Ken Bannister, Contributing Editor

The United States and the rest of the world now seem to be taking solace in a silver lining represented by the "changing of the guard" in Washington. Although the new administration clearly has a formidable task in front of it, people everywhere are looking forward to what can be achieved with a degree of anticipation and hope that has not been seen in quite a while.

Whenever asked to help a corporation, company or department to implement a continuous improvement program of any kind, one of the first questions I ask the group that will manage or be affected by the upcoming change is, "Have you ever come across a policy, procedure or business process that didn't make sense, yet is currently followed or enforced at your workplace?" Rarely is the answer "no." In fact, these seemingly "unintelligent on purpose" policies, procedures and processes (PPPs) force us to look at the past and try to understand the decision process that forced their initial and continued adoption, and determine if the adoption cause, and/or the resulting PPPs, are still in any way relevant. 

Attitudes, politics and necessity make for strange bedfellows. They also dictate approaches that seemingly make no sense during later "administrations." Understanding and communicating this will serve as a first stage catalyst for change in that it will rationalize the acts of previous management administrations, and allow current personnel to "let go" of previous negative feelings through involvement in both the determination and improvement process.

Using the "changing of the guard" (see page 3, March/April 2008 issue of Lubrication Management & Technology) as a catalyst to enact change is arguably the most powerful and effective change management event one can use to produce a positive paradigm shift with minimum resistance. This type of catalyst is available any time a new owner, or division, department or process manager, is appointed. Not only can it be used to make positive change, it should be used—every time. Management, however, does not have to be changed to gain this type of effective catalyst.

We also can choose to appoint specialized positions that show recognition of the need for and importance of the change management program. For example, where no dedicated lubrication personnel previously existed, the appointment of one or two lubrication specialists or a lubrication manager to implement a lubrication management program makes a positive statement that change is occurring. Moreover, it indicates that management now views a lubrication program as a worthy endeavor. While this simple "reframing" exercise requires virtually no capital outlay, it does call for an actual (and meaningful) change management plan to back it up.

Other successful change catalysts can include the introduction of new technology or management software tools. Most people believe the purchase of a new tool will generally simplify and improve upon processes using the replaced tools. In general, this is true. More importantly, though, most people will consent—without prejudice— to a change in their behavior through merely changing or updating tools.

To assure the success of a new program or initiative, adopt a change catalyst that allows you to validate the PPPs that offer value—and flush away those that don't. Doing so, you offer people a positive outlook and a ray of hope for the company's future—and their own. Good Luck!

kbannister@engtechindustries.com

POLARIS EXPANDS ITS REACH WITH NEW CANADIAN OPERATIONS 
POLARIS Laboratories, one of the three largest fluid analysis laboratories in the United States, has expanded its business operations into Canada with the opening of a new testing laboratory in Edmonton, Alberta. The 4000-square foot facility is the company's fourth to open since its headquarters began operations in Indianapolis in 1999. The company opened laboratories in Houston in 2003 and in Salt Lake City in 2006.

COASTAL TRAINING ACQUISITION GROWS DUPONT SAFETY OFFERINGS 
DuPont has acquired Coastal Training Technologies Corporation, a leading global producer and marketer of cutting-edge training programs, headquartered in Virginia Beach, VA. The transaction is expected to fuel significant growth for DuPont Safety Resources, a consulting business within the DuPont Safety & Protection segment. Terms of the agreement, which includes transfer of all customer agreements, patents, copyrights, brands, equipment and personnel, were not disclosed. The acquisition will allow DuPont, an established global leader in industrial safety services programs, to provide a broader mix of delivery systems to a growing global audience. Coastal Training Technologies, with offices in the United States, Mexico, Europe, Brazil, India and the Philippines, will gain access to DuPont's broad customer network for its extensive library of training products.

The Coastal deal is part of DuPont's strategy to expand its presence in emerging markets and safety industries. It complements the corporation's current safety training and consulting business, creating a single-source training leader with the greatest variety of safety programs for companies, governments and organizations seeking training and consultation. 

Founded in 1984, Coastal Training Technologies Corporation has developed and markets an extensive offering of award-winning DVDs, e-learning products, print materials and instructor-led courses available in 29 languages. About a third of the company's 600 employees reside in the United States.

