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Oil Properties

Lubrication Maintenance Best Practices

We’ve already covered some mistakes; it’s time to look forward to some lubrication best practices. To some of us, these may seem trivial, but they can lead to big impacts on your overall maintenance budget and can even manage to decrease some unplanned downtime.

Creating a Lubrication Maintenance Schedule

Every component in your industrial facility needs to be lubricated. The frequency at which this occurs, alongside the type of lubricant, can vary greatly. However, by properly mapping out your lubrication points and frequency intervals, you can develop a lubrication maintenance schedule that your planner will be proud of!

The first task on your list would be to have a detailed listing of all your assets, their locations, the type of lubricant being used, and suggested relubrication frequency. Next, this can be consolidated into daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly tasks.

Afterward, you must bring your mapping skills into place as you incorporate the lubrication tasks with other maintenance tasks in the same area. This way, your assigned personnel maximize their time in one geographical location.

Importance of Lubricant Analysis and Condition Monitoring

How often do you perform blood work for yourself or visit your doctor? Performing blood work is similar to taking an oil sample for our equipment as we investigate what’s happening inside it. This can give us a heads-up on an impending failure (if there is a high wear metal concentration or the presence of contaminants) or an issue in the oil (changes in viscosity or additive packages).

By effectively monitoring the health of your oil, you can prevent unplanned shutdowns or even extend its life. This can save your company from significant losses and increase your production output.

Lubrication Training for Maintenance Teams

Quite often in our industry, we hear, “Oil is oil, or grease is grease,” but after reading this article, I’m sure you will agree that those words are a very big misrepresentation. This is why training is so important for our teams. We want to ensure we all understand why we’re not leaving the oil drums out in the rain and pouring them into our equipment!

This will lead to water getting into the oil drums. Then, we include the water in our equipment alongside our oil, which will change the oil’s viscosity, possibly leech out some of the additives being used for protection, and can act as a catalyst for further, rapid degradation of the oil.

This simple storage and handling concept can cost our company unplanned downtime and loss to production, but by adequately training our teams to understand lubrication and some of the best practices, we can transform our facilities into world-class lubrication sites. The only way to do this is as a team working together to achieve a goal that we all understand.

 

Find out more in the full article, "Lubrication Explained: Types, Functions, and Examples" featured in Precision Lubrication Magazine by Sanya Mathura, CEO & Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd. 

by
February 5, 2025
Oil Properties

Common Lubrication Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Mistakes can happen all the time, but when we repeat them, they can become a habit or, worse, be viewed as a “best practice” within our industry. In the lubrication realm, there are a few common mistakes that occur quite frequently. In some cases, the operators may not understand or be aware of the full gravity of these mistakes. In this section, we will explore ways to avoid these mistakes.

Over-Lubrication vs. Under-Lubrication

“Some grease is better than no grease” is a common saying in the industry. However, there is such a thing as over-lubrication! Think about swimming pools. The pool usually has different levels: a minimum fill level, then a mid-tier level, and finally, the maximum level.

Over-lubrication of a bearing
Over-lubrication of a bearing

If we don’t fill it to the minimum level, it’s basically a puddle of water, not a swimming pool. We need a certain volume of water to function as a swimming pool. The same applies to our equipment.

We will under-lubricate our equipment if we do not provide enough grease or oil. In these cases, there is not enough lubricant to form the full required film to keep the two moving surfaces apart and perform all the lubricant functions. Therefore, there will be increased friction, wear, and heat, all leading to system inefficiencies.

On the other hand, if we filled the swimming pool beyond the maximum level, it would be pretty tricky for us to stand in it (while touching the bottom) or walk across the length of the pool without having lots of opposition from the water compared to walking across the length of the pool when it’s filled mid-way.

Something similar is happening with our equipment. If we over-lubricate it, we place additional stress on the components to perform extra work, as they must move on a thicker layer of lubricant, which will cause frictional losses. This can cause the equipment to heat up, leading to degradation of the lubricant and loss of efficiency.

