Lube-Tips Newsletter
           

Free Subscription to Practicing Oil Analysis
Practicing Oil Analysis

 

Free Subscription to Reliable Plant
Reliable Plant

 

Are Your Sumps Accessorized for Lubrication Excellence?

On February 26, 2003 we asked:

"Storing and dispensing lubricants correctly is challenging, but keeping reservoir lubricants fit for service once they've been introduced into the machine is a whole other ballgame.

Preparing machine reservoirs and sumps for contamination control, inspection and oil sampling requires a lot of planning and retrofitting. Breathers, sight glasses, sample valves, baffling, flushing connections, filtration and instrumentation are all examples of important accessories found on some of the best machines outfitted for quality lubrication.

Are you giving your lubricants a healthy operating environment? Let us showcase your hard work in next week's Lube-Tips. Send us your digital photos and descriptions of how your company is practicing good reservoir management."

This Week's Winner:

Dave Tiffany, Ft. Collins Water Reclamation
Ft. Collins, Colorado

 

The following photos show how we attempt lubrication excellence via contamination control and oil analysis, focusing on our anaerobically digested sludge dewatering centrifuges. I am one of the mechanical maintenance 'specialists' that is responsible for maintaining the assets necessary for providing treatment of domestic, commercial, and pre-treated industrial wastewater flows of the City of Ft Collins, that are returned to the environment, meeting and often times exceeding, EPA requirements. I am specifically responsible for all scheduled maintenance including machinery lubrication and have incorporated many proactive steps to attempt to obtain lubrication excellence through condition monitoring.

The first photo is that of forced oil-lubrication from an oil reservoir and a gear-rotor pump, to one of two double-row spherical pillow block roller bearings (one on each end) of a section of the machine itself. These machines costing over $500,000 in capitol each. (we have two of these). A 300hp AC variable primary drive motor spins a bowl sheaved to a speed of 2800 rpm. A 100hp variable back-drive motor spins a sludge scroll, internal of the bowl, holding back solids to a controlled discharge. Although this is a small capacity reservoir (15 gallons - ISO VG 46 turbine oil) the system is vital to the operation of the machine.

Here is a close-up of the reservoir, showing the installation of a pressure-type oil sampling valve, located before on-line filtration (Beta 2/75 @ 6/17 micron respectively) of the reservoir oil. Oil samples are also taken on this machine directly downstream of each pillow block bearing, prior to the oil returning to the reservoir.We have retrofitted the original reservoir cap with a dessicant breather. The reservoir lid has been re-gasketed to better seal the perimeter from surrounding contamination. This is all action taken directly from results of our oil analysis program.

This picture shows our portable off-line Parker Guardian GT-4 kidney-loop filter (beta 2/20/75 @ 3/7/10 micron respectively), in use during scheduled down-time, improving oil cleanliness when our ISO4406 particle counts rise to cautionary levels. The kidney-loop suction is temporarily plumbed from the reservoir drain, and discharges to the opposite side of the baffled reservoir.

This is a shot of the entire machine.

This photo shows modifications to original equipment that has allowed strategic collection of oil samples directly off of each pillow block bearing. At this point, the oil is under gravity flow back to the reservoir.

The pressure-type sample valves do not work in this application so samples are collected from a ball valve, nipple and pipe cap arrangement. Originally, there was a 2" pipe plug at this point. You can also see the installation of dessicant breathers. Experience proved that these had to be raised above an oily residue that would enter the silica gel media of the breathers. OEM originally had 1" x 6" pipe nipple vents with 2 - 90 degree bends pointing the vent downward and it terminated to open atmoshere!

 

Every week we send Lube-Tips™ to more than 48,000 subscribers. May we invite you to reserve your FREE subscription?

E-mail:

Lube-Tips
Lean Manufacturing Journal
Reliable Plant

We never share, rent
or sell e-mail addresses and use responsible e-mail practices:

Habeas Certified Sender Seal



Oil Analysis Solves Cooling Tower Problems
Oil life extended from six months to three years.

Squeeze Every Last Cent From Your Oil

Dozens of tips for extending lubricant life

How to Reduce Motor Bearing Failures
Modifying your lubrication program can improve reliability.

 

Motor Oil Selection Guide

About Lube-Tips  •  Subscribe/Unsubscribe  •  Contact Us  •  Submit Tip  •  Advertising  •  Career Opportunities

All Noria Publishing Sites
Reliable Plant - Machinery Lubrication - Practicing Oil Analysis - Reliable Plant Mail -
Filtration Tips
- Lube-Tips - Lean Manufacturing Journal


 © Copyright 2008 Noria Corporation