7 Jul

Lubricants – Important for a long machine life

By using lubricants, engine and machine performance becomes more efficient and the service life is extended.

A lubricant is any substance placed between surfaces to decrease friction and wear. Sometimes, lubricants are used as electrical insulators, coolants, cleaning agents and even as rust preventatives. It is believed that lubrication systems were used first in ancient Egypt where in olive oil was used to help move large objects.  Oil was used on the axles of chariots and other transport vehicles for centuries. The usage of oil as lubricants goes back to 1400 BC where it is was used to dissipate heat and also prevent it. Operation was easier, wheels turned more freely and it was identified as machine lubrication.

This was followed by the Chinese developing a friction-reducing mixture of vegetable oils. After the first oil well was drilled in Titusville, Pennsylvania in 1859, the journey of the lubricants started gaining momentum.

The development of power generation industry and the auto industry later on, presented major opportunities for lubricant manufacturers.

They worked to improve their petroleum-based lubrication systems to improve the performance of engines and other machines. Varied treatment processes were developed.

The introduction of additives helped product against corrosion. Two major things were improved – the pour point was enhanced and the viscosity was improved.

By using lubricants, engine and machine performance became more efficient and the service life extended.

As the machines got upgraded, so too the lubricants. The demands of new technology have required lubricants to improve and perform better. The 1970s saw major development in oil purification and performance, thanks to hydro processing technologies.

Crushers also need to be lubricated for better efficiency and productivity. Operating an oil lubricated crusher with old or dirty oil is no good. Rock dust may infiltrate the lube unit and contaminate the oil, if lubrication system maintenance is neglected.  To prevent unnecessary replacement of expensive crusher components, lube maintenance checks, inspections or servicing must be done.

The lube oil temperature should be monitored throughout. Supply oil temperature should be watched and compared with return oil temperature. The crusher’s normal drain line oil temperature and the normal temperature differential between supply and drain should be noted and checked for abnormalities.

Monitoring the countershaft box lube oil pressure throughout the shift is important. Low gallon per minute oil flow rate caused by a worn lube oil pump, a faulty mis-set or stuck-open main relief valve or having excessive bearing clearances within the crusher caused by bushing wear can cause a lower-than-normal lube oil pressure.

A lube oil tank return screen is fitted into the lube oil tank and the returning oil flows through this screen.  The screen prevents large contaminants from entering the lube oil tank and from being drawn into the suction line of the lube pump. Any unusual looking debris found on this screen means that investigation is essential. The oil tank return screen should be inspected daily or after every eight hours.

Maintenance is vital to ensure smooth functioning of the crushers.  Increasingly, stakeholders are depending on oil analysis as a valuable element of crusher predictive maintenance. Dirty lube oil will wear out the inside of a rock crusher. Monitoring the condition of the lubricating oil throughout its service life renders great help.

Experts say that an active drain line oil sample should be taken once per month or every 200 hours of operation and sent in for analysis.

Viscosity, oxidation, water content, particle counts and machine wear are the tests which are completed in an analysis. It is important to remember that contaminated lube oil kills crushers. The countershaft box air breather and the oil tank air breather work together to allow the crusher, oil tank and a properly pitched drain line to maintain atmospheric conditions

Clean air breathers assure unrestricted drainage of the lube oil and help to prevent dust infiltration through the head sealing arrangement. Air breathers should not be neglected and should be inspected weekly, or every 40 hours of operation and changed and cleaned.

Maharashtra-based Expert Lubricants sells stone crusher lubricants. As per their website, www.expertlubeindia.com, Expert PD GREASE is a range of lithium-based greases containing highly refined mineral oils, enhanced with the MicroFlux Trans (MFT) additive system with extreme pressure additive and high viscosity mineral base oils which forms a stable lubricant film to withstand high continuous loads, shock loads and vibrations. Due to eutectic flow caused by the special additive package, this grease gives extremely smooth surfaces resulting in minimum wear and very low co-efficient of friction. It also provides optimum wear protection under extreme loads at high or low speeds. It is recommended for Vertical Shaft Impact Crusher shaft bearing. EXPERT Special Crusher Grease possesses excellent shear stability under heavy duty service and has excellent water tolerance. Also, these greases have excellent surface adhesive property to protect bearings under shock load and vibratory conditions.

It is a high-performance grease specially formulated with highly stable chemical additives for high speed as well as medium speed operations. These special chemical additives reduce fatigue and abrasive wear considerably under extreme dynamic load conditions where operating speed sand temperatures are high. It is ideally suitable for centralized lubrication system where stable greases are required to reduce the internal friction and pumping losses. EXPERT Special Crusher Grease is highly recommended for Jaw, VSI, Pulverizes Crushers and various other crushing equipment.

Market projection The global lubricants market has been valued at USD 164.8 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach close to USD 187.9 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR 2.7% from 2022 to 2027, say industry reports. The factors supporting this growth is rapid industrialization in Asia Pacific and the Middle East and Africa in the post pandemic phase. The rise in process automation in most industries and the gradual increase in the vehicles on road are also contributing factors. The growing e-commerce industry and the demand for renewable energy act as an opportunity for the market growth. Volatile crude oil prices and stringent environmental norms are the major challenges in the market.