Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
COVER STORY
14 September - October 2010 www.machinerylubrication.com Machinery Lubrication
and utilized for years. However, the
inherent industry challenges matched with
a traditional maintenance strategy and
old-school lubrication practices created a
firefighting habit that was tough to break.
This plant has really come a long way
in my seven years here as far as reliability
is concerned, particularly with predictive
maintenance, says Hall. I can go back
to the days when we struggled to even do
vibration work because we couldnt
collect the data. We didnt have the
discipline to keep up with data collection
and analysis. We would pull the guys off
of routes to go fight fires. That was the
focus, not on PdM. I am happy to say
that we have come extremely far.
From a lubrication perspective, the
team has evolved from the days when:
Oil was primarily stored and
dispensed outside, where it was
exposed to the elements.
Undetected varnish and sludge in
bearing lubricants had a tendency to
cause failures in critical equipment
such as turbine generators.
Lubrication training wasnt formal,
and practices (good and bad) were
collected and dispersed through
tribal knowledge.
Lubrication wasnt seen as an impor-
tant or respectable position.
For that last point, Hall says that
maintenance workers who focused on
lubrication were given the somewhat-
denigratory moniker of oiler or
greaser. Not surprisingly, this wasnt a
highly sought-after position within the
organization.
When a lube guy retired, it was,
Who wants to do lubrication? Nobody
would raise a hand, says PdM techni-
cian Fred Balboa, a 33-year veteran at
the plant. The lowest guy on the totem
pole was given a bucket and told to go
after it. We did that for years.
We Have Liftoff
Groundbreaking change began to occur
after site maintenance leaders explored
work taking place on foreign soil.
Alcoa: Defined and Refined
Company: Alcoa is the worlds leading producer of
primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and
alumina. It employs approximately 59,000 people in
31 countries. The company had 2009 sales exceeding
$18.7 billion, placing it 127th on the 2010 Fortune
500 list. It also holds a spot on Fortunes Worlds
Most Admired Companies list.
Plant: Alcoa Point Comfort Operations, located in
Point Comfort, Texas (125 miles southwest of
Houston on the Gulf Coast). The site opened in
1948, and today features six production units. It
currently runs 24/7/365 with two main shifts 7
a.m. to 7 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Size: Approximately 3,000 acres.
Plant employment: The Point Comfort site employs
around 550 workers, including nearly 180 in plant
maintenance roles. The maintenance staff includes
approximately 100 crafts personnel/millwrights, 50
electrical workers and 30 in supervisory roles. Hourly
workers are represented by United Steelworkers
union Local 4370.
Products: Since 1959, the site has produced alumina,
the compound from which aluminum is made, and
ships it to Alcoas global network of smelters. The
plant has the capacity to produce 6,300 tons of
alumina per day.
The cleanliness, organization
and impressive nature of the
lubrication storage building at
the Alcoa site in Point Comfort
have caused at least one
visitor to refer to it as
The Lube Temple.
You will find a dedicated pump and dispensing
system for each lubricant in the storage building.
Theres a place for everything and everything is
in its place, including filter carts.
COVER STORY
16 September - October 2010 www.machinerylubrication.com Machinery Lubrication
In April 2005, Chris Tindell led a group of five reliability and
engineering leaders who attended Noria Corporations Lubrication
Excellence/Reliability World conference in San Antonio.
Listening to the technical papers and the case studies (from
companies such as DuPont, Eastman Chemical, Rio Tinto and
Clopay), it was really a culture shock. We started to see what was
truly possible, says Tindell, a reliability technician. We came back
and said, we really need to do some of these things.
And in the spring of 2006, Hall took benchmarking tours of
Cargill plants.
Gillie is very passionate about reliability, predictive mainte-
nance, proactive maintenance issues, says Graham. I think that
Cargill trip stoked his f ire. Seeing Cargills reliability culture got
him going.
The Point Comfort site began implementing Reliability
Excellence (Rx), an improvement game plan created in 2003 by Life
Cycle Engineering and the Ron Moore Group, and being utilized by
Cargill and several Alcoa facilities.
Audits, done internally and in conjunction with Life Cycle
Engineering and Noria, created the baseline from which program
growth would be measured. Through such audits, it was deter-
mined that:
Point Comfort needed to fully commit personnel resources to
its predictive maintenance efforts; and,
Lubrication excellence needed to be a cornerstone of PdM and Rx.
For the first point, the site earmarked a crew of PdM specialists
and classified them as a subset of the overall maintenance work-
force. No longer would PdM be just a portion of their job, which in
the past allowed them to be diverted toward any number of tasks.
Before, we were lucky if we were able to run routes once a
month, sometimes every six months, says vibration techni-
cian/millwright Eliseo Guevara. Predictive maintenance is our
Lubrication Excellence?
Its All in the Alcoa Family
Alcoa has nine alumina refineries around the world, and all are
competing for corporate attention, resources and funding. So when a
ref inery like Point Comfort, Texas, has something good going, it
should probably hold on tight to the template, right? Not so, says
plant leaders.
