Efficient Plant June 2021 - 21

feature | lubrication solutions
contamination-induced failures?
S Right dryness: Are you keeping moisture/
humidity out of your systems during normal
operation?
S Right temperature: Are you maintaining
optimum temperatures for your systems?
To achieve the 5Rs, you need to look at all
aspects of your lubrication practices, starting
with lubricant selection. Th ere's nothing
more fundamental to lubrication success
than making sure you use the correct lubricant
yet, repeatedly, I see the wrong oil or
grease being used. Most mistakes occur due
to a lack of understanding (oil is oil, grease
is grease), which can be remedied through
training, or through attempts to consolidate
lubricants. Particularly troublesome
is grease selection and an over reliance on
multipurpose grease, a topic covered in my
June 2020 article, Know Your Kappa Values,
p. 18 and effi cientplantmag.com/2020/06/
know-your-kappa-values/.
If you haven't conducted a lubricant
survey in a while, it might be time to do
so. Most lubricant suppliers can help, you
may choose to do this yourself, or contract
a third party to conduct the survey. Either
way, it is mission critical to create a database
that indicates which oil or grease should be
used in each machine based on load, speed,
and environment.
STORAGE AND HANDLING
Once the correct lubricant has been selected,
make sure you store and handle lubricants
appropriately. Most new oils, whether
purchased in bulk, tote, or drum, do not
meet even the most basic cleanliness targets
for critical assets.
As such, a quality lubrication system
should include the ability to pre-fi lter
new oils prior to use and a means to store
oils and greases in such a way that their
cleanliness, dryness, and physical/chemical
properties are preserved. Developing
precision storage and handling practices is
JUNE 2021
fundamental to success because any defi -
ciencies potentially aff ect every lubricated
asset in the plant.
Th e purpose of fi ltering new oil prior to
use is to remove the particles and moisture
that cause 60% to 80% of all lubricationrelated
failures in a typical plant. Contamination
control, however, goes beyond just
fi ltering new oil. Ensure that parts storage is
optimized, eliminate as many intrusive PMs
as possible (pulling dipsticks to check oil
level), design equipment to exclude contaminants
through proper breathers and seal
management, and use appropriate fi ltration
to control particle and moisture levels inside
oil sumps and reservoirs.
Since most OEMs do not routinely
confi gure equipment to permit precision
lubrication in conjunction with contamination
control, critical assets may need to
be modifi ed. Equipment modifi cations can
include adding a visual sight glass or level
gauge, installing oil sample ports in the
correct location, adding a desiccant breather
to control particle and moisture ingression,
and adding quick connects to permit offl ine
fi ltration or non-intrusive addition of oil.
For grease lubrication in particular, take
the time to identify the correct re-greasing
quantity and frequency. It's unrealistic to
expect a lube technician-even if trained-
to intuitively know how many pumps of
grease a bearing needs, and how oſt en.
Th e engineering work to calculate the
correct amount and frequency is straightforward
but requires that someone does this
work upfront and enters the information
into work schedules and PM instructions.
Th is is particularly important for electric
motors and direct-coupled bearings where
higher speeds mean that imprecise lubrication
will have a far greater impact.
All lubrication PMs, whether they're for
greasing motor bearings or checking and
changing oil, should be designed such that
the work that needs to be done is captured
in the form of work plans and procedures
that are executed at the right time interval.
Building lubrication PMs into effi cient
lubrication routes, based on location, scheduling
interval, and task type, help insure
effi cient execution of daily, weekly, and
monthly PMs.
Even the most well-engineered lubrication
program can regress over time. Th is
is where basic inspection and oil-analysis
practices come into play. Inspection check
sheets that include simple tasks such as
checking oil levels, inspecting for leakage,
monitoring the breather condition, and/
or checking diff erential pressure across a
fi lter element, are a vital fi rst line of defense
against complacency.
Sampling critical oil-lubricated assets
on a monthly basis not only provides an
early warning of possible machine failure
but provides feedback and validation that
the lubrication quality system is having the
desired eff ect. Oil analysis is really about
asking, " Are the 5Rs working as intended? "
Finally, adding real-time feedback
through the adoption of technologies such
as ultrasound to check re-grease volumes, or
sensors to remotely monitor the health and
cleanliness of the oil in critical assets, can
add a layer of precision. Note that technology
should not be added at the expense of
fundamental lubrication practices. Technology
is an enabler, not a silver bullet.
For rotating and reciprocating equipment,
good lubrication is the cornerstone of asset
reliability. You cannot train your way to
success. Successful lubrication requires an
investment in People Quality and System
Quality. You can't have one without the
other. EP
Mark Barnes, CMRP, is Senior Vice President
at Des-Case Corp., Goodlettsville, TN
(descase.com). He has 21 years of experience
in lubrication management, oil analysis, and
contamination control.
EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM | 21
https://www.efficientplantmag.com/2020/06/know-your-kappa-values/ http://www.descase.com http://www.EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM
Efficient Plant June 2021

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