ITT & MERCY CORPS PARTNER FOR WATER-RELATED DISASTER RELIEF 
ITT Corporation has announced a strategic partnership with Mercy Corps as part of ITT Watermark, the industrial giant's corporate philanthropy program. Mercy Corps, a global relief and development agency, collaborates with the United Nations to implement water and sanitation solutions during worldwide disasters. The new partnership includes a three-year, $1 million commitment to help provide safe water during emergencies created by natural catastrophes such as floods, droughts and earthquakes. Under the arrangement, ITT, a leader in the transport and treatment of water, will support Mercy Corps' relief and recovery efforts, which include the provision of dewatering and water purification equipment. In addition, ITT will aid Mercy Corps' on-the-ground staff with rebuilding and recovery of water and sanitation infrastructure long after disaster strikes. As part of the its Watermark initiative, ITT has established an Emergency Response Committee responsible for the coordinated deployment of the corporation's resources directly to disaster sites during water-related emergencies. The committee will work with Mercy Corps during the balance of 2008 to develop a plan for reducing risks and implementing turnkey emergency response protocol. 

COOPER INDUSTRIES UNVEILS STATE-OF-THE-ART TECH CENTER 
Cooper Industries is helping to celebrate its 175th anniversary with the grand opening of the Cooper Technology Center in Houston, TX. This first-of-its-kind, 35,000-square-foot facility features an auditorium, conference room and multiple training rooms designed to help facilitate industry-specific education and demonstrate the entire line of industrial solutions the company offers. Products from all of the eight Cooper divisions are represented in the Technology Center via dedicated displays and products used in the building design itself. A replica of an industrial operation helps complete the learning experience with more than 250 of Cooper's industrial offerings installed as they would be in an actual refinery. Coupled with hands-on classrooms and curriculum reflecting the corporation's vast expertise and global product offerings, the model refinery has been designed to serve as a highly practical learning environment for end-users, distributors and engineering and procurement professionals. 

According to Cooper CEO Kirk Hachigian, the corporation's vision for the Technology Center came from industry's thirst to keep current with the latest technology and products that facilitate increased productivity, enhanced energy efficiency and maximum safety for both workers and facilities. "Now," he says, "professionals who design and build industrial facilities can see our entire industrial offering under one roof, from the newest lighting technologies and electrical fuses to transformers and energy automation solutions to mass notification systems." In the past, Hachigian notes, a person would have to visit different Cooper facilities located across the country, including those in Syracuse, NY; Milwaukee, WI; Atlanta, GA; and Raleigh, NC; among others, to see the breadth of the company's offering.

FLOWSERVE PLANT EARNS NQA-1 RATING 
Flowserve reports that its Cookeville, TN plant now has achieved Nuclear Quality Assurance Level 1 (NQA-1) qualification, which allows Flowserve's valves to be used in the cleanup or remediation of contaminated facilities. The contaminants are collected and pumped to facilities where the vitrification process concentrates and fuses the radioactive materials into impermeable glassy solids, which can then be stored safely for thousands of years as the isotopes decay and ultimately become harmless.

ATP NAMES NEW EXECUTIVE EDITOR 
Rick Carter has joined Applied Technology Publications (ATP) as executive editor. Bringing more than 25 years of magazine experience to his new position, he is expected to play a key role in shaping the organization's electronic editorial products, as well as its growing seminar and Webinar offerings. He also will support the overall editorial missions of Maintenance Technology and Lubrication Management & Technology magazines. Over the course of his career, Carter has served as editor-in-chief of both Advanced Design and Manufacturing and Industrial Maintenance and Plant Operation magazines, and as editorial director of Reed Business Information's Manufacturing and Processing publishing group.

ASSOCIATION NEWS: NEW COMPRESSION PACKING MANUAL 
The Fluid Sealing Association (FSA) and European Sealing Association (ESA) have published a 116-page technical manual focused on the handling, installation and use of compression packing. Topics include how compression packing works; advances, types and manufacturing methods; packing materials and lubricants and proper packing selection. Valve, pump and specialty equipment packing, including application recommendations, also are discussed. A technical reference section addresses stuffing box design, valve stem friction and other factors that impact packing performance. Additionally, current standards, regulations and environmental legislation are reviewed. For details, visit www.fluidsealing.com or e-mail info@fluidsealing.com

YOUR NEWS IS OUR NEWS! 
OUR READERS WANT TO KNOW ALL ABOUT IT.
SEND LMT NEWS ITEMS TO: jalexander@atpnetwork.com

Baldor has expanded its Dodge ULTRA KLEEN right-angle, worm gear reducer line and is now offering 24- to 48-hour shipment on most sizes. Offered with quill and 3-piece coupled input and either solid or hollow output, these products are now available in fi ve sizes: 17, 21, 23, 26 and 30, with center distances from 1.75” to 3.00”. They feature a totally enclosed ventless sealing system that contains a factory filled H1 food grade synthetic lubricant, eliminating the need for routine oil changes. All ULTRA KLEEN reducers are manufactured with premium 316 stainless steel housings.