We share information with all of the Alcoa locations, says relia-
bility technician Chris Tindell. Even though we consider ourselves
somewhat of a competitor with the other refineries, they are all part
of the Alcoa family. We share best practices with the family.
Even those best practices for lubrication excellence?
We are leading the lubrication efforts, so we are sharing what we
are doing here, says plant manager Allen Ness.
Information is supplied through various means, including case
studies, conference calls and benchmarking tours.
Oil samples await testing on a cart outside of
the oil analysis office. The office is located
inside the lubrication storage building.
Predictive maintenance technician Fred Balboa
examines some debris with a microscope in the
oil analysis office.
Engineering, maintenance and powerhouse manager
Derrick Hall goes over reports with senior staff
reliability engineer Brenda Graham.
focus now 100 percent of the time. That makes a difference. It
makes you feel like the company is more committed to this.
Adds Graham: Any time there is a fire, they are going to grab
whoever they can, but we want to make sure that we have people
focused on their task.
Today, 10 PdM technicians are devoted to lubrication, three
each are devoted to vibration analysis and to motor current
analysis, and two each are devoted to infrared thermography and
to ultrasonic thickness testing.
One advantage of this is just the attention to detail, says elec-
trical engineer Ike Anyikam. When you have this type of focus for
people, not much gets past them.
Such focus was particularly important for lubrication. The audit
process showed that only 60 percent of plant equipment was using
the correct lubricant. Plenty of honest mistakes were being made.
We opened up a reservoir and there was this shiny, yellow sheen
to the top of the oil, says Tindell. The auditor said, Hey, is there
an extreme-pressure additive in here? You have a brass worm gear
in here. Sure enough, the EP was actually attacking the worm gear.
We thought, Its a gearbox. Lets put an EP in here. But, its not
always the right call.
Correct, effective lubrication was central in Halls overarching
maintenance vision of we do the things that matter the most. It
became clear to all: Lubrication matters.
I am very passionate about lubrication. I have said in many
forums that lubrication is the foundation of any maintenance
program, he says. If you dont get that right, then forget about
doing vibration, forget about doing motor condition monitoring,
forget about doing infrared, forget about doing all of those nice
and fancy things. You have to get lubrication right. Thats how the
wheels turn. If you stop lubricating something, it will just grind to a
halt. This subject is in my heart and soul.
Spacious Station
The heart and soul of the Point Comfort sites lubrication effort
is its lube storage, dispensing and analysis building. This 2,400-
COVER STORY
Members of the lubrication team at the Alcoa alumina refinery in Point Comfort include (from left to right): Joseph Justis,
George Orzabel, Chris Tindell, Pat Garrett, Charlie Holtz, Fred Balboa, Kenneth Elee, Justin Burke and Brian Baros.
How This Alcoa Refinery
Measures Lubrication Success
How do you measure the success of a program such as lubrication
excellence? Alcoas alumina refinery in Point Comfort, Texas, does that
through three specific financial measures.
Says senior staff reliability engineer Brenda Graham: One is the cost
of bearings, because that is something that lubrication def initely
affects. Another is the cost of lubricants; we wanted to get rid of some
of the expensive lubricants, plus we arent dumping oil like we used to.
The other is the cost of rotating equipment.
I think last year, we saved more than $800,000 overall, and this
year, through August, we have saved more than $500,000. We have to
justify the program, so, yeah, these savings are important.
Engineering technician Chris Tindell offers additional perspective.
Many of our projects have financial targets, and then we measure to
those targets, he says. There are certain metrics that we put into place
once we agree that this is a program that we want to pursue. Then, what
are the financial implications? And, how are we going to measure that?
Once we agree on the parameters, we are measured against that. Brenda,
being the SPA (single point accountable) for lubrication, is very much
aware of that. There are targets that need to be met.
18 September - October 2010 www.machinerylubrication.com Machinery Lubrication
COVER STORY
20 September - October 2010 www.machinerylubrication.com Machinery Lubrication
square-foot (40 feet by 60 feet), cinder-block
structure was designed in 2007, developed
throughout 2008 and debuted in January 2009. Its
ultra-clean, highly organized state accentuates
f luid conditioning, climate protection and
contamination control. It has led some to remark
that its part NASA, part Taj Mahal.
One of our visitors dubbed it The Lube
Temple, says Balboa, who oversees this building
and its processes.
It makes quite an impression.
We had plant managers from other Alcoa sites in
Point Comfort for a week, says Graham. We told
them we were going to see our lubrication area. It
was toward the end of the last day they were here. It
was just another stop. They were tired and talking
about where they were going to eat that night. They
came in here and their jaws dropped. They didnt
think a lube room could look like this.
Its so clean inside this building because its not
that way outside of it.
Oil barrels are no longer stored outside in satel-
lite locations around the complex nor are they
placed in an antiquated storage shed.
In the old building, there was dirt everywhere,
says Graham. The oil wasnt necessarily first-in,
first-out. You grabbed the first thing you found.
Somebody from stores would come in and pick it
up. It wasnt anyone associated with lubrication.
When we removed some of this stuff, some drums
were a few years old.
