Efficient Plant December 2017 - 31

feature | lubrication strategies
process. Being aware of the "in
respected delivery system
service" consequence can not
on the market, although
only make the operational effort
it does require up-front
much more efficient when the
system engineering that is
machine goes into service, but
usually included in the cost
can also increase the asset life
of the system.
cycle and reduce downtime inciUnfortunately, even with
dences and associated costs for
a lubrication-savvy designer
the life of the machine.
who has specified a state-ofDepending on the machine's
the-art fully centralized and
design, bearing lubrication may
automated lubrication-debe performed using oil, grease, or
livery system, all can be
both. Oil is prevalent with closed
changed with the stroke of a
gearboxes, high temperature, and
pen. Lubrication systems, as
high-speed bearing applications.
inexpensive as they are, are
Grease systems are usually less
much more expensive than
expensive and more common.
grease nipples and are an
Here are some pros and cons of
easy sacrifice when spirala number of popular lubrication
ing project costs need to be
application methods:
reined in.
S Manual delivery: This is your
With any type of oil30-cent grease nipple attached
lubrication system, ensure
to each bearing point. The pro
that oil reservoirs have easyside is its minimal cost and
to-read site-level gauges
minimum design requirement.
installed, desiccant-style
The cons are uncontrolled
breathers, filters with go/no
delivery-too much, too little;
go change indicators, and a
bearing access problems; and
contamination-controlled
an increased chance of contamfill system. If you already
ination/cross contamination
employ a lubrication stanTo actuate the manual pump, located inside the machine envelope on the back
from dirty grease-gun tips and
dard(s) in the plant, ensure
wall, requires the machine to be stopped and locked out. In situations such as this,
non-identifiable grease tubes in
that the new design comlubrication is rarely done properly, if at all. Photo courtesy EngTech Industries
the grease gun.
plies with your standard so
S Single-point auto lubricator:
as to minimize spare parts
Newer versions are programmaand dual-line injector systems: Systems
and training requirements.
ble, refillable, can be used for oil or grease,
can be used for oil or grease delivery and
Always try to install the lubrication pump
and develop enough pressure to move an
require little up-front engineering while
and controller at or outside the working
eight-point divider valve, all for an investoffering built-in control flexibility at each
perimeter of the machine envelope. This
ment of just a few hundred dollars. These
injector point. Unfortunately, good features
allows the lubricator to be filled, tested, and
are well suited for existing applications
can also be detrimental, especially when
maintained without the need to shut down
with minimum point requirements and
flexible also means tamperable, i.e., easy
and lock out the machine.
out-of-the-way single points, but are still
adjustments that allow non-experts, with
If you have any load on your machine
considered "throw away" lubricators that,
the best of intentions, to starve or overbearings you will require a lubrication stratin the end, cost many times more than a
grease bearings.
egy and need to choose a lubricant-delivery
traditional automated-pump system.
S Centralized automated progressive
method. Choosing one is much cheaper and
S Centralized automated single-line
divider system: This is probably the most
easier at the design stage. An automated

DECEMBER 2017

EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM |

http://www.EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Efficient Plant December 2017