Baldor Electric Company Fort Smith, AR
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Seals To Reduce Dust & Vapors

Woodex Bearing Company now offers MECO seals that keep dust and vapors from escaping process vessels into the atmosphere and can incorporate safety features to reduce ignition risk. MECO designers examine each application individually and custom engineer seals to specifi cally meet the requirements of the processor. The company’s seal designs also now comply with strict European explosive atmosphere regulations (ATEX).

Woodex Bearing Company Georgetown, ME
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Oh So New Vertical Turbine Pumps 

ITT Goulds new O-Head™ design enhances the reliability and performance of vertical turbine pumps. The patent pending O-Head allows smoother running with lower vibration levels exceeding all major international rotating equipment specifications. This new discharge head also offers improved efficiency and mechanical condition due to its mitered radius waterway. According to the manufacturer, the unique structural static and dynamic Finite Element Analysis (FEA) design for stress and deflection (using parametric modeling) ensures the reliability of every Goulds vertical turbine pump. The O-head is available on vertical products sizes 16” diameter discharge and above.

ITT Goulds Seneca Falls, NY 
For more info, enter 32 at www.LMTfreeinfo.com 

MRO eCatalog 

The IHS MRO eCatalog is a dynamic, Web-based electronic catalog of more than four million MRO parts and materials from more than 1300 manufacturers. Its features include keyword, manufacturer and part number search; parametric search with attribute refinement; ability to compare items side-by-side; link to catalog pages and view manufacturer information and list pricing. The eCatalog is available as an annual subscription on IHS’ Engineering Resource Center, or integrated with the IHS Intermat Struxure™ catalog authoring/management software.

IHS Inc. Englewood, CO 
For more info, enter 33 at www.LMTfreeinfo.com

Reliability doesn't just happen in facilities, including those in the hydrocarbon processing industry. Here's an expert's view of what's going on in some of today's refinery operations, and how the situation can be improved.

My "post-retirement" experiences in numerous hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI) facilities from 1986 to around 2002—and my exposure to thousands of HPI employees since 1965—has allowed me to make a number of observations and form opinions that are still relevant today. The following brief summary is intended to highlight my observations and permit me to offer a few recommendations. All are aimed at rapidly improving equipment reliability at some refineries I recently have visited. I call these "Reliability Assessment Visits."

Observation: Interest in training varies.
To an extent, all refineries exhibit uneven levels of interest in learning about the operator-machine interface. Some operators take the position that they are not in charge of equipment maintenance or upgrading. They fail to understand that they are the first line of defense, and that all improvements in the refinery must, ultimately, be accepted by them so as to do the operation any good. As an example, there is feedback from operators who claim to have tried to advocate such measures as periodic switchover of pumps but were not allowed to do so. What's wrong with reliability management at those locations?

We frequently come away from sites with the impression that the reasons for switchovers are not known to operations' supervision. What they don't know they can't teach others. Switching pumps is beneficial in preventing the degradation of standby bearings due to vibration transmitted from the running pump, and rust formation due to constant "breathing" of bearing housings (hence, ingestion of moist and dirt-laden air). The notion that using each pump would make both wear out at exactly the same time is about as correct as the belief that twins have the same life expectancy and likely will die on the same day.

Observation: Upgrading of oil mist systems is possible.
By now, most readers know that I'm a proponent of plant-wide oil mist lubrication and preservation systems—and why. That said, it is interesting to note that some relatively new installations continue to follow a wet sump (purge mist) approach that is of relatively little benefit. Some use cooling where others have found cooling unnecessary for the past 30 years. With expert help, these plants have an opportunity to bring their systems up to industry standards.

