times when working in the plant. Any safety charts with explanations of warning symbols or procedures “in the event of” should be displayed around the lube store. Advice from the company’s HSE should be sought on these matters, though.
Non-slip flooring should be installed for safety reasons. This will allow for easy clean up and is impenetrable to oil spillage. A concrete floor looks unsightly after a short period, and is difficult to sweep, and could contribute to airborne contaminant. Likewise, the walls should be painted or tiled to minimize cleaning and dust release.
Figure 3. First In, First Out. Use products in same sequence as they arrive.
Next, some sort of dispensing container is required to get the lubricant into the system (Figure 4). Proper oil dispensing cans are designed to exclude extraneous contaminant. They have spouts that dispense oil inside the machine and not outside. While the human eye may not see any contaminant, and thus assume that new oil is clean oil, particles of silica from the dust in the atmosphere or from production activities can have a serious impact on the wear rates of the equipment.
In larger operations, the use of 210L barrels is often the norm. Some sites have moved away from this for HSE reasons in their handling, preferring the smaller 20L or 25L drums, which are generally more expensive per litre of oil purchased, however. Indoor storage is crucial for this arrangement. The shelving should allow the barrels to be stored on their sides with the bungs at three and nine o’clock to ensure an airtight seal. Outdoor storage is not recommended because water accumulates on the top of the barrel. This can lead to corrosion and water ingression, causing lubricant damage. Carts, or overhead lifting tackle should be available for moving the barrels from the delivery point to the racks. With the need for bunding (containment walling), it is increasingly more difficult to use wheeled barrel carriers or forklift trucks into and out of the storage area.
Figure 3
Most companies now participate in ISO 14001 and have access to an expert in these matters regarding their lubricant types and local conditions or circumstances. The oil store must comply with local and national laws and regulations regarding the environment and may even contribute to the measurements used in attaining and maintaining the organisation’s “green” status. Therefore, space for disposal of used oils must be considered, whether storing them for removal by a contractor or for reclamation on-site. It is also important to consider any drains that may run under or near the oil store, because a spill could possibly contaminate local water sources. This may require special drainage within the storeroom. Special containment sacks should be available at all times to prevent a spillage from seeping into drains and should be placed not just in the storeroom but around the site. The environmental officer will be able to identify critical areas where this might be an issue.
Signs, labels and tags on the containers and piping used to dispense oil should be adequately descriptive and well placed. Any individual working with lubricant storage and distribution systems should be familiar with such conventions. Training, work instruction sheets and signage are crucial.
Dispensing Systems
Depending on the nature of the business, a simple cabinet (Figure 1) may suffice for the storage of the small containers (less than 25 L). Even with this small volume of lubricants, it is important to ensure it is indoors and protected against airborne contaminants such as dust and moisture. Stock rotation (Figure 3) is just as crucial for small container storage as is inventory control. Too little stock on hand and machines may operate with too little lubrication. Too much stock and the lubricant may degrade beyond its useful life before it reaches the machine.
NO. 37 • DECEMBER 2004
When several tiers of shelving are used, appropriate equipment such as a drum/barrel stacker should be readily available for lifting to higher levels. Some lubrication technicians prefer to dispense manageable amounts from drums into smaller containers (2-5L types). However, some sites require that the drum be taken to the filling point, and appropriate handling equipment must be available, because the drums exceed 200 kg when full. While the most common method of dispensing oil from the drum is to use a hand crank pump, this allows contamination in the drum to be dispensed into the system, as well as contamination from the pump itself where it has been badly stored between use. More proactive organisations now use a filter cart, which may be capable of carrying the drum plus drum pumping and filtering
Figure 4. Transfer Containers
the oil as needed. These are recommended where it is necessary to dispense from the drum directly into either a smaller container or the machine. The use of barrel pumps of filter carts should be restricted to one type of oil to avoid cross-contamination, where feasible, particularly where the containers are replenished on a regular basis from a bulk store. Use caution when standing a pack at any time, because it is possible for a sharp object, such as a nut or stone, to pierce the bottom of the drum, causing leakage.
Where a site has a high throughput of a few lubricant types, then the ultimate oil store is a bulk container area with distribution piping to the required areas. Several points must be considered when identifying an ideal location for a bulk tank area. Tankers should be able to easily access drums and electricity for the pumping units.
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