Both over-lubrication and under-lubrication can be detrimental to your equipment. Instead, use the optimal level of lubricant, or (in the case of greases) use ultrasound to determine the required amount of grease for your application. In both cases, the ideal amount of lubricant is the volume at which the coefficient of friction is significantly lowered.

Choosing the Wrong Lubricant for the Application

Quite often, the wrong lubricant is chosen for the application. This can happen in several ways, whether unintentional or an error passed down through shift changes. Selecting the correct lubricant for your application begins with knowing the environmental and operational conditions and the equipment specifications.

Your first guide/resource should be the equipment’s OEM. They designed the equipment to perform within specific tolerance limits and can advise on the most appropriate lubricant given these tolerances. If they cannot be contacted, an alternative would be contacting your lubricant supplier to help determine the best lubricant based on their expertise with similar types of equipment in varying conditions.

Selecting the correct lubricant for your application begins with knowing the environmental and operational conditions and the equipment specifications.

Another misconception about selecting lubricants is that they should be chosen based on their initial cost. Instead, the total lifecycle cost of the lubricant should be considered, and the properties of the lubricant should also be factored into the decision-making process. The initial cost of the lubricant pales compared to the cost associated with unplanned downtimes, the short life span of the lubricant, and its disposal.

Inadequate Lubricant Storage and Handling

Lubricants should be handled with care. They can be affected by temperature, light, water, particulate, or even atmospheric contamination. They must be stored properly in a dry, clean, cool space (not exposed to the elements).

When transferring lubricants from larger containers into smaller ones, think of how you would perform this operation if you transferred blood from the blood bank to one of your family members. Would you use any container you found on the ground, or would you ensure that it is a sterilized container (needle or equipment)?

Lubricants can easily become contaminated with particulates, which can then be transferred to machines, leading to unplanned shutdowns. When transferring lubricants, it is critical to ensure that we do not introduce contaminants or transfer these contaminants to our equipment. We must keep the lubricants clean and free from contaminants.

Ignoring Environmental and Operational Conditions

Not all lubricants are created equally. Some are designed for harsher environments, while others can only function in regular operating conditions. Mineral oils can typically work in many circumstances. However, when higher temperatures or loads are involved, this may be a job more suited for a synthetic lubricant.

On the other hand, if the lubricants are geographically close to waterways or come into contact with them in any way, then these should be environmentally acceptable lubricants (EALs). Depending on the load and temperatures experienced by your equipment, your lubricant provider or OEM for the machinery can advise on the best-suited lubricant that will perform in these conditions.

Find out more in the full article, "Lubrication Explained: Types, Functions, and Examples" featured in Precision Lubrication Magazine by Sanya Mathura, CEO & Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd. 

by
February 5, 2025
Oil Properties

Lubrication Regimes: Understanding the Science of Lubrication

The primary purpose of lubrication is to create an acceptable lubricant film to sufficiently keep the two moving surfaces apart while allowing them to move with reduced friction. This is the ideal condition, but a lubricant can undergo a couple of different regimes before it achieves this full film format.

The figure below shows the overall relationship between film thickness and the related regime and the associated regime relationships with the coefficient of friction.

Stribeck curve showing the friction levels associated with the various lubrication regimes from Lubricants and Lubrication, Second, Completely Revised and Extended Edition edited by Theo Mang and Wilfried Dresel (2007)
Stribeck curve showing the friction levels associated with the various lubrication regimes from Lubricants and Lubrication, Second, Completely Revised and Extended Edition edited by Theo Mang and Wilfried Dresel (2007)

Boundary Lubrication

At startup or rest, lubricants are usually residing in the sump. For this example, let us think about a car at rest. Since the vehicle has not moved, all the oil should have been drained and settled in its sump at the bottom of the engine. When the car starts, all the parts on the inside will begin moving.

Only after it starts does the oil begin its swift journey from the bottom of the sump to all the moving parts. That means that there is a delay between the oil getting to perform its function or reaching the moving parts.