Today, oil barrels are received in the new lube
buildings specially protected dock. For each
barrel, Balboa samples and personally analyzes
the oil to ensure it is of the right quality and spec-
ification. The fluid is then transferred to a spare
barrel and a filter cart is attached for 16 hours.
The oil is resampled afterward to vouch that it
meets the required specifications and ISO cleanli-
ness code. Subsequently, the oil goes into a
first-in, first-out inventory of barrels or is trans-
ferred to a storage and dispensing tote.
Each of the 12 totes in the rooms tower system
has a dedicated pump and hose system to deter
cross-contamination.
The oil is all f iltered and ready to go, says
Tindell. Oil only leaves this area in a sealed and
reusable (S&R) container or in a barrel. We want
barrels coming out with filter carts. The carts are
color-coordinated to match the viscosities and
additive packages. If a barrel went out for a new
gearbox, it goes out with a filter cart. We filter it
into the gearbox or we send out an empty barrel
with a filter cart, remove the oil from the gearbox
and filter it back in while we are doing work. That
is our standard.
S&R containers (also color-coded) are
equipped with quick-connects that plug directly
into the equipment for clean transferral of fluid. In
between topoffs, they are stored in a cabinet
(along with grease guns, grease tubes and cleaning
supplies) located inside a building close to the
point of use.
With these practices, the oil is never exposed
to the atmosphere, says Balboa.
Inside the lube room, cleanliness practices are
not confined to Balboa. Anyone entering the area
must don booties over his or her work shoes to
avoid tracking in dirt. And, if you check out a filter
cart, you better return it in showroom condition.
Sometimes a lube tech will try to sneak it back in
without cleaning it, says Balboa. The next time, Ill
watch him and make sure its returned the right way.
It has to be wiped down ... wheels and all.
Returned S&R containers go through a special
washing machine that removes dirt on the exterior
and residual carbons on the interior.
Taking Samples
As touched on in the previous section, the other
main deliverable of the lubrication area is oil
analysis. Lube technicians regularly draw oil
samples from pumps, gearboxes and other key
pieces of equipment. Identification data is written
in marker on the cap of each sterile glass sample
bottle. Filled bottles are delivered to a cart outside
the lube rooms smallish analysis off ice, where
Balboa and Graham perform a battery of tests.
Samples requiring specialized attention are
shipped to an outside lab. Balboa forwards the
lab results to maintenance leaders and the techs.
Analysis helps to identify trends (increased
levels of dirt, metals, water, etc.) and anomalies
before they can generate mechanical stress, degra-
dation and failure.
When we see a bit of metal, we think, What
could be happening here? says Graham. We are
spending some focus time troubleshooting those
pieces of equipment because they are so critical and
expensive. Oil analysis puts us ahead of the game.
The maintenance group also stays ahead by
sampling and analyzing oil during the commis-
sioning of equipment.
We are getting in the practice of taking base-
line samples, says Tindell. We went to
commission a boiler feed pump, pulled an oil
sample before starting it up and picked up ferrous
metal. This is a brand-new, multi-stage, $100,000
pump. We found iron and copper. We sent that off
to our external lab, and it confirmed our findings.
We opened the pump up and found that the
slinger ring had fallen out of its groove during
transit. It was cocked and rubbing on the internal
housing. We wouldnt have found that if we
hadnt taken the sample.
From Red to Well-Read
Lubrication, like pumps, may not appear to be
complex, but there are a lot of moving parts under
the surface.
You would think that it is so simple we used
to but there is so much involved, says Hall. A
little thing like lubrication could make the differ-
ence between torturing your equipment or not.
While not rocket science, lubrication and oil
analysis are highly involved, technical and
dynamic subjects. Success comes not with a low
man on the totem pole approach, but instead
when folks with the right stuff are given the right
opportunities. Thats why maintenance leadership
at Alcoas Point Comfort facility is a firm believer
in training and professional certification.
Knowledge is king. Knowledge is power, says
Hall. As a manager, I believe in training ... a lot. I
dont believe in asking someone to do something
that they are not fully trained to do.
The site takes full advantage of free educational
sessions from its oil supplier, free Webinars from a
host of industry resources, and hundreds of thou-
sands of dollars worth of technical training and
classes through its involvement with a local indus-
trial consortium.
The consortium gets money from the State of
Texas; its like $2.9 million, says Tindell. We can
get special classes together, and then the industry
and its partners determine who wants to send
how many people to each one. Some of the Noria
lubrication classes that we are bringing on site are
part of this. We dont even have to drive anywhere.
The state paid for it. You just have to fill out the
paperwork and involve the training department to
help organize all of that. It has been fantastic.
Plant workers come away with skills and much
more.
I was at an infrared thermography class last
week, says Anyikam. After receiving this training,
I have a new sense of pride and understanding and
knowledge of this equipment. When you have
ownership and pride in what you are doing, its
not just coming to work and getting a paycheck. It
goes deeper than that.
Maybe thats why Pat Garrett, a lube tech in
the calcination department, proudly states, I
told the company to sign me up for everything.
