Uptime Magazine - October/November 2008 - (Page 28)

lubrication upload Foundation First The Building Blocks to Creating an Effective Plant Lubrication Program by Paul Dufresne, CMRP, CPMM “Men we are going to strive for perfection, knowing full well we will never achieve it, because nothing in life is perfect. But along the way we will find excellence and excellence we will have, I will not settle for just being good.” Vince Lombardi T • • • • he goal of every lubrication program should be to ensure that all equipment receives and maintains the proper levels of lubrication such that no equipment fails due to inadequate or improper lubrication. In order for this to happen, we must follow the 5R’s of lubrication – right lubricant, right condition, right location, right amount, right frequency – are followed for each piece of equipment. Whether you are building a lubrication program from scratch or are improving on an existing one, the following four phases must be addressed in order to have an effective lubrication program that will meet your plant reliability goals. Lubrication Program Development Lubrication Program Implementation Lubrication Program Management Lubrication Program Improvement time consuming, and it may take several days or weeks to complete a plant survey. The lubrication survey is the only way of obtaining an accurate picture of current lubrication practices. It is also the basis upon which future steps in improving the lubrication program are taken. Since a general knowledge about the design of a machine is required for making decisions about its lubrication requirements, it may be necessary to make frequent references to machine drawings and OEM manuals. Select Lubricants – Once lubricants have been selected for each piece of equipment in the program, it is important to review the list and determine if there are any opportunities to reduce the total number of lubricants that will be used. Consolidate Lubricants (If applicable) – In some instances, you may find that there are only a few pieces of equipment using a particular brand or grade of lubricant, and by allowing for a change in lubricant viscosity (as long as you do not compromise the design criteria of the equipment), it is possible to eliminate the use of the lubricant entirely. Reducing the number of lubricants has the following effect on the program: • Reduces the number of lubricants that have to be purchased • Reduces the number of lubricants that have to be stored • Reduces the chance for mis-application and cross contamination • Reduces the number of lubricants that have to be documented and controlled as part of environmental compliance Develop a Lubrication Manual – The rationale behind creating a lubrication manual is to have all pertinent lubrication information gathered in one place. After all the time and effort expended to locate and collect the data, it is worthwhile to consolidate that information into an electronic lubrication manual so it can be easily referenced by all plant personnel over time. Also, by having an electronic lubrication manual your program can become a living organism. If any change needs to be made, like a change in supplier or consolidation, the changes can be october/november 2008 Lubrication Program Development Phase The lubricant development phase is where the rubber meets the road, or in other words, the sweat equity of the program is developed. In this phase you will need to accomplish all of the following tasks: Develop an Equipment List – The purpose of creating an equipment list is to develop a preliminary list of equipment that will be included in the lubrication program. Before a plant can begin implementing a lubrication program, it is necessary to create or obtain a current list of all equipment that requires lubrication. This list should include all types of equipment requiring lubrication, not just the usual pumps, motors and compressors. Resources for this information include your Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), Plant Maintenance Files, Piping & Instrument Diagrams and also a physical survey of the plant. At a minimum, the main output from this process should be equipment identification name, number and process description. Conduct Lubrication Survey – The lubrication survey will consist of a detailed lubrication inspection of all plant equipment. Each machine will be studied and its related characteristics recorded. Obtaining this information is 28

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Uptime Magazine - October/November 2008

Uptime Magazine - October/November 2008 Contents Upfront Upclose: An Asset Management Oasis in the Desert Information Technology: Streamlining Through Simplicity Lubrication: Phases for Framing a Solid Foundation Infrared: Do Your Homework Before You Buy Maintenance Management: Get It Together by Getting Together Motor Testing: Key Elements in Motor Decision Making Precision Maintenance: Shedding Some Light on Tolerances Reliability: RCM & the Mortgage Meltdown Ultrasound: A Multidimensional Tool Vibration: The Whirling Pump Mystery, Solved with ODS Upgrade: Are You Looking in the Right Place for Your Wear Debris?

Uptime Magazine - October/November 2008

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