Correct slope, top take-offs from the header pipe, spray mist fittings and application fittings located per API-610 8th and later editions are readily achievable and would be cost-effective, as would the use of balanced constant level lubricators in bearing housings with traditional sump lubrication. Old-style non-balanced constant level lubricators will allow pressure differences to exist between the housing interior and atmosphere. This often causes the oil levels inside bearing housings to be unexpectedly low.

In many assessment visits, we were unable to find anyone who was aware of the vendor's stipulated uni-directionality of constant level lubricators. Whenever these are installed on the wrong side of the pump bearing housing, they increase the risk of causing deprivation of oil level.

Many refineries are not organized to understand the seriousness of this issue, nor do they make efforts to remedy the situation. There often seems to be no champion who insists on "picking this ripe, low-hanging fruit" without delay. Although many of these facts were brought to light years ago, word has still not reached all refineries. Consequently, we have seen locations where no efforts are being made to address and remedy the situation.

Observation: Deleting cooling water would reduce bearing failures. 
In the late 1960s, smart refineries dismantled cooling water systems on all conventionally-lubricated equipment that incorporated rolling element ("antifriction") bearings. It was clearly established that simply using lubricants with higher ISO viscosity grades allowed for the slight temperature increase to be easily accommodated. Although the oil viscosity was now being lowered by the increased temperature, it still remained well above the minimum required value.

For the past 30 years, hundreds of refineries have operated their rolling element bearing-equipped pumps without cooling water. Those refineries and chemical plants always noted an unexpected side benefit: Increased bearing life. Cooling water in a jacket surrounding the bearing outer ring affected shrinkage of the outer rings; the reduced bearing internal clearance had promoted early failure of "cooled" bearings. Similarly, using cooling water coils to lower the liquid oil temperature at the bottom of a bearing housing while allowing moist air near its saturation point to occupy the rest of the housing will invite moisture condensation.

There is a real opportunity here to capture credits by selectively deleting cooling water after ascertaining that the correct bearing is used and that this bearing is correctly installed. By allowing 0.25% water in the oil, a pump user typically reduces pump bearing life by a factor of 6!

Observation: There has been excessive mechanical seal consumption. 
In mid-2001, a mid-size refinery determined that, in an 18-month period, the cost of mechanical seals for a total of just 10 services exceeded $1,100,000. It was easy to establish that the facility processed the same fluids, operated the same pump types and used the same seal models and flush plans as other refineries. Therefore, it should have been evident—and was indeed easy to ascertain—that issues centering around installation weaknesses (pipe stress, baseplate grouting, etc.) and pump warm-up procedures, such as lack of through-flow in stuffing box while pump was not running or forgetting to use a flush-oil at shutdown and startup, merited closer investigation. This re-enforced our impression that: 

• The cooperation between process engineers and mechanical/reliability workforces often does not measure up to expectations.

• Root cause failure analysis is not being practiced to the extent necessary and is not a cooperative effort between operations, maintenance and technical work functions.

• At a minimum, a facility's seal alliance partner needs to provide detailed, written guidelines, perhaps based on observations elsewhere, as to proper warm-up or flush oil startup methods.

EQUIPMENT RELIABILITY 
At one refinery being assessed, an operating supervisor stated that the moment hot fluids are introduced into a pump, he calls for a quick startup in the expectation that the pumpage will not become more viscous as it contacts cooler parts of the pump. Another supervisor noted that he trusted his intuition and a scribbled reminder. He volunteered that his idea as to correctness of his reminder "write-up" was not shared by others. These scenarios, again, indicate that some refineries lack relevant, uniformly applied equipment operating instructions. Such instructions, procedures or checklists exist and should be provided at all refinery locations.

Overall Impression: Lots of ripe, low-hanging fruit 
On the good side, during these "Plant Reliability Assessment Visits," we always found that every employee has strengths to build on. Everyone has the ability to contribute to a knowledge base—and such a base can always be broadened. In essence, we should assume that all employees are salvageable.

While it is a statistical impossibility for every refinery to be a top performer, there is rarely (in the United States) one single issue that is glaringly wrong and that, if rectified, would save millions. Instead, there are literally hundreds of seemingly minor items that must be rectified at most refineries. Fortunately, this "ripe, low-hanging fruit" is easily picked. It will rarely cost much money to do so and mapping out the path forward should be easy.

