Machinery Lubrication May - June 2010 - Ecn5.com

AS I SEE IT
What’s Hot? Current Trends
in Lubrication & Oil Analysis
JIM FITCH
NORIA CORPORATION
The dynamics of the lubrication field today is advancing at an
intensity and pace that has not been seen since the early days of
the industrial revolution, around the time of the invention of the
steam engine. In many respects, the roots of lubrication still are
solidly tied to the products and methods that were spawned during
that era. We see this in the types of lubricants that are used and the
products, tools and approaches with which they are employed.
Still, evolutionary and perhaps revolutionary change is afoot.
Since I first started writing my column in Machinery Lubrication
magazine, and previously in Practicing Oil Analysis magazine, I’ve
tried to bring to light industry trends that should be important to
both suppliers and users alike. These relate to not only what’s new
and different but equally to what is being phased out and potentially
heading toward obsolescence. Many of these aspiring
methods and ideas were later validated by their continued growth
of interest and usage. As is often the case, it is easy to see that some
of the trends today are really reincarnations of ideas and concepts
that first emerged in the past but were years ahead of their time.
Staying abreast with landscape-changing industry movements
can define the difference between success and failure in a world
characterized by punishing competition and unforgiving economic
conditions. With this as the backdrop, I’m going to compile a list
of many of the most promising trends in our industry today. I will
stay away from what is simply “in vogue” and flavor-of-the-month
concepts. Instead, the trends I want to emphasize are those that
meet one or more of the following criteria:
• they have staying power;
• they are value-based (reduce costs and/or increase productivity);
• they are new problem-solvers (overcome previously unresolved
problems);
• they are better problem-solvers (provide measurable improvements
over prior methods)
Trends in Lubricant Selection and Use
Correct viscosity: More precise selection of viscosity is getting
renewed attention. Viscosity affects a number of important factors,
including energy consumption, wear and tolerance to contamination.
This relates to not only the ISO viscosity grade, but also to the viscosity
index. Getting in the general ballpark on viscosity seems to be no
longer acceptable, and for good reason.
Not selecting lubricants solely on film strength: Today’s lubricants
need a range of performance qualities, so choosing a lubricant that
delivers the complete package is the greater priority. This includes
(depending on lubricant type) such features as dispersancy, foam
suppression, moisture-handling ability, corrosion protection, oxidative
stability, viscosity index and, of course, good lubricity.
Judicious use of premium and synthetic lubricants: The rage to
switch to premium and synthetic lubricants as a silver bullet for
every problem is winding down. We are now more aware of the true
strength of these lubricants and their appropriate application. They
can indeed solve a plethora of problems, but not all problems.
Precision lubrication means correctly matching these lubricants to
the applications to which they are best applied.
Energy-conserving and environmentally friendly lubricants: In the
past 10 years, huge strides have been made in this area, but even
then, it seems we’ve barely scratched the surface. Brace yourself as
the pace of change in this area greatly picks up steam.
Replacing grease with oil in mission-critical applications: The
debate continues on the grease vs. oil front. From my vantage
point, the balance of power is tilting toward oil in a range of reliability-critical
industrial applications.
Dumping economy formulations: Buying lubricants from the lowest
bidder is rarely a recipe for achieving machine reliability at the lowest
possible cost. It’s time to stop pretending to save money by buying
cheap, commodity-grade lubricants to save a quick buck at the expense
of tomorrow’s need for reliability. Through greater awareness and
education, large user organizations are finally getting the message.
Additive reconstruction: You wouldn’t discard a new car the first
time it ran out of windshield wiper fluid. Despite cries of resistance
from some industry players, when done using sound practices,
many depleting lube oil additives are candidates for a booster shot,
as more and more users are discovering.
Halting Contaminant Invasion
Headspace management: Many contaminants enter a lubricant
by means of the headspace above the tank or sump oil level. Novel
4 May - June 2010 www.machinerylubrication.com Machinery Lubrication