Ask
the Guru Manufacturing (Plastics)
Mohamed Mourad, Industrial Marketing, Europe, Africa & Middle East, ExxonMobil Lubricants and Specialties
Due to rising energy prices, we’re looking at ways to make our operation more energy efficient. What role can lubrication play in helping to achieve this goal?
Over the last few years, the competitive environment in which industrial organisations operate has shifted significantly. Consequently companies are searching for cost reductions in every single part of their business.
Lubricants are no exception. To help companies make savings, ExxonMobil for example has developed new generation hydraulic oils that reduce operating costs through increasing energy efficiency as well as productivity.
Formulated with extensive laboratory and in-service field testing, Mobil DTE 10 Excel can help provide quantifiable increases in hydraulic efficiency compared to standard hydraulic oils. This can lead to reduced power consumption and/or improved equipment performance, resulting in monetary savings. In controlled laboratory tests, Mobil DTE 10 Excel was measured to provide up to six percent(1)
increased energy efficiency compared to standard hydraulic oils.
Our machinery is operating 24/7. How can we look to maximise productivity and reduce unscheduled downtime?
Maximising productivity can be achieved in several ways, such as decreasing cycle times, extending oil drain intervals and extending equipment life.
When considering cycle time and energy efficiency, volumetric (hVE) and mechanical (hOV) efficiencies are the main
The machinery in our factory is over 10 years old. Will using high quality lubricants help increase productivity or should they only be used in newer equipment?
Both old and new equipment may benefit from high quality lubricants in different ways. A 10 year old system will probably have wider clearances between working surfaces and less precise alignment, which may lead to leakages, heat generation, energy loss and contamination which will severely stress any lubricant. Whereas, new systems will possibly operate at higher speeds, pressures and temperatures, which can all place greater stress on lubricant performance.
Continued on page 10 8 LUBE MAGAZINE NO.127 JUNE 2015
determining factors. Those two efficiencies are inversely proportional to each other and should be in balance. A system having both mechanical and volumetric efficiencies at optimum levels would decrease cycle time while saving energy. For example, using an oil such as Mobil DTE 10 Excel in a plastic injection moulding application can help to reduce cycle times, with a 0.5 second improvement in cycle time having the potential to increase productivity by 11 percent.
To help reduce unscheduled downtime, contamination control is a key requirement of a hydraulic oil. Contamination may be generated in the system or may ingress from the outside, so a hydraulic oil needs to demonstrate excellent oxidation resistance and filterability to avoid lubrication and component failures, and frequent oil changes. Other performance requirements of a hydraulic oil include preventing any pump damage or failures at equipment start-up and while operating at extremely high temperatures.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53