Where the money is spent today 
Here, then, are a few details and deviations that cost money, if not addressed. These, and many others, were discussed in assessing the reasons for decreased equipment reliability at several mid-sized refineries. They merit being addressed by teams composed of operations, maintenance and technical personnel. The teams must "buy-in" and a champion must intervene if old habits will not die:

1. Operators often are told to run on outboard seal, after the main seal has failed. That's costly and dangerous. Seals are rarely designed for this duty. 

2. Beware of newly installed seals throwing sparks upon startup. At one facility, operators were told to always pour water on such a seal; I assume this was the result of a dimensional error made at one time. The solution? Issue dimensional checklists and insist on shop measurements, then discontinue this strange practice.

3. Don't run steam-driven equipment with inoperative trip throttle (T/T) valve(s)—nor without periodically exercising these (T/T) valves. Sticky T/T valves are a huge threat to safety. Realize that these valves are traditionally examined (dismantled) during turnarounds.So,after the next planned shutdown, budget an extra day to leave turbines uncoupled and let your operators exercise the valves to convince them that accidentally tripping a turbine is simply not possible.

4. Don't allow excessive quench steam pressure on some hot service pumps. There should be an orifice and the pressure downstream of that orifice should not exceed 5 psi.

5. Don't use cooling water on oil-mist lubricated pumps— its serves no purpose. Measure the housing temperature. Note that 180 F is acceptable, providing an ISO Grade 68 or 100 turbine oil is used in the system.

6. We established that oil mist was introduced into wet sump bearing housings in the expectation the mist would protect and lubricate the bearings even if liquid oil levels were lost. That is simply not the case. Huge amounts of mist (actually, over-lubrication) would be needed to accomplish this.

7. In wet sump (purge mist) lubricated bearing housings, high oil mist pressure causes oil level to go down in the bearing housing and rising in non-balanced constant level lubricators. The refinery was then asked to convert to pressure-balanced constant level lubricators.

8. Mechanical seal cavities often were not vented upon startup. The result: Trapped air promoted seal leakage and failures. Drilling a hole connecting the stuffing box interior to the casing internals solved the problem. This is a standard shop modification done at some refineries.

9. In efforts to economize by buying refused to turn properly as a result. and stocking fewer types of oil, the refinery made it a (strange) practice

10. Pump suction strainers had been to use excessively thick lubricants. left in place. Many were rather thin-Personnel didn't realize that this was metal startup strainers that were actually a very costly approach since prone to corrode. They were to be the oil rings (slinger rings) often removed at the earliest opportunity.

Multi-phase remedial steps should be considered 
As a matter of routine, I often have proposed that a site engage the services of a competent retiree with an extensive reliability background. This individual would track the restoration and upgrading of older oil mist systems, verifying and correcting baseplate and grouting integrity, stress-free piping, correct alignment practices, re-negotiation of certain seal partnerships, constant level lubricator upgrades, issuance and "buy-in" of installation, startup, cleaning, repair instructions, routine upgrade procedures to be implemented every time pumps or motors enter the shop, checklists and the like. 

Deriving this material from scratch is unnecessary and costly as it already exists and could easily be adapted to a site's needs. I frequently have estimated that it would require no more than a few weeks to assemble all of the written guidelines (about 600 pages) that a refinery would need. Upon transfer of the material to a refinery, an experienced professional would thoroughly explain its relevance to cross-functional teams and the refinery would manage its full adoption and "buy-in" by operations, maintenance and technical/reliability workforce members. 

Some time later, a competent follow-up study could be done to rigorously benchmark and audit the results of the preceding efforts.

Contributing Editor Heinz Bloch is the author of 17 comprehensive textbooks and over 340 other publications on machinery reliability and lubrication. He can be contacted at:hpbloch@mchsi.com

No study of oil cleanliness really would be complete without a look at what happens once the oil reaches the end user. Is that where the real trouble starts? To try to find out, we chose to examine two large plants, an oil refinery and a petrochemical complex. Both facilities have large populations of rotating equipment, including significant numbers of centrifugal pumps, electric motors and compressors. A large number of oil samples were collected from both plants and evaluated separately for viscosity, ISO Cleanliness and water by MRT Laboratories. The findings from each plant—or end user company—are as follows:

Oil refinery data 
The large Gulf Coast refinery selected for this study has instituted a program requiring the delivery of clean and dry oil. Its requirement of 15/13/11 along with < 50 ppm of water for delivery of clean oil has resulted in improved bearing life. Table I illustrates the oil cleanliness findings from this refinery. 

