Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1316458
ML www . machinerylubrication.com | November - December 2020 | 13 ML ese factors are made up of criteria that guide how lube rooms should be constructed, procedures for how they should be received and best practices for lubricant management. ere is a lot of depth to these factors, but for now let's take a broad over- view of them. R1P – Quality Control Process With the high demand for products these days, machines need to run longer, faster and in some cases both at once in extreme conditions with as little downtime as possible. One way this can be achieved is to ensure that every time we add lubricants to a machine, these lubricants are healthy and ready to perform. One of the most common misconceptions about lubricants is that new oil is clean oil. In fact, this is often not the case. Many new lubricants are still too dirty to put in any machine. Lubricant cleanliness is one of many reasons why the quality control process should start before lubricants ever arrive on a site's receiving dock. ere are many steps to ensure you are getting healthy lubricants each time you receive them. Agreements with the lubricant supplier should state the lubricant cleanliness expectations, overall lubricant performance properties and how lubricants should be delivered. Once lubricants arrive, checks and verifications should be performed on the packages and oil analysis might even be performed to gain more understanding about the lubri- cants condition. A quality control process is put in place to ensure that all lubricants delivered are ready to perform. In the end, it costs less to have clean quality lubricants delivered than to have dirty lubricants arrive and try to filter them onsite. A plan should also be put in place for when lubricants don't meet the plant's criteria and must be sent back to the vendor. R2P Lubricant Storage & Room It is often said that the heart of any lube program is the lube room. If a lube room is in disarray and bad practices are in place, you can bet that the same is true of the overall program. As stated earlier, if a lubri- cant makes it onsite in good condition but the lube room storage practices expose it to contaminants, then all previous efforts have been wasted. All tasks performed inside the lube room should have procedural steps to safeguard against this potential problem. When a plant is built, the lube room is generally not the number one priority. Consequently, lubricants are sometimes stored outside and scattered throughout the site. Lubricant storage areas should be able to keep a lubricant cool, clean and dry at all times. is may include adding climate control to keep lubricants at certain temperatures and adding walls or roofs to keep contaminants out. Generally, clean- liness and proper storage of all lubrication related tools are also key requirements of a top-notch lube room. R3P Lubrication Safety Practices As with all other work performed onsite, safety should be considered a priority in a lubrication program. Before almost any job is performed, technicians go through training and may even fill out job safety analysis sheets. Lubrication related equipment can be very dangerous. For instance, a grease gun can create up to 15,000 pounds of pressure and if the hose of the grease gun bursts, a grease injection injury can occur. Another portion of personnel safety that should be considered is the methods used to move lubricants around the lube room, such as forklifts and barrel dollies, to prevent personnel injury. Every lubricant being stored in the lube room should have an SDS (Safety Data Sheet) readily available that will list the hazards of the product and safety precautions to follow. is will also give information such as the composition of a lubricant, first aid and firefighting measures. Lubricants stored inside the lube room should be clearly labeled so personnel know which SDS corresponds with a partic- ular lubricant. Sufficient spill containment equipment should be kept in the lube room to be able to properly stop and clean up lubricant spills. As spill containment and general safety practices impact the health of the people and the environment, these are also reviewed in the final Lifecycle Stage (see this issue's article: Saving Energy, Money, and the Environment with Ascend, pg 28 for more). R4M Inventory Management Lubricants, like many other things, have a shelf life. After an extended period of time some lubricants may not meet intended performance requirements. Controlling inventory and having minimum and maximum volumes set up will help mitigate this. When lubricants arrive onsite, they should be labeled with the date on which they arrive. FIFO (First in First Out) storage methods should also be closely followed. is method brings older lubricants to the front of the line so they can be used first and keeps the newly arrived lubricants towards the back. Lubricants should have a predefined shelf life and a procedure should be put in place that addresses what to do if a lubricant is stored onsite longer than its shelf life.