Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1433576
42 | November - December 2021 | www . machinerylubrication.com Wes Cash | Noria Corporation ENERGY CONSERVATION, HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT Factor: E1P Learn More: noria.com/ascend/ Factor: E1P — Energy Conser- vation, Health & Environmental Impact Level: Platform (P) Stage: Energy Conservation, Health & Environment About: Companies should care- fully monitor their energy conservation, health & environmental impact as new and used lubricants can cause significant damage when not disposed of responsibly, and every country has different environmental regulations. More about this ASCEND ™ Factor Conserving Energy with These 6 Lubrication Practices We feel the impact of decreased efficiency in many ways. In our personal lives, it is paying more at the gas pump or seeing a rise in our monthly electric bill. For industrial facilities, this impact is magnified across the total amount of equipment running in the plant. Simple mistakes can result in massive amounts of excess energy consumption and increased wear of mechanical parts. By just modifying a few items and ensuring you are doing the correct things from the beginning, you can be well on your way to recouping some of these costs. These six items can help you save on your energy costs: Selecting the wrong viscosity, either too high or too low, can lead to issues and enhance energy costs. Too high, and you will be churning through excess fluid friction; too low, and mechanical friction between machine parts increases. Ideally, we will be at the optimal zone where we have completely sepa- rated the operating surfaces but not added a significant strain on the driving part. This is the most common mismatch between a lubricant and a machine: the selection of the wrong viscosity. CORRECT VISCOSITY 1 The majority of equipment in industrial facilities are wet sumps and splash-lubricated. Grease- filled components fall into this category as well. When excess lubricant is applied, it creates more material for the machine to move through, which in turn decreases efficiency. This is like walking along the beach in water that is ankle-deep compared to waist-deep; don't waste energy churning through lubricant that isn't needed. Ensure all machines have a way to inspect the proper lubricant level and only regrease components with the appropriate amount rather than purging them. CORRECT VOLUME 2 The type of base oil used in the finished lubricant can af fect long-term energy savings. Most of the savings are related to how well the molecules of lubricants can slide past each other. With lower refined lubricants, there can be millions of combinations of molecular shapes and sizes, which impacts their ability to move relative to each other. In a highly refined mineral or synthetic oil, on the other hand, the molecules repeat and move more easily past one another. While these savings may be slight, they will add up over time, especially when multiplied across many machines. CORRECT BASE OIL 3