The results from the referenced refinery indicate that while there is a wide variation in oil cleanliness at the site— even for the same equipment types—overall, the cleanliness is not out of range. Several concerns, however, surfaced here. 

1. The cleanliness rating of the oil in the ISO 32 bulk tank (21/18/15) was high for a centrifugal compressor, indicating that the fluid was too dirty for that service.

2. The oil from one reciprocating compressor was too dirty for evaluation.

3. The containers used to add oil to the pumps also raised concerns. The recommended sealed plastic containers utilized for this task contained very dirty oil (23/22/13). No matter how clean oil is when it is delivered, it can become contaminated very quickly if not handled properly. One bright note, though, was the dryness of the oil. No sample exceeded 50 ppm.

Although the results of this refinery evaluation were obtained from a small number of samples, they still provide useful data on the cleanliness of the oil in this facility. All sampling was observed by one of the authors. Collection was consistent with best practices to minimize the introduction of outside contaminants.

Petrochemical complex data 
The second end user facility evaluated for this study was a large petrochemical complex that has no cleanliness requirements for incoming oil. Table II reflects cleanliness data collected at this operation. Our major focus in this plant was on the evaluation of lubricants in storage tanks and small containers used to add oil to pumps and small equipment. 

Although samples from the tankage were found to be reasonably clean, those from containers used to add oil to pumps and small equipment were found to be very dirty. This strongly suggests that improvements in keeping oil clean in containers should enhance pump reliability. 

Conclusion 
Yes, the oil in the large equipment at the two end-user facilities evaluated for this study was reasonably clean. However, given the fact that the oil in some tankage and containers at these plants was not as clean as it should have been, these areas seem to be where real improvement efforts should be focused. 

While cleanliness levels in samples from some of the large equipment at the two facilities could be attributed to filtration, end users should be mindful of the fact that it is vitally important to start out with as clean an oil as possible. Unfortunately, as illustrated by this study, clean oil delivered by a supplier can become seriously contaminated as a result of poor storage and handling practices. 

One of the most important findings from this study is that everyone in the oil cleanliness chain—including you, the end user—has to take ownership in ensuring that clean oil reaches your equipment.

Acknowledgments 
In addition to acknowledging the staff and management of MRT Laboratories for their work in the analysis of the oil in this study, the authors wish to thank the following individuals for assisting in the data collection for this article: John Gobert, Mark Kavanaugh, Jimmy Thomson, Bill Tummins and Russell Aucoin. 

Contributing editor Ray Thibault is based in Cypress (Houston), TX. An STLE-Certified Lubrication Specialist and Oil Monitoring Analyst, he conducts extensive training in a number of industries. Telephone: (281) 257-1526; e-mail: rlthibault@msn.com

Mark Graham is technical services manager for O’Rourke Petroleum in Houston, TX. Telephone: (713) 672-4500; e-mail: mgraham@orpp.com

COMING UP
The concluding article in the series will summarize all the ? ndings from the blender, distributor and end user. Best practices to achieve oil cleanliness targets and enhanced equipment reliability, including utilization of mobile particle counters, will be discussed in detail.

So how can small- and medium-sized businesses gain a competitive edge? 

Implement a proactive maintenance strategy 
One of the most valuable things any company can do is to incorporate a proactive maintenance approach as opposed to staying in a reactive mode. A proactive maintenance strategy is what many of the most successful companies in the industrial sector utilize—be they large or small.

A proactive stance considers equipment maintenance not as a cost, but as a strategic investment. Guided by this maintenance philosophy, companies recognize that when they invest in protecting their assets (equipment) they can yield significant payback in terms of exceptional equipment durability and efficiency, as well as maximized performance and productivity.

For smaller companies specializing in machine shop applications, this maintenance mindset is essential. After all, for many machine shops, a few pieces of specialized equipment often represent a significant portion of the company’s entire operations. Without that equipment running efficiently, an organization’s productivity and bottom line can be severely impacted. 

The most essential and cost-effective component of a successful proactive maintenance strategy is the implementation of a comprehensive oil analysis program. 

