Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1080534
CASE STUDY 12 | January - February 2019 | www . machinerylubrication.com with no partition between them. e first compartment is a dispensing station with 12 color-coded lines. Each line is equipped with pumps, filters and a desiccant breather. To minimize cross-contamination, each line is assigned to one type of lubricant and color- coded to correspond to the color of the oil transfer container. Oil Analysis ere was also room for improvement in the YCC oil analysis program. Preventive maintenance (PM) had been the dominant maintenance strategy. Oil was changed based on the PM schedule regardless of the oil's condition or whether it was a mineral oil or a synthetic. Typically, the oil was changed once a year. Sixty-six machines were included in the oil analysis program, as they were considered critical equipment in the production process. Criticality was defined by the machine's impact on the production process. In 2017, the improved oil ana lysis program helped to extend the service life of oil in the hydraulic cooler, the cement mill's main drive gearbox and three kiln gearboxes. e table on page 11 shows the contributions of the oil analysis program in maintenance cost savings for 2017. Lubricant Consolidation Lubricant consolidation can be chal- lenging, especially for a plant with two running production lines constructed by different companies. e most important rule in lubricant consolidation is that it be done without compromising equipment reliability or efficiency. Yanbu Cement began by conducting an internal audit of select lubricants and their applications. One successful audit was performed on the hydraulic systems of an autoloader in the packing house. An auto- loader is a machine designed to automatically load full bags of cement into a truck. e first plant owned eight autoloader machines with 4,000 liters of type "A" oil required annually. e second plant had 12 autoloader machines with 6,000 liters of type "B" lubricant required each year. After studying the machines and consulting with the lubricant supplier and the equipment manufacturer, YCC was able LUBRICANT ANNUAL REQUIREMENT LITER COST TOTAL COST Lubricant "A" 4,000 liters $1.30 $5,200 Lubricant "B" 6,000 liters $3.20 $19,200 Total 10,000 liters $24,400 LUBRICANT ANNUAL REQUIREMENT LITER COST TOTAL COST Lubricant "A" 10,000 liters $1.30 $13,000 Annual Hydraulic Lubricant Costs $30,000 Before Consolidation After Consolidation $25,000 $15,000 $20,000 $10,000 $5,000 $0 $24,400 $13,000 Before Consolidation After Consolidation to One Lubricant The lubrication unit is equipped with a trolley for shifting drums. Now, 12 color-coded lines have a dedi- cated pump and filter. Each line also has a flow meter to indicate the remaining oil in the drum. The previous lubricant handling station was in an open area, and lubricant con- tainers were filled via dedicated drums using funnels.