Mastery of subject matter can lead to certifica-
tion. Most everyone involved with vibration
analysis and infrared thermography on the predic-
tive maintenance team holds a professional
designation. Through August, f ive employees
(Graham, Tindell, Carmel Camacho, Hector
Venecia and Wayne Pilliner) held at least one certi-
f ication through the International Council for
Machinery Lubrication (for program details, visit
www.lubecouncil.org).
Those numbers, especially for ICML certifica-
tion, will undoubtedly increase this fall and into
2011. Noria will supply extensive lubrication
training to lube techs and maintenance coordina-
tors. Attendees will take ICMLs Machine
Lubrication Technician Level I exam at the
completion of the course. This is all part of
Grahams goal to eventually get all of the techs
certified as a MLT Level I.
Im prepping them for that test, she says. Its a
difficult course. Its a difficult exam. I dont want to
scare anybody, but I want them to be prepared. I give
them questions whenever I can to educate them in
advance. That way, they are aware of the level of
expertise that they need to attain.
Whether the students pass the exam or not, the
process is worthwhile.
You may not pass a certification exam. These
tests are tough. But you always learn from it, says
Tindell, who along with Pilliner also is a Certified
Maintenance & Reliability Professional through
the Society for Maintenance & Reliability
Professionals (www.smrp.org). Ideally, we all
would like to pass, but that doesnt always
happen. No matter what class you go to, you still
will gain information. You will come away with
something that you can apply.
Whats Your Destination?
Lubrication excellence is possible in even the
most unforgiving of environments. Alcoas
alumina refinery is southern Texas proves that out.
Getting there isnt exactly easy. (Some will tell
you a trip to Mars is a better proposition.) There
will be challenges. There will be mountains to
climb. Whether they are made of bauxite or not,
the prize lies on the other side in better-
performing equipment, higher yields, less stress
and increased profits.
Lubrication its a matter of discipline, says
plant manager Ness. How well you do the funda-
mentals is how well you perform. We are getting
better and better at the fundamentals, and that is
important as we go forward.
Machinery Lubrication www.machinerylubrication.com September - October 2010 21
22 September - October 2010 www.machinerylubrication.com Machinery Lubrication
PRODUCT NEWS
Electric Lubrication Pump
Graco introduced its newest lubrication pump, the G3 Electric
Pump. With its f lexible design,
including adjustable pump elements
and an ability to work with both
injector-based and series progressive
systems, G3 is a rugged, cost-effective
pump made to serve multiple markets
and applications. The pump features
three control choices, which means
added flexibility for easy lube system
setup, operation and trou-
bleshooting. The G3 extends
machinery life, reduces operating
costs and increases productivity.
Graco Inc.
www.graco.com
800-533-9655
Oil Conditioning Unit
The SKF Oil Conditioning Unit optimizes lubrication perform-
ance by serving as a low-pressure pump f iltration unit that
circulates the oil in a system. The unit removes contaminants
from the oil supply and can enable the desired temperature range
to be maintained consistently. The product connects directly to
sumps, bearing housings, gear-
boxes, compressors and
other machines. It ideally
suits applications in indus-
tries ranging from pulp
and paper to mining and
mineral processing.
SKF
www.skfusa.com
800-440-4753
Temperature-indicating Labels
Bradys temperature-indicating labels provide a permanent record of
temperature levels for a piece of equipment. The labels are placed
directly onto the equipment; when the equipment
reaches a certain temperature, the white area of the
label turns irreversibly black. This color change
provides clear evidence of the highest temperature
attained for that piece of equipment. These tempera-
ture-indicating labels are commonly used on pieces of
equipment that move or rotate.
Brady Corporation
www.bradyid.com/templabels
888-250-3082
Hydraulic Pressure Sensor
The AST4000 pressure sensor features special configurations for the hydraulic
industry. Through the usage of a three-digit option code, the AST4000 series
can be modified to withstand a variety of mechanical, electrical
and environmental challenges in hydraulic pressure meas-
urement applications. The AST4000 uses ASTs
Krystal Bond Technology, where the pressure
port is constructed from a single piece of
stainless steel. This one-piece
design is ideal for hydraulic
pressure applications.
American Sensor
Technologies Inc.
www.astsensors.com
973-448-1901
Synthetic Gear Oil
Gearbox reliability is critical for wind turbine reliability, and Shell Omala HD
320 synthetic gear oil provides
excellent protection against
common failure modes, including
micropitting and bearing wear.
Offering excellent low-temperature
fluidity and long oil life, Shell Omala
HD 320 provides benefits for these
diff icult-to-maintain gearboxes.
Shell offers additional wind turbine
products, including Shell Tellus Arctic
32 hydraulic fluid for extreme climates
and Shell Rhodina BBZ blade bearing
lubricant.
Shell Lubricants
www.shell.com
713-241-6161
600-gram Desiccant Breather
Baltimore Innovations launched a low-cost range of desiccant breathers,
beginning with a standard 600-gram unit. This initial offering will be
joined by other breather sizes over the next 18 months.
These breathers are used to protect
against moisture contamination
of fuel and oil in storage tanks.
Baltimore breather products
are 100 percent clear-sided
for easy reading. The silica
gel changes from orange to
green when the breather
needs replacing.