In boundary lubrication, the oil has not fully formed its film, and there isn’t adequate separation of the asperities.

During boundary lubrication, the oil has not fully formed its film, and there isn’t adequate separation of the asperities. In this state, wear can still occur, and it is in this state that most wear occurs. A similar situation occurs during equipment shutdown, where the components also experience this boundary state of lubrication.

The figure at the side shows the various film conditions. In boundary lubrication (c), the asperities touch, whereas they are fully separated in (a).

Surface-active additives are critical for boundary lubrication and become activated under certain conditions. One of the most popular additives is EP (Extreme pressure) additives, which become activated when temperatures are increased (usually as a result of increased friction).

A surface film is typically formed during boundary lubrication. This can be the result of physical adsorption (physisorption), Chemical adsorption, or Chemical reactions involving or not involving stearate.

Different regimes as it relates to the lubricant
Different regimes as it relates to the lubricant

Physical adsorption occurs under mild sliding conditions with light loads and low temperatures. Chemical adsorption (chemisorption), stronger than physisorption, occurs when fatty acids react with metals to form soaps, which may or may not be attached to the surface.

On the other hand, chemical reactions that do not involve a substrate allow for slightly stronger bonds than chemisorption. However, with phosphorus-containing compounds, the phosphorus exists in a soluble carrier molecule that degrades at elevated temperatures, plates out on the metal surfaces, and forms a phosphorus soap (typically found in the Antiwear additive packages).

The last and strongest bonds to protect the surface are the chemical reactions involving a substrate where sulfide layers are formed on the surface. These provide low friction and good adhesive wear resistance5.

Mixed Lubrication

This state of lubrication exists as the lubricant transitions between Boundary and Full-Film lubrication. Its average film thickness is less than 1 but greater than 0.01μm. Some exposed asperities and roller element bearings can still experience this state during their start-stop cycles or if they are experiencing excessive or shock loads. These thin films are exposed to high shear conditions, leading to increased temperatures and reducing the lubricants’ viscosity6.

During this state, antiwear and EP additives protect the surfaces (similar to boundary lubrication). Most lubricants transition through this phase, and the additive packages must be able to help protect the surfaces.

Hydrodynamic Lubrication

Coefficient of Friction for the various regimes
Coefficient of Friction for the various regimes

During this regime, the two surfaces are usually fully separated. They are thick hydrodynamic fluid films that tend to be more than 0.001 inches (25μm) in depth, experiencing pressures between 50-300psi7. Ideally, friction only results from the shearing forces of a viscous lubricant8.

In this state, the surfaces are conformal, meaning that the angles between the intersecting surfaces remain unchanged. It is important to remember this, as it differentiates the hydrodynamic regime from the elastohydrodynamic regime. As shown in the figure below, the coefficient of friction changes for the various regimes, with the hydrodynamic regime having the lowest value.

Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication (EHL)

One of the main defining factors with EHL is that the oil’s viscosity must increase as the pressure on the oil increases, such that a supporting film must be established at the very high-pressure contact areas. Due to the pressure of the lubricant, elastic deformation of the two surfaces in contact will occur. These films are thin, typically around 10-50 μinches (0.25 – 1.25μm).

The surfaces in EHL are non-conformal (unlike Hydrodynamic lubrication), and the asperities of the contacting surfaces do not touch. However, the high pressures can deform either of the contacting surfaces to ensure that a full fluid film is maintained. This can increase the coefficient of friction.

 

Find out more in the full article, "Lubrication Explained: Types, Functions, and Examples" featured in Precision Lubrication Magazine by Sanya Mathura, CEO & Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd. 

by
February 5, 2025
Oil Properties

Types of Lubricants and Their Applications

Not all lubricants are created equally! In fact, they need to be designed differently for the various applications in which they are to be used. Typically, the overarching classification of lubricants can fall under either oil or grease. However, there are further categorizations that also include solid lubricants and specialty lubricants, as there are many varying applications of lubricants.

