaranteed method to shorten equipment life is to fill it with the wrong lubricant. Careful labeling of lubricants storage containers and dispensing equipment can help avoid cross-contamination and confusion. Ideally, containers should be labeled with purchase, delivery, and opening dates; product name; viscosity; inventory code; product application; and a color code if it’s used. Use clearly legible labels that can stand the test of time and also withstand exposure to the elements in cases of outdoor storage. It is equally vital to extend the labeling procedure to all dispensing equipment such as pails, hoses, reels, hand pumps, and transfer carts, since dispensing oil through equipment that was previously used with a different lubricant mixes the two fluids and may damage lubricant properties and effectiveness. If dispensing equipment must be used with a variety of lubricants, use a comprehensive cleaning or flushing procedure to minimize the risk of cross-contamination. Always ensure that the dispensing container is clean and contaminant-free. Storage containers should be designed to provide advanced fluid contaminate protection, minimize fluid spills, and improve system cleanliness. Never use fuel cans, open tins, or bottles since these will introduce contaminants. Make certain the fill cap and surrounding equipment parts are clean and debris-free prior to opening up to add fresh lubricant. A sophisticated lubricants maintenance and inventory management program is significant for aggregate operations, especially for those that are situated in remote locations and need to store oil in bulk to eliminate the necessity for frequent deliveries. They also have potential service issues since these same sites may be inaccessible in wintertime. This makes pre-emptive and regularly scheduled maintenance critical for productivity, since it monitors complete system information and then schedules maintenance to help eliminate unexpected downtime and costly repairs. Properly maintained Another challenge faced by many aggregates operations is the lack of a proper maintenance facility. Sometimes an operation may be situated in a purely temporary location that does not justify the expense and labor involved with the erection of a suitable building. And oftentimes, the equipment is too large to move into a maintenance shop. That means not all of the necessary scheduled or pre-emptive maintenance is done. But when it comes to lubricants, a maintenance program isn’t really complete without oil analysis, the regular monitoring of the condition of in-service oils. This is a powerful diagnostic tool that may identify problems before they become costly failures — failures resulting in unscheduled downtime and lost production. It also helps optimize equipment life and oil replacement intervals, thus assisting to improve your bottom line. Regular sample analysis assures you that your lubricants are protecting your engines and other valuable investments. By tracking oil performance, you can identify lubricant-related needs as well as a variety of pre-emptive maintenance requirements. Understanding the changing environment within an engine or other piece of equipment can prevent a variety of costly maintenance problems, dramatically reduce downtime, and even eliminate the risk of disastrous failures. Many lubricants manufacturers can help you implement an effective oil analysis program that is designed to deliver the best possible information about the performance of lubricants, using tools such as an onsite database that provides immediate access to important oil analysis information and allows users to tailor reports and translate results into maintenance programs. In one program that’s available, by linking oil analysis data to the maintenance program, the trending of wear, oxidation, and consumption rates are given, and these are precursors to identify problems. Delivering results However, the best maintenance practices are inadequate to deliver results without educating and training maintenance personnel on a wide variety of lubricants concerns, from proper storage to online oil analysis. It’s important to empower maintenance staff with the best tools, techniques, and knowledge to run a cutting-edge program that ultimately helps ensure equipment and system reliability. The best type of training for large groups in a reasonable amount of time is the classroom lecture method. This type of training can be provided at the suppliers’ factory, or at the customers’ facility, and is often delivered by the lubricants supplier or manufacturer. Aggregate operations can achieve increased efficiency and large savings through implementing effective lubricants management and predictive maintenance programs. In today’s highly competitive global economy, these programs are essential for enduring success.
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Reprinted from Aggregates Manager Magazine |
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