Baltimore Innovations Ltd.
www.baltimoreinnovations.co.uk
sales@baltimoreinnovations.co.uk
Machinery Lubrication www.machinerylubrication.com September - October 2010 23
Open Cup Flash Point Tester
The Petrotest CLA 5 Cleveland open cup flash point
and fire point analyzer automatically tests both liquid
and highly viscous liquid and solid samples according
to the ASTM D92 and ISO 2592 standards. The
benchtop instrument comes ready for testing,
with automatic test routines, user-definable
programs and self-testing/servicing routines,
as well as a rapid search program when fast results
are required. It features the latest electronics,
including a 5.7-inch color graphics display and Pmove
jog wheel control.
AMETEK-Petrolab Company
www.petrolab.com
918-459-7170
Drum Lifter and Rotator
An advanced automated control package that can achieve supe-
rior productivity and safety is available for Morse Tilt-To-Load Drum
Rotators. A new video demonstrates this automated drum lifting,
rotating for operator-set time, and return of drum to an upright
position at floor level for easy handling. A safety interlock automat-
ically shuts down the rotator if the
gate is opened. Tumble steel,
plastic or fiber drums from
29 to 37 inches (74 to
94 centimeters) high
and from 18 to 23.5
inches (46 to 60 cm)
in diameter.
Morse
Manufacturing Company
www.morsemfgco.com
315-437-8475
Ultrasound Inspection Tool
The Ultraprobe 15,000 Touch gives inspection pros the ability
to use iPhone-like Touch Screen technology to analyze conditions
with a wide range of on-board features, including: a spectral
analyzer; the ability to take equipment temperature with an
infrared thermometer; photograph test points with an on-board
camera; select from multiple datascreens including dB,
temperature and spec-
tral analysis; pinpoint
locations with a laser
pointer; store data,
sounds and images;
generate reports;
and much more.
UE Systems Inc.
www.uesystems.com
800-223-1325
ASTM-recognized Viscometers
Cambridge offers a full line of laboratory and process viscometers.
These viscometers feature the same oscillating piston technology that
allows for continuous viscosity readings, and
complies with ASTM D 7483-08 and correlates to
ASTM D 445. Employing electromagnetic coils to
move the piston, and temperature probes in
the measurement chamber, they are accurate
to plus-or-minus 1.0 percent and repeatable
to 0.8 percent to help prevent correlation
errors between the lab and production.
Cambridge Viscosity Inc.
www.cambridgeviscosity.com
781-393-6500
Emergency Spill Kits
Use Oil Eater emergency spill kits to contain and clean up hazardous spills
as required by OSHA and the EPA. The kits include a five-gallon pail of Oil
Eater cleaner/degreaser for cleaning surfaces after absorption of a spill. They
are available in both 65-gallon and 95-gallon
overpacks, which can handle the corre-
sponding volume of liquid. Each kit
contains a supply of absorbent pads,
pillows, universal snakes, booms,
protective gloves, oil-resistant disposal
bags and an emergency response guide.
Kafko International Ltd.
www.oileater.com
800-354-9061
Low Ash Gas Engine Oil
Chevron HDAX 7200 Low Ash Gas Engine Oil SAE 40 is designed for large
stationary gas engines in gas compression, processing or co-generation appli-
cations that operate in extreme environments. HDAX 7200 Low Ash is
particularly suited for lean-burn and stoichiometric four-stroke engines oper-
ating under high-load, high-temperature conditions as well as selected
two-stroke gas engines requiring good low-temperature startability. This oil is
formulated with Group II basestocks and uses a premium additive package.
Chevron Products Company
www.chevronlubricants.com
800-582-3835
24 September - October 2010 www.machinerylubrication.com Machinery Lubrication
G
iven that the primary objective of filtration is to extend machine
life by removing contaminants from the oil, it is a paradox for the
filters in a hydraulic system to be located where they reduce the service
life of the components they were installed to protect.
So when considering the possible locations for f ilters in a
hydraulic system, the overarching principle must be: first, do no
harm. In other words, the cure must not be worse than the disease.
With this in mind, let us consider the pros and cons of the
various hydraulic filter locations:
Pressure filtration: Locating filtering media in the pressure line
provides maximum protection for components located immediately
downstream. Filtration rates of 2 microns or less are possible, due
to the pressure available to force fluid through the media. But filter
efficiency can be reduced by the presence of high flow velocities
and pressure and flow transients, which can disturb trapped parti-
cles. The major disadvantage of pressure f iltration is economic.
Because the housings and elements (high-collapse type) must be
designed to withstand peak system pressure, pressure filtration has
the highest initial and ongoing cost.
Return filtration: The rationale for locating filtering media in the
return line is this if the reservoir and the fluid it contains start out
clean, and all air entering the reservoir and returning f luid is
adequately filtered, then fluid cleanliness will be maintained. The
other advantage of the return line as a filter location is that suffi-
cient pressure is available to force f luid through f ine media
(typically 10 microns), but pressure is not high enough to compli-
cate f ilter or housing design. This, combined with relatively low
flow velocity, means that a high degree of filtering efficiency can be
achieved at an economical cost. For these reasons, return filtration
is a feature of most hydraulic systems. The main disadvantage of
return line f iltration is that the back pressure created by the
element can adversely affect the operation of and/or damage some
components.