Oil Lubricants: Characteristics and Uses

Most of us are very familiar with oils. They are liquid; we use them in our cars or trucks, but what are they? An oil is comprised of base oil and additives. The additives can be used to either enhance, suppress, or add new characteristics to the base oils2.

Typically, oils can be used in many different applications and provide the advantages of having various viscosities according to the application3. These can range from oils with a viscosity similar to that of water to oils as thick as tar.

One of the main advantages of using oils as lubricants is their ability to dissipate heat from the system. Since they are fluid and circulate, they can “move” heat away from specific components and even help to remove some contaminants.

Oils can be used in gasoline-engine passenger cars, diesel-engine applications, circulating systems, turbines, gear applications, hydraulics, compressors, or even natural gas engines. Each application represents a different ratio of additives to base oils, ranging from 30% (motor oils) to a mere 1% additive (turbine oils).

 

Grease Lubricants: Advantages and Limitations

While the industry is familiar with oils as lubricants, there are some places where grease works better than oils! Greases are oils to which a thickener has been added. As such, they comprise base oil, additives, and thickener. The thickener holds the oil in place, allowing it to perform its main functions of reducing friction and providing lubrication.

One of the main advantages of greases is their ability to stay in one place. Consider a bearing placed at a 90° or 180° angle. If oil were used to lubricate this, it would drain out very easily. However, grease stays in place and still ensures that lubrication occurs.

While staying in place is a major advantage of grease, there are also some disadvantages to using it. A couple of those include the fact that grease cannot transfer heat away from components and keeps contaminants in place. These can both negatively impact the equipment.

Similar to oil, grease has different viscosities as per the NLGI (National Lubricating Grease Institute). These range from a 000 (almost the consistency of oil) to a 6 (similar to that of a block) and are all made for varying applications, as shown in the figure below.

While these viscosities define the application, one must also remember that the base oil viscosity can also differ. As such, operators must be mindful of NLGI grade, base oil viscosity, and additive package when selecting an appropriate grease.

NLGI grades of grease

Solid Lubricants: When and Why to Use Them

Why do we need a solid lubricant if we already have oils and greases in different states? Particular applications make these lubricants mandatory as they are the only ones that can meet the conditions and specifications involved.

Unlike oils or greases, these solid lubricants are designed to work in one lubrication regime, boundary lubrication4 (more on this later in the article). What sets these lubricants apart is their ability to form very thin films on the surfaces of moving components, which reduces friction due to their very low shear strength.

Some examples of solid lubricants include graphite, Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS2), Boren Nitride, and Fluoropolymer (PTFE). These solid lubricants can usually be used as grease additives (such as MoS2 for greases in mining with high load, low-speed applications) or even in the space industry for dry lubricant coatings on spacecraft.

 

Find out more in the full article, "Lubrication Explained: Types, Functions, and Examples" featured in Precision Lubrication Magazine by Sanya Mathura, CEO & Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd. 

by
February 5, 2025
Oil Properties

Lubrication Explained

What is Lubrication?

Lubrication is the process of reducing friction, wear, and heat between moving surfaces by introducing a lubricating substance, such as oil or grease.

The Purpose of Lubrication

If you walk into any industrial facility, you will find lubricants. While they come in all types of textures (greases or oils), viscosities, and packaging, one thing remains true: We need them. Lubricants were designed to reduce friction as their main function. However, that’s not their only use.

Although lubricants can effectively reduce friction, they can also reduce or transfer the heat built up in machines. This only applies to oils circulated through the systems and not grease that remains in place.

Additionally, lubricants can minimize wear by providing an adequate film to separate surfaces from rubbing on each other.

The 6 Functions of a Lubricant
The 6 Functions of a Lubricant

Lubricants also help improve the efficiency of the machine by removing heat and reducing friction. They can also remove contaminants (for oils that are circulating, not grease) and transport them away from the machine’s internals. This is due to some additive technologies (such as dispersants or detergents).

Depending on the type of lubricant or its application, its function can also change. For instance, hydraulic oils are specifically used to transmit power, something that gear oils or motor oils cannot do. On the other hand, the lubricant can be considered a conduit of information if condition monitoring is considered.

