greater if the operator only incurred rebuild
costs and not replacement costs.
Please note that the oil change interval
was dependent upon how much the oper-
ator trammed or propelled the shovel. A
long-distance tram generally requires an
immediate oil change. Effective lubrication
programs target and monitor specific
failure modes, but there is no standard
package applicable to "big iron."
Many other practices can also be profit-
able, such as offline oil filtration, using oil
sampling ports, adding desiccant breathers
and utilizing magnetic filtration for circu-
lating oil systems often found on draglines
and shovels. Whether you have "big iron"
or normal-sized machinery, knowing the
limitations of the technology used to
monitor your asset health and tailoring
your maintenance activities to overcome
these limitations will be paramount in
achieving success.
About the Author
Brian Groff is a senior mining engineer
and consultant for Continental Placer, which
has been providing ser vices to the mining and
industrial minerals community since 1988.
Brian has more than 17 years of practical
experience in zinc, salt, coal, limestone and
aggregates, and has visited more than 100
mines worldwide.
12
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March - April 2017
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www.machinerylubrication.com
COVER STORY
BASELINE (BUSINESS
AS USUAL)
EFFECTIVE LUBRICATION
PROGRAM
Cost of new gear-
cases (per year)
$800,000 $320,000
Cost of oil replace-
ments (per year)
$28,000 $42,000
Total $828,000 $362,000
Whatever clean technologies the future
brings, lubricants will continue to play a key
role. For innovative industrial lubricants that
extend service life and enhance performance,
look to lubricants formulated with NUFLUX
™
technology from Evonik.
Aim high — Let it flow.
Fresh air.
To learn more,
scan the QR
code or visit
evonik.com/
oil-additives.
Comparing the costs of business as usual with the costs of an effective lubrication program