Off-line filtration: Off-line filtration enables continuous, multi-
pass f iltration at a controlled f low velocity and pressure drop,
which results in high f iltering eff iciency. Filtration rates of 2
microns or less are possible, and polymeric (water-absorbent)
filters and heat exchangers can be included in the circuit for total
fluid conditioning. The main disadvantage of off-line filtration is its
high initial cost, although this usually can be justified on a life-of-
machine cost basis.
Suction filtration: From a filtration perspective, the pump intake
is an ideal location for filtering media. Filter efficiency is increased
by the absence of both high f luid velocity, which can disturb
trapped particles, and high pressure drop across the element,
which can force migration of particles through the media. These
advantages are outweighed by the restriction the element creates in
the intake line and the negative effect this can have on pump life.
Battling Vacuum-induced Forces
A restriction at the pump inlet can cause cavitation erosion and
mechanical damage. And while cavitation erosion contaminates the
hydraulic fluid and damages critical surfaces, the effect of vacuum-
induced forces has a more detrimental impact on pump life.
The creation of a vacuum in the pumping chambers of an axial
pump puts the piston ball and slipper-pad socket in tension. This
joint is not designed to withstand excessive tensile force; and as a
consequence, the slipper becomes detached from the piston
(Figure 1). This can occur either instantaneously, if the vacuum-
induced tensile force is significant enough, or over many hours of
service as the ball joint is repetitively put in tension during inlet.
The piston retaining plate, the primary function of which is to keep
the piston slippers in contact with the swash plate, must resist the
forces that act to separate the piston from its slipper. This vacuum-
induced load accelerates wear between the slipper and retaining plate
and can cause the retaining plate to buckle. This allows the slipper to
lose contact with the swash plate during inlet, and it is then
hammered back onto the swash plate when pressurized fluid acts on
the end of the piston during outlet. The impact damages the piston
slippers and swash plate, leading rapidly to catastrophic failure.
In bent axis pump designs, the piston is better able to withstand
vacuum-induced tensile forces. Piston construction is generally
more rugged, and the piston ball usually is held in its shaft socket
by a bolted retaining plate. However, tensile failure of the piston
stem and/or buckling of the retaining plate still can occur under
high vacuum conditions.
BRENDAN CASEY
HYDRAULICS AT WORK
The Pros and Cons of Various
Hydraulic Filter Locations
Figure 1. The Effect of Tensile Forces Acting on Axial Piston Design
Vacuum Case pressure
puts the piston-ball and slipper-pad socket in tension
In vane pump designs, the vanes must extend from their
retracted position in the rotor during inlet. As this happens, fluid
from the pump inlet f ills the void in the rotor created by the
extending vane. If excessive vacuum exists at the pump inlet, it will
act at the base of the vane. This causes the vanes to lose contact
with the cam ring during inlet; they are then hammered back onto
the cam ring as pressurized fluid acts on the base of the vane during
outlet. The impact damages the vane tips and cam ring, leading
rapidly to catastrophic failure.
Gear pumps are mechanically the least susceptible to vacuum-
induced forces. Despite this fact, research has shown that a
restricted intake can reduce the service life of an external gear pump
by at least 50 percent
1
.
The Facts on Suction Strainers
Pump inlet or suction f ilters usually take the form of a 150-
micron (100-mesh) strainer, which is screwed onto the pump intake
penetration inside the reservoir. In the 10 years Ive actively
campaigned against their use (for reasons outlined earlier in this
column), Im sure Ive heard all of the counter-arguments. Most
arguments for the use of suction strainers are premised on bad
design, bad maintenance or a combination of both.
The argument that suction strainers are needed to protect the
pump from debris which enters the reservoir as a result of poor
maintenance practices is a popular one. Nuts, bolts, tools and
similar debris pose minimal threat to the pump in a properly
designed reservoir, where the pump intake is located a minimum of
4 inches off the bottom. Of course, the proper solution is to
prevent contaminants from entering the reservoir in the first place.
A similar argument asserts that suction strainers are needed to
prevent cross-contamination where two or more pumps share a
common inlet manifold. Here again, if suction strainers are necessary
in this situation, then it is only due to bad design; the manifold must
be below the pumps intakes. If properly designed, there should be a
head of oil above the inlet manifold, and the inlet manifold should be
above the pumps intakes. For cross-contamination to occur in this
arrangement, debris would have to travel uphill against gravity and
a positive head of oil. That would be highly unlikely.
But even in situations where a suction strainer is mandated, for
whatever reason, the problem is: The cure can be worse than the
disease.
Reference:
1. Ingvast, H., Diagnosing Tyrone Gear Pump Failures, The Third
Scandinavian International Conference on Fluid Power, Vol. 2, 1993,
pages 535-546.
About the Author
Brendan Casey has more than 20 years experience in the maintenance,
repair and overhaul of mobile and industrial hydraulic equipment.
For more information on reducing the operating cost and increasing
the uptime of your hydraulic equipment, visit his Web site,
www.HydraulicSupermarket.com.