Lubricants provide several functions depending on their application and environment. However, the main functions of a lubricant include reducing friction and wear, distributing heat, removing contaminants, and improving efficiency.

How Lubrication Reduces Friction and Wear

At the heart of lubrication is the main function of overcoming friction. When two parts move or two surfaces rub against each other, microscopic projections called asperities exist. Even on what appears to be smooth surfaces, asperities exist, and when these move over each other, friction is produced, which in turn can generate heat and cause wear.

Wear can typically occur in various forms, but in many of these, the touching of the asperities serves as the trigger point for wear to occur.

This is where lubricants really make a statement. They serve to provide a barrier between the two surfaces, almost allowing them to float over each other seamlessly. As such, friction is reduced once the asperities are kept apart, and this even influences a reduction in the occurrence of wear.

Wear can typically occur in various forms, but in many of these, the touching of the asperities serves as the trigger point for wear to occur. With the presence of the appropriate viscosity of lubricants, these asperities can be kept apart, and the occurrence of wear can be diminished significantly.

The Role of Lubrication in Preventive Maintenance

As we have noted above, proper lubrication can help to prevent wear. This is one of the many characteristics which make it ideally suited as a tool for preventive maintenance.

As defined, preventive maintenance can help maintenance professionals schedule time-based tasks / prescribed intervals1. Any maintenance manual will include prescribed intervals at which lubricants should be changed (typically after 500 hours or 5000km).

OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) defined these intervals as general guidelines for machine operators. This gives operators an idea of the lubricant’s expected life or the duration after which it would no longer be able to perform its functions adequately. By changing the lubricants at these intervals, one could avoid unplanned downtime.

Another aspect of lubrication associated with preventive maintenance is relubrication intervals. In some machines, there are minimum required reservoir levels that need to be maintained.

However, depending on the system, there may be some expected loss of lubricants during its lifetime. As such, relubrication intervals can help prevent unwanted downtime by injecting new oil or grease (with fresh additives) and maintaining the required reservoir levels.

Find out more in the full article, "Lubrication Explained: Types, Functions, and Examples" featured in Precision Lubrication Magazine by Sanya Mathura, CEO & Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd. 

by
February 5, 2025
Storage & Handling of Lubricants

What are the Benefits of Oil Consolidation?

There are many benefits to the consolidation of lubricants, but here are a few that stand out:

Reduced Cost of Inventory

For warehouses that stock many types of lubricants, there is a cost attached to holding these high stock levels, especially when the lubricants will not be consumed as quickly. However, with a consolidated stock, these levels can deplete at a faster rate than the specialty one or two lubricants, which may be used occasionally by certain assets. This helps to reduce the overall holding cost of the stock.

Reduced Human Error

With lubricants from many different suppliers, it is very easy for someone to get confused and use the wrong lubricant in the wrong application. This can lead to unplanned downtime and a possible flush of the entire system, depending on the level of cross-contamination. However, with a consolidated stock, the risks associated with humans utilizing the wrong lubricant become minimized.

Reduced HSE Risks

When removing a drum of oil from storage, a forklift may be required (depending on the location). If there were different products from various suppliers, it may be difficult to access the ones needed or may require extra work to remove the additional drums from the other suppliers before the operators gain access to the lubricant they need. With a consolidated stock, it would be easier to access the lubricant needed, and there would be less risk associated with removing it from stock.

There are various types of handling procedures associated with the different lubricants. As such, more procedures will be involved for disposing and handling various oils. This can also increase the HSE risk if someone is not fully aware of how to handle specific lubricants. With a consolidated stock, the HSE personnel will not have as many procedures to be aware of when handling these lubricants.

Reduced Operational Costs

Personnel would no longer be required to handle all the invoicing and payments of several lubricant suppliers for the various brands. This will reduce the hours the accounting department spends on the necessary paperwork and bank transactions for several vendors. Additionally, warehouse personnel will not be tasked with receiving products several times a day from the various suppliers and producing the accompanying paperwork. This can reduce the overall operational costs.

