The Role of Lubricants
in Achieving Operational Excellence
Research shows that for more and more companies, while production targets remain important, safety is paramount in the power industry. And across the wider industrial landscape, companies continue to be faced with rising energy costs and challenging environmental goals. The team behind Mobil- branded industrial lubricants understands that power industry operators face increasing demands beyond quantitative production results. Jarmo Vihersalo, Europe, Africa and Middle East Industrial marketing advisor for energy, ExxonMobil Fuels & Lubricants, explains how advanced lubricants can help mitigate potential injury risks, minimise the impact on the environment in some ways, as described further, and increase overall productivity for owners and operators of natural gas engines.
Safety first
Safety is a fundamental concern and the number one priority for power generation companies. By extending oil drain intervals and extending equipment and component life, advanced lubricants contribute to reducing employees’ exposure to hazardous maintenance procedures.
Maintenance procedures carried out during both scheduled and unscheduled downtime have the potential to put operators at risk by direct contact with equipment. High-quality advanced lubricants, particularly synthetic lubricants, can help extend equipment life, increase power output and extend oil drain intervals. The balanced formulations used in the development of Mobil industrial lubricants are designed specifically with these benefits in mind. For example, Mobil SHC™ synthetic oils are designed to work at higher operating temperatures than mineral oils, helping to extend equipment life (compared with mineral oils). Mobil SHC lubricants offer long oil life and can extend
1 equipment life, creating potential energy savings1 while helping
to increase worker safety by minimising potentially hazardous maintenance.
Additional environmental benefits In addition to improving safety, the power generation industry is seeking to minimise the impact of its operations on the environment. Some properties of advanced lubricants can provide benefits – such as extended oil life, energy efficiency and extended equipment life for power generation applications, including cogeneration and landfill applications2
- that
both contribute to safety and help companies reach their environmental care objectives.
Using lubricants that help to extend oil drain intervals, for example, can help to reduce used oil volume, as shown in the specific example further in this article. Another way to improve the plant’s carbon footprint is to improve energy utilisation and efficiency at power operations. Products such as Mobil SHC™ Pegasus can help to achieve this. The advanced technology used in the Mobil SHC Pegasus series is designed to maximise natural gas engine component reliability, and can increase fuel efficiency up to 1.5 percent3
versus mineral gas engine oils.
Productivity… and beyond While the trend to improve safety and environmental care is growing, productivity remains important. Power operators care about the financial output of running a power plant and continue to look for ways to increase production. In addition to the benefits outlined above, advanced lubricants can also contribute to enhancing overall power plant outputs. Reduced number of oil changes as a result of extended oil drain intervals,
Products such as Mobil SHC™ Pegasus and Mobil SHC™ 600 can also support improvements in productivity and energy efficiency whilst helping to create a safer working environment. The low traction and high viscosity index in the Mobil SHC 600 series can, for example, significantly reduce power consumption and energy costs compared with conventional mineral oils and can contribute to reduced energy consumption up to 3.6%. Energy efficiency relates solely to the fluid performance when compared with conventional reference oils of the same viscosity grade in gear applications. The technology used allows up to 3.6% efficiency compared with the reference when tested in a worm gearbox under controlled conditions. Efficiency improvements will vary based on operating conditions and applications.
2 “Next Generation Gas Engine Oils for Improved Sustainability in the Power Generation Market”, Kathy TELLIER, Gilles DELAFARGUE, Thomas DIETZ, Kevin HARRINGTON, 2010, Abstract. 3
The fuel efficiency of Mobil SHC Pegasus relates solely to the fluid performance when compared to ExxonMobil’s standard SAE 40 natural gas engine oils. The technology used in Mobil SHC Pegasus demonstrated up to a 1.5 percent increase in fuel efficiency compared to Mobil Pegasus 1005 and 805 series when tested in standard natural gas engine applications under controlled conditions. Efficiency improvements will vary based on operating conditions. The energy efficiency claim for this product is based on test results on the use of the fluid conducted in accordance with all applicable industry standards and protocols.
18 LUBE MAGAZINE NO.124 DECEMBER 2014
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