Machinery Lubrication www.machinerylubrication.com September - October 2010 25
26 September - October 2010 www.machinerylubrication.com Machinery Lubrication
U
sing the correct breathers for proper head-
space management is a decision that is
sometimes taken lightly in industrial facilities.
There are many instances when makeshift
breathers are used to provide air f iltration for very
expensive and critical equipment, or no breather is
employed at all. This mind-set that a breather is a
breather will inevitably lead to costly failures and
downtime in the future.
To create and manage a world-class lubrication
program, you must consider all factors that influ-
ence the performance and life of a lubricant. Using
the correct breather to exclude contaminants is one
of these influencing factors. The breathing of equip-
ment is vital to its performance. It allows for the
contraction and expansion of the headspace to
prohibit the f luids inside from pressurizing the
system, which could lead to leaky seals, inadequate
level readings and other negative side effects.
Proper headspace management keeps equipment
lubricant clean and maintained, which keeps that equipment running
smoothly. Three major factors influence the quality and cleanliness of
a lubricant: monitoring, removing and excluding. Monitoring uses
technologies such as oil analysis to monitor the ingression and gener-
ation rate of contaminants. Removing uses technologies such as
offline filtration (static or mobile) to remove digested or generated
contaminants. Excluding uses technologies such as contamination
control with proper breathers and hardware to help make the system
completely closed to external contaminants.
Of these factors, only one of them contributes to the other two,
excluding. If contaminants are not excluded properly, more moni-
toring and removal is required. Therefore, excluding should be the
first task to conquer.
Expansion Chambers,
Desiccants and Hybrids
There are three primary types of excluding devices on the
market:
Expansion chambers allow for expansion and contraction of the
headspace without breathing or exhausting to the atmosphere.
Desiccant breathers use desiccating material to
draw moisture from the inhaled or exhaled air.
Hybrid breathers, a combination of an expansion
chamber and desiccant canister, can allow small
expansion and contraction of the headspace
without fully opening the desiccant media to the
atmosphere.
Expansion chambers do an excellent job at
excluding, but they are not so great at conditioning
the already trapped air. Basically, expansion cham-
bers allow the headspace to expand and contract
without having to inhale or exhale atmospheric air.
This simple concept allows for exceptional contami-
nant exclusion, but does not do anything to
condition or remove moisture or airborne particu-
lates from the headspace. To alleviate this problem,
simply install a non-breathing/venting desiccant
canister alongside the expansion chamber or in a
separate auxiliary breather port. While the expan-
sion chamber compensates for headspace
contraction and expansion, using a separate non-breathing/venting
desiccant canister allows the headspace to be filtered of moisture
since desiccant material is hygroscopic.
Desiccant breathers are great for excluding particulate
contaminants and moisture. A desiccant breather works by
inhaling or exhaling air through a desiccating media, which
attracts and absorbs moisture, helping to keep the headspace dry.
Since these breathers are always open, their life expectancy can
be ver y short. This always-open principle allows air to move
through the media upon headspace expansion and contraction,
and is constantly absorbing moisture from the surrounding envi-
ronment, whether the machine is running or not. Depending on
how humid or wet the surrounding environment is, desiccant
breathers may last only a few days.
Hybrid breathers (Figure 1) are superior to plain desiccants in
their exclusion of particulates and moisture. They operate on the
same principle as having an expansion chamber plus a desiccant
canister installed, but hybrids get the same results in one compact
unit. Hybrids have a bladder inside which acts like an expansion
chamber and a separate desiccant media to f ilter out moisture
from inhaled or exhaled air. The difference here, when compared to
FROM THE FIELD
Proper Headspace
Management Starts with
the Right Breather Option
STEPHEN SUMERLIN
NORIA CORPORATION
Figure 1. Example of a
Hybrid Breather
traditional desiccant breathers, is that hybrids
are normally closed to the atmosphere.
Therefore, their life expectancy is four to six times
that of a traditional desiccant breather.
Depending on the required volume of headspace
expansion and contraction, the bladder may or
may not need to open the system to the atmos-
phere. If the required volume is large, the system
opens to the atmosphere, inhaling or exhaling air
while at the same time filtering out moisture and
particulates. If the required volume is small, the
system remains closed and captures moisture
from the headspace.
Make Educated Decisions
Many times when plant professionals are
deciding on the type of breather to use, it often
depends on the up-front costs. With disposable
desiccant breathers, the up-front cost is much less
than a hybrid breather, but the life expectancy of a
hybrid breather can be four to six times that of a
traditional desiccant, which results in more value for
the investment over a given period of time.
When using a misguided or misinformed selec-
tion technique, the end result is usually a
makeshift breather or no breather at all, resulting
in possible equipment damage. This is where
proper education of breathers and their functions
are crucial to the success of headspace manage-
ment. Be sure to read and understand the types
of environments for which certain breathers are
designed and compare them with your environ-
ment to make a well-informed decision.
Choosing the right breather for your applica-
tion will provide returns, not just in breather life
but in equipment life. Remember, proper head-
space management starts with having the right
breather.