There are many benefits to the consolidation of lubricants, especially in our facilities, but it begins with understanding if we are using them in the correct application or if we’re using an over-specified lubricant in a lower-tiered application. Auditing your facility will assist in making this process easier, as noted above. We all have our role to play in consolidating lubricants to ensure that we have a safer, more efficient plant.

References

ASQ. (2024, October 19). What are the Five S’s (5S) of Lean. Retrieved from American Society for Quality: https://asq.org/quality-resources/lean/five-s-tutorial

 

Find out more in the full article, "Oil Consolidation Reimagined: The 5S Method for Smarter Lubrication Practices" featured in Precision Lubrication Magazine by Sanya Mathura, CEO & Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd. 

by
December 15, 2024
Storage & Handling of Lubricants

What are the Other S Factors: The 5S Methodology?

The remaining 4 S factors can also be included in our journey to improve the overall quality of our approach to machinery lubrication. Once we have “Sorted” our lubricants by making sure we have what is necessary, we can move on to “Set these in order.”

In this step, we can ensure that all the types of lubricants are stored in a clean, dry, cool place away from water, direct sunlight, or drastic temperature changes. We can also observe the “FIFO” rules, where the first lubricant that enters the warehouse is also the first to leave and be used in the equipment. Additionally, we can have lists stating the assets in which the assigned oils are to be used and place matching tags on the equipment and dispensing containers to reduce mix-ups of the wrong lubricant being used.

The third “S” talks about “Shine,” which relates to keeping the work area clean. We can also apply this to our oils with the dispensing equipment, making sure we use clean, dedicated dispensing bottles, not the fancy, galvanized, open-top containers where someone showed off their welding skills. Those galvanized containers are huge sources of contamination, which will degrade our lubricants at a faster rate.

With the fourth “S”, the process of “Standardizing” is used. This was incorporated in the first “S” during our sorting session, where we grouped similar lubricants and standardized them for various applications.

The last “S” is to “Sustain” or make the 5S process a habit. This would involve performing audits every year to ascertain if any new lubricants entered the facility and if they, in turn, should be consolidated with others that perform the same function.

Find out more in the full article, "Oil Consolidation Reimagined: The 5S Method for Smarter Lubrication Practices" featured in Precision Lubrication Magazine by Sanya Mathura, CEO & Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd. 

by
December 15, 2024
Storage & Handling of Lubricants

Let’s “Sort’ This Out: The 5S Methodology

When walking into many facilities, there are usually a lot of oil drums, buckets, or items used for lubrication scattered all over the facility. However, some facilities are fully equipped, nicely stocked, and have dedicated lube rooms. The first step in our process is determining what is needed and what is not.

In this case, the best place to start is with an inventory list developed by physically identifying the items on the plant. If this is the first time this exercise is being conducted, then it is critical to perform this check in person rather than rely on the information entered into the CMMS (if one exists). Sometimes, not all the information may have been captured in the CMMS when it was entered initially.

A good idea would be to divide the plant into various sections and perform your audit one section at a time. It would be ideal to note the following during your audit:

  • Name of the lubricant (for example, Turbo S4GX)
  • OEM (for example, Shell)
  • Viscosity grade (ISO 46)
  • Expiry date (use this opportunity to find out if you have expired lubricants in stock)
  • Quantity (use this opportunity to find out if the inventory levels are accurately reflected in your CMMS).

Armed with this information, we can correlate this to the equipment needing the associated lubricant. In this instance, we can compile an asset listing and assign which lubricants are used for the respective assets. With the asset listing, we should also identify the oil requirements for the specified component. This way, we can develop a table similar to Table 2 below.

Table 2: Sample table to compile asset and lubricant information
Table 2: Sample table to compile asset and lubricant information

With the information collected in Table 2, we can easily sort through the lubricants we have in use and match them back to the requirements of the assets. This is where we can identify if we have duplicated products or products that serve the same function but are represented by different brands. This is the beginning of the consolidation process.

