Grease gun hazards

We have gone a step further to make sure that we are always compliant with OSHA regulations for marking containers. We use sealable and refillable containers to transport oil from our storage area to the job site. We have recently started attaching complete copies of the MSDS to these containers. The MSDS are in a vinyl 'work order' type packet and we tie-wrap them to the containers. This puts information at the job site if you need it and it impresses inspectors. Make sure you attach the sheets to the handle on the container and not the handle of the lid so that it doesn't accidentally get switched. (Submitted by Bill Jacobyansky, Maintenance Manager, Guardian Industries. Thanks Bill!)

From "Lubrication for Industry"

In order to move grease to the application point, it needs to be pumped. Most delivery systems for oil utilize pumps that work in the 50 psi (2.3 bar) - 250 psi (17.2 bar) range. Grease, on the other hand, requires a pump that will deliver pressure above 1500 psi (103 bar).

In the hands of an untrained operator, an ordinary grease gun can deliver a pressure of up to 15,000 psi (1030 bar)! A bearing seal, on the other hand, will rarely rate higher than 500 psi (35 bar). Once the seal on the bearing is compromised, the bearing is well on its way to early failure.

A compromised bearing seal encourages dirt ingestion and overlubrication due to its lack of "back pressure" (this is especially true when greasing a bearing "blind" from a remote zerk fitting). The secondary negative effects produced are extra consumption of grease, and extra time required for cleanups of equipment with the overflowed grease, inviting dirt and contaminants to stick to it. Respect the power of a lowly manual grease gun.

Maintenance Tip: Always ensure that the dispensing nozzle of the grease or oil gun is cleaned before use, and that the fitting it is being attached to is also clean. This will safeguard against unnecessary introduction of dirt into the bearing.

More information about the book "Lubrication for Industry"

Lube-Trivia: Name That Oil

Test your knowledge and prepare for ICML lubrication and oil analysis certification with Lube-Trivia.

QUESTION: Is an oil with a viscosity index of 135 likely to be a VI improved mineral oil or a straight grade oil?

Q & A: Selecting A New Turbine Oil

"We are currently selecting a new turbine oil for our steam turbine. Is the RPVOT (a.k.a. RBOT, ASTM D2272) a good indication of the relative ability of two different oils to resist oxidation?"

This is a common misconception regarding the RPVOT test. The RPVOT, or Rotating Pressure Vessel Oxidation Test, works by stressing the oil in an oxidating environment that includes heat, water, copper catalyst, oxygen, pressure and agitation. The test measures the length of time the oil can resist these stressing conditions before the break point is reached and the oil degrades (oxidizes). This is influenced by the quantity and type of antioxidants, the presence of natural inhibitors in the base oil, and the resilience of the base oil to oxidation.

However, because the actual conditions a turbine oil experiences in application may be considerably different than those present in the RPVOT test, there may not be good correlation between RPVOT values and in-service oxidative life. For example, one oil may have an RPVOT value of 1000 minutes, while another oil may have an RPVOT value of only 700 minutes.

However, depending on actual stressing conditions and formulation factors, the oil that starts with the lower RPVOT number may oxidize at a slower rate and hence be more oxidatively stable than an oil with an initially higher RPVOT value. In other words, formulation factors (base oil and additives) respond differently to different in-service stressing conditions. In this case, the oil with the lower new oil RPVOT value may be a better choice for long-term resistance to oxidation. With that said, for turbine oils it is generally not advisable to select lubricants with RPVOTs below 600 minutes, and test values above 1000 minutes are generally considered out of the range of test sensitivity.

It should be also noted that RPVOT is an excellent test for measuring the degree of oxidative degradation (for example, additive depletion) for in-service turbine oils, by comparing the in- service oil RPVOT number to a new oil baseline.

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