About the Author
Stephen Sumerlin is a technical consultant with
Noria Corporation, working on Lubrication Process
Design Phase II projects for clients. He is a mechanical
engineer and holds dual certif ications (Level II
Machine Lubrication Technician and Level II Machine
Lubricant Analyst) through the International Council
for Machinery Lubrication. Contact Stephen at
ssumerlin@noria.com.
Machinery Lubrication www.machinerylubrication.com September - October 2010 27
Would You Like to Contribute?
Are you a technical expert? If so, we want to
publish your lubrication article in Machinery
Lubrication. To submit a technical article, please
send it to editor-in-chief Paul V. Arnold via e-mail
at parnold@noria.com.
28 September - October 2010 www.machinerylubrication.com Machinery Lubrication
BY PAUL V. ARNOLD
I
ndustrial professionals from around the world attended RELIABLE
PLANT 2010, Norias annual conference and exhibition, held
August 30-September 2 at the Nashville (Tenn.) Convention Center.
Attendees represented companies in 44 states and 21 countries. This
years event included three co-located trade shows: Lubrication
Excellence, Reliability World and Lean Manufacturing.
RELIABLE PLANT 2010 marked the 11th year of Lubrication
Excellence, the sixth year of Reliability World and the fifth year of Lean
Manufacturing.
The event was sponsored by CITGO Lubricants, Des-Case
Corporation, Emerson Process Management, HYDAC, Hy-Pro
Filtration, Lubrication Engineers, Schroeder Industries, Shell, SKF and
Snap-on Industrial. It was endorsed by the International Council for
Machinery Lubrication (ICML) and the University of Tennessee
Reliability and Maintainability Center.
In candid interviews with attendees, we received very high marks
for this years conference, said Paul V. Arnold, the editor-in-chief of
Noria Publishing. Our guests were particularly pleased with the
quality of the educational curriculum as well as the idea sharing related
to plant solutions that occurred in the exhibition hall.
During the three main days of the conference, August 31-
September 2, more than 75 case studies, industry reports and
training sessions were presented. Mark Swenson, the vice president
for manufacturing engineering and vehicle production engineering
at Nissan North America, provided the keynote address on August
31. Track keynotes were presented by: Samuel Bethea, the director
of North American maintenance and reliability at Campbell Soup
Company; Aqua Porter, the vice president in charge of strategic
projects and Lean Six Sigma operations at Xerox Corporation; and
Robert Hafey, the author of the new book Lean Safety
Transforming your Safety Culture with Lean Management.
Lubrication Excellence
presentations were deliv-
ered by leaders from:
Noria, MillerCoors, Eli Lilly,
ArcelorMittal, Energizer,
Goodyear, Temple-Inland,
Alabama Power Company,
Covance, Shell, ICML,
Lubrication Engineers,
Polaris Laboratories, Schroeder Industries, Hy-Pro Filtration, Hendrix
Engineering, Ludeca, Pioneer Engineering, Pall Corporation, MRG
Labs, Des-Case, CITGO, Reliable Process Solutions, Fluitec
International, IDCON, Wooton-Consulting, Thermal-Lube, Air-Tight
Hubs, Spectro/QinetiQ North America and Lubrication Systems
Company.
Reliability World presentations were given by leaders from: Alcoa,
Anheuser-Busch InBev, Campbell Soup, Frito-Lay, ITT, Wells Dairy,
AEDC/ATA, SKF, Periscope Consulting, Infor, PdMA Corporation, SDT
North America, Emerson Process Management, Laurentide Controls,
UE Systems, Lubrication Engineers, UtilX, People and Processes, Sigma
Reliability Solutions, SageGuides.com, Productivity Inc., Reliable
Process Solutions, Spectro/QinetiQ North America, John Crossan LLC
and Manufacturing Solutions International.
Lean track presentations were given by leaders from: Xerox,
Raytheon Missile Systems, Sonoco, Syngenta Crop Protection, APS,
Sigma Reliability Solutions, Sara Lee, Woodbridge Foam, RBH
Consulting, Life Cycle Engineering, Future State Solutions, Gemba
Consulting North America and the Lean Leadership Academy.
At the expansive exhibition hall, more than 80 suppliers featured
new products and industry solutions.
Workshops from Jim Fitch of Noria (How to Rate and Select Oil
Filtration) and Drew Troyer of Sigma Reliability Solutions (How to
Optimize Preventive Maintenance Plans) took place on August 30.
ICML held testing for its Machine Lubricant Analyst (MLA), Machine
Lubrication Technician (MLT) and Laboratory Lubricant Analyst (LLA)
certifications on August 30 and September 1.
2011 Conference Coming Next Spring
Norias 2011 conference and exhibition will be held April 19-21
at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio.
To learn more about this event as well as additional education and
training events, visit these Web sites:
http://conference.reliableplant.com
www.noria.com
www.machinerylubrication.com
www.reliableplant.com
Norias RELIABLE PLANT 2010
Conference is Major Success
NEWS AND ANALYSIS
30 September - October 2010 www.machinerylubrication.com Machinery Lubrication
PRODUCT SUPERMARKET
PAID ADVERTISING SECTION
MEMOLUB