If you enter this information electronically, it will be easy to sort. You can group similar applications together and then compare the application’s requirements to the current lubricant. This will help you determine if you are using a highly specialized lubricant for an ordinary application or if the incorrect lubricant was used from inception!

This exercise will be fundamental in gauging your lubrication requirements and then allow you to consolidate some of the lubricants in use. For instance, if there are five different applications of gear oil and many types of oil, we would need to determine if all the listed lubricants are entirely necessary. See Table 3 below and determine if we need these five types of gear oil.

Table 3: Listing of various gear oils and their assets
Table 3: Listing of various gear oils and their assets

We can begin with the types of oils listed; some have varying viscosities, while others are food grade, and the rest are not. We can include this in a summary table, as seen in Table 4:

Table 4: List of gear lubricants and their descriptions
Table 4: List of gear lubricants and their descriptions

Table 4 shows that GB 1005, GB-4005 & GB-4008 all require the same type of oil, a food-grade ISO 220 mineral gear oil. Then why do we have three different types of oils that match the exact description? We can consolidate this oil into just one food-grade ISO 220 mineral gear oil brand. Ideally, the choice will be based on the supplier relationship, the availability of the product, and other cost factors, including delivery to the site.

We can also see that GB-2009 and GB-3003 require a non-food grade ISO 460 oil; however, one is synthetic, and the other is mineral. In this case, we can review our asset specifications and determine if a synthetic was required or if a mineral oil is preferred for these applications.

In this case, we could be using a higher-specification product and paying a lot more when the asset does not require it. This decision could have occurred in the past when synthetic oil was the only available grade of oil for that component, and it was ordered from the supplier to keep the plant running. However, if we consolidate these two, then we could go with a regular mineral non-food grade ISO 460 oil for both applications.

By understanding our applications and where we’re using these oils, we’ve just cut down our list of 5 gear lubricants to 2 gear lubricants! These will be much easier to manage in our inventory than keeping track and ordering from 5 different suppliers.

Additionally, your staff will have less to worry about as they know which specific oil is for the ISO 220 grades and which one is for the ISO 460 grades, making it less complicated and reducing some human errors.

Find out more in the full article, "Oil Consolidation Reimagined: The 5S Method for Smarter Lubrication Practices" featured in Precision Lubrication Magazine by Sanya Mathura, CEO & Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd. 

by
December 15, 2024
Storage & Handling of Lubricants

Oil Consolidation Reimagined: The 5S Method for Smarter Lubrication Practices

When we walk into a pharmacy, there are thousands of items. Some of them do the same job but have different names and price points, while others are specialty items designed to solve a particular problem at a slightly elevated price point. Some of these may not be readily available in all pharmacies. Machinery lubricants adopt a similar type of pattern.

There are various OEMs on the market that all produce finished lubricants. Some of the majors are Shell lubricants, ExxonMobil, Total, and Castrol, while there are other niche producers who handle very specific markets. Like the pharmacy, where numerous choices solve the same issue, we have machinery lubricants from different suppliers who meet most of the standard specifications or specialty-grade products.

Each supplier will have a proprietary blend that comes from an invested amount of Research and Development into their product to produce something that meets international equipment specifications and regulatory standards.

Does this mean that one product is better than the other, or does it mean that all hydraulic oils (for instance) are the same? This depends on the application.

The hydraulic oil used to top up the compactor of a garbage truck with several leaks will not be the same hydraulic oil that we use for a critical hydraulic system in a power plant, which requires fire-resistant oil. We can also compare the engine oil used for a 40-year-old regular car to that of the engine oil used in a McLaren race car on race day.

Different applications have varying risks associated with them, as well as performance expectations; this is what sets certain lubricants apart.

The 5S Methodology

While some may be familiar with the 5S methodology of lean principles, this may be the first time others have heard of its existence. In essence, these principles help to maintain quality standards within the workplace. As per (ASQ, 2024), 5S is a quality tool derived from 5 Japanese terms used to create a workplace suited for visual control and lean production. The 5 pillars and their translations are listed in Table 1 below.

