Unveiling Lubrication Challenges: 3 Common Issues You Might Overlook

I have been working in an industrial facility for more than 12 years and whenever I ask my colleagues in the Operation & Maintenance Group the question – “Do we have a lubrication problem on our equipment?” I always get the same answers. “Nope, we’re good” “Maybe but it’s not a big deal” or “I don’t know”.

As the famous saying goes “The first step in solving a problem is recognizing there is one”. This article discusses the most common lubrication problems that you may not be aware of and how to solve them:

1.????? Grease Misconceptions

Evidence of the application of lubricating grease can be traced as early as 2400 B.C during the ancient civilizations. But it wasn’t until the 19th century, when crude oil was discovered, that remarkable advances in lubricants including grease took place. Unfortunately, due to the fact that greasing is one of the most poorly understood concepts in machinery lubrication, myths about grease are still prevalent in the industry. Is grease different from oil? Can multi-purpose grease be used anywhere? Is red grease the best grease? These are some of the misconceptions that we will try to debunk.

Grease is Oil

Yes, grease is oil. For this reason, we have to be diligent in the selection process and handle it with the same methodical approach as oil. Like oil, the main components of a grease formulation are base oil (70 – 95%) and additives (up to 10%). The difference is greases have thickeners that act like a sponge to hold the lubricant in place. ASTM defines grease as “a solid to semifluid product of dispersion of a thickening agent in liquid lubricant”. The combination of the lubricant and thickener creates its solid to semifluid appearance that we’re all familiar with.

Multi-purpose grease is mainly a marketing term

The National Lubricating Grease Institute (NLGI), recognized worldwide as the leading authority in grease, played a significant role in the creation of grease standard for automotive greases known as ASTM D 4950. They used the term “multi-purpose” after a series of studies showed that some grease can perform well in more than 1 application. These greases were marketed and given dual certifications to signify its compliance to standard if used on the specified equipment.

However, the term was not formalized and until now, there is NO standard definition for the word “multi-purpose grease”. If you do an internet search or listen to sales representatives endorse their products, they use this term to define grease that may work in multiple applications. This is where it gets tricky. Some fall victim to this marketing strategy thinking they found the one answer to several questions, often forgetting the basic concept that grease is still oil. As such, grease selection should be treated with the same precision as oil. Try comparing multi-purpose greases and you will get varying oil viscosities, additives, thickeners, and even the type of base oil. There’s a lot to consider when choosing the right type of grease for your application.

In summary, selecting multi-purpose grease for you equipment could be more of a problem than a solution. Your machine may experience reduced efficiency and premature failure that could lead to a more serious operational and/or safety issue. My advice, be more meticulous in specifying the required grease for your equipment. This may increase the number of lubricant types in your facility, but your equipment will operate with higher efficiency and reliability.

Grease color do not impact its performance

The color of the grease should not be used as a primary tool to obtain critical technical information. The last thing you want to do is to use colors to identify which grease you need to purchase for a particular application. Manufacturer’s use them for other purposes like branding, to make them more attractive to customers, or to aid in product identification. Though some use colors to signify its general application (e.g. white for food grade, black for severe application), this may not be true to all.

The bottom line is color alone should never be used to identify grease, even within a single supplier or manufacturer. Next time, consider using these data to specify your requirement:

NLGI Grade

Thickener Type

Base Oil Type

Base Oil Viscosity

Oxidation Stability

Pumpability

Dropping Point

Rust Protection

Water-wash resistance

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2.????? New Oil is NOT Clean Oil

In most cases, your new oil can be the dirtiest oil in the plant. Whether you buy in drums/totes or in bulk, once it reaches your facility, this oil may not be fit for use on your equipment. Even if we consider the oil manufacturing plant to be the best in the world, once it leaves the factory, a lot of things can happen. During transport, road condition, weather, and other environmental factors are more than enough to compromise the integrity of the oil. And by the time it arrives, you will need to transfer it again to the storage facility for safe keeping. The longer it takes to use the oil, the higher the chance of contamination.

Say for example, the ISO cleanliness level of the oil before it left the plant was 16/14/11, which is acceptable based on your standard. Manufacturers will send you this document prior to the delivery, signifying compliance to your requirement. You tested the oil once it was inside your storage and found out that the cleanliness level is now at 22/20/18. Depending on your agreement, manufacturers can handle this for you by filtering the oil, of course for an extra charge. You can, however, buy your own filter and do it yourself to save money. A good rule of thumb is that it costs 10 times as much to remove 1 gram of contaminant once it has entered your system than it does to exclude it in the first place. So, filter the oil every time you transfer it.

3.????? Lack of standard for storing and handling lubricants

Storing Lubricants

Proper storage is your primary defense against contamination, maintaining both the shelf life and effectiveness of your lubricants. The best way to store it is to create a lube room where the environment can be controlled, with drum storage racks, transfer pumps, filter carts, spill kits, etc. Unfortunately, most industrial facilities see this as non-essential expense and do not prioritize the establishment of a lube room or even a lubricating program.

In the absence of a lube room, the first thing you have to consider is the surrounding environment. Oxidation, which is the lubricant’s natural aging process, is accelerated when oil, grease and other lubricants are exposed to extreme temperature or stored in direct sunlight. Storage should be a climate-controlled room with the drums or pails tightly sealed to prevent intrusion of contaminants.

Drums stored in vertical are susceptible to contaminants such as air, water and dust from the outside that can enter the drum through its bungs. In a way, your drum or pail “breathes” as internal pressure increases and decreases with temperature variations. Contaminants are forced into the drums when internal pressure decreases (inhale). As a remedy, store your drums horizontally placing the bungs at the 3 & 9 o’clock positions and provide drum covers.

Another thing to keep in mind is to avoid cross-contamination of lubricants. Containers should be labelled properly using shapes, colors, codes, or other methods to verify the type of lubricant in the container.

Proper Handling

When it comes to lubricant usage, first-in/first-out method should be followed to further reduce the risk of product degradation. Having accurate records of your usage rate also helps by making sure you do not stock your lubricants for too long while also preventing the possibility of shortage in case of emergencies.

When transferring from your container, use only clean tools and equipment to avoid compromising the integrity of your lubricant. Install desiccant breathers or use filtration carts with quick-connect fittings to prevent exposing your lubricant to contaminants.

Lubricant management starts with proper lubricant storage and handling. By establishing standards and diligently observing it, you can ensure the effectiveness of your lubricants and contribute to the sustainability and reliability of your equipment operation. Always remember: keep your lubricants clean, cool and dry.