Table 1: 5S definitions (ASQ, 2024)
Table 1: 5S definitions (ASQ, 2024)

We can use these principles to adopt a leaner approach to lubricant consolidation in our facilities. This way, we ensure that our operators have a clean, manageable workplace when handling lubricants. The 5S method can give us a better overall view of what happens in our lubricant storage areas.

Find out more in the full article, "Oil Consolidation Reimagined: The 5S Method for Smarter Lubrication Practices" featured in Precision Lubrication Magazine by Sanya Mathura, CEO & Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd. 

by
December 15, 2024
Oil Properties / Storage & Handling of Lubricants

Storage and Handling & Advancements in Hydraulic oils

Hydraulic systems have smaller clearances than many. As such, it is imperative that these oils be kept clean and free from any debris. Most hydraulic components have a required ISO 4406 rating that should be met to ensure that the oils do not allow foreign particles to enter as these can easily clog the clearances and cause the system to stop working.

Chevron Lubricants produced a document that compiles some ISO 4406 codes for various types of industrial off highway equipment, which also includes the hydraulic standards. It noted the recommended ISO Cleanliness for John Deere hydraulic Excavators can be ≤23/21/16, this can be found here (Chevron Lubricants, 2015).

Hydraulic oils should be pre-filtered before being placed in your equipment even though there are filters on the inside of the equipment by reducing the amount of contamination entering the system from the onset, you can ensure a longer life for your hydraulic oil. Hydraulic oils should also be stored in closed containers not those that are left open to the atmosphere!

Advancements in Hydraulic Oils

According to (Fitzpatrick & Thom, 2021), the hydraulic oil market was approximately worth USD 77.5 billion by the end of 2021. Mobile hydraulics account for 65% of the market while industrial equipment represents 35% of the market. Clearly, the larger market share exists for mobile hydraulics. However, OEMs are also moving towards smaller oil sumps with longer oil drain intervals that can impact on the volume of hydraulics needed periodically.

Changes by OEMs also impact the formulation of hydraulic oils. For instance, if a smaller sump is used then, the hydraulic oil must now be able to cool faster, transport the same (or larger) force and maintain the intended viscosity of operation while being under greater stress. In these cases, the additive packages involving the antiwear, thermal stability, viscosity index improvers, defoamants and dispersants must be formulated to work in unison without compromising the other.

There have been changes in additive technology that allow for larger tolerances for various characteristics but while additives are evolving, the refining of base oils is also trying to keep up. With all of these evolutions, the chemical composition of hydraulic oil today vastly differs from one created in the 1950s. The requirements of hydraulic oil have also greatly evolved, forcing these changes in formulation.

Hydraulic oils today need to provide longer oil drain intervals, better stick/slip characteristics, increased efficiency, improved conductivity and wear performance and an added level of sustainability. Formulators need to create hydraulic oils that can adhere to these characteristics while also not infringing on regulatory requirements. This makes hydraulic oils one of the most powerful types of oils because they must conform to these requirements while also transferring force from one place to another.

References

Chevron Lubricants. (2015, January 24). Chevron Lubricants Latin America. Retrieved from Chevron Lubricants: https://latinamerica.chevronlubricants.com

Fitzpatrick, A., & Thom, M. (2021, November 08). How the Global Hydraulic Fluid Market Is Changing—And What It Means for the Future. Retrieved from Power Transmission Engineering: https://www.powertransmission.com/blogs/1-revolutions/post/189

Mang, T., & Dresel, W. (2007). Lubricants and Lubrication Second Edition. Weinheim: WILEY-VCH.

Pirro, D. M., Webster, M., & Daschner, E. (2016). Lubrication Fundamentals, Third Edition Revised and Expanded, ExxonMobil. Boca Raton: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group.

Find out more in the full article, "Are Hydraulic oils the most Powerful oils?" featured in Equipment Today Magazine by Sanya Mathura, CEO & Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd. 

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December 15, 2024