Oil analysis is a series of tests that help determine the condition of internal hardware and in-service lubricants. With this information, you can extend the useful lives of both, identify early warning signs such as contamination and wear and minimize unscheduled maintenance. For maintenance professionals and business owners that want to implement an effective oil analysis program—that also can save time and money—there is ExxonMobil’s proprietary online Signum Oil Analysis Program. 

For example, this program offers customers immediate access and direct control of their lubricant sampling program. With a few keystrokes, users can manage all their oil analysis needs, including: 

• Update equipment registrations and select analysis options based on their equipment or maintenance needs;

• Track the status of samples at the lab;

• Direct actions based on analysis results, request sample kits; and,

• Share critical results with colleagues in a secure, password protected environment.

Streamline inventory management 
Another great way for small- and medium-sized machine shop businesses to maximize productivity within their operations is to have an efficient inventory management strategy.

When addressing inventory management, there are several factors you should consider. Perhaps the most important is recognizing that inventory costs will include the initial purchase price of materials plus costs associated with handling and storage. Other items to consider when developing an inventory management strategy include estimating the replenishment quantity and determining appropriate times to submit reorders. 

A crucial component in determining proper reorder quantity and timing involves accurately gauging how much available space can be dedicated to storage. Typically, most machine shop owners/managers don’t want to devote valuable space to the storing of excess inventory. Thus, a best practice is for them to work closely with their suppliers to develop an effective cycle fulfillment process, through which deliveries are received just as previous order supplies are about to be drained. Another best practice is to periodically examine the products and supplies they use— especially lubricants. 

One common way for machine shop owners to efficiently utilize inventory space is to review the list of lubricants the operation is using. Lubricants take up a significant amount of storage area. Fortunately, the number of products used frequently can be consolidated to a lower number of high-performance lubricants.

Capture the benefits of high-performance lubricants 
Whether your company specializes in producing simple bolts, complex gear sets or high-precision valves, keeping your machinery running efficiently is the real key to your profitability. After all, in a machine tool, the active physical interrelationship taking place in the equipment requires that your lubricants work together effectively—i.e., your slideway oil must work seamlessly with your choice of cutting fluids. 

In a machine tool, mixing oil with the coolant is unavoidable. Some way oils may not separate readily from the coolants and result in excessive "tramp oil." Excessive tramp oil will compromise the effectiveness of the metalworking fluid by shortening its effective life and altering cutting performance. Excessive tramp oil also can lead to bacterial growth in water-soluble coolants, resulting in foul odor, short coolant life and potential employee health and safety concerns. 

To avoid these issues and help ensure that your equipment runs smoothly over the long haul, choose a high-performance lubricant specifically designed to deliver excellent frictional properties and coolant compatibility across a range of way and slide applications. Lubricants from the Mobil Vactra Oil Numbered Series are an example of this type of product. 

Ideal for multiple applications, including both as slideway lubricants for steel on steel and steel on plastic ways and as fluids for moderate service machine tool hydraulic systems, these products offer a number of performance benefits. 
When choosing a high-performance oil, you should look for: 

• Exceptional coolant separability… which enhances the performance and life of water-based metal working fluids

• Excellent frictional properties… which enable increased machine accuracy and reduce chatter and stick-slip

• Rust and corrosion protection… which helps reduce the deterioration of sliding services and associated maintenance.

For today’s machine shop operators, maximizing productivity is not an option —especially for those with small- and medium-sized businesses. Leveraging the strategies discussed in this article is an effective way to get a real productivity boost around your shop.

Glen Sharkowicz is Global Industrial Products Offer Advisor with Mobil Industrial Lubricants. 

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Amazingly, a large number of distributors don't have any idea as to the cleanliness of the lubricants they receive from their suppliers—nor do they have any idea as to the cleanliness of the fluids they deliver to the end user! It has been demonstrated, however, that clean fluids extend equipment life. That's crucial to companies anytime, but even more so in tough economic times. End users, therefore, should no longer accept dirty fluids, especially when critical applications are involved. (Fig. 1 illustrates the distributor's process in handling and delivering lubricants.)

Larger distributors receive their high-volume lubricants in bulk from tank trucks. These are stored in various size tanks. Larger volume items, such as hydraulic, turbine and engine oils, are usually stored in large tanks. These largervolume items also are packaged by the distributor into smaller sizes, such as drums and pails.

Many potential trouble spots
There are many possible sources of contamination in the transfer of lubricants to the end user, including:

Cleanliness of incoming fluid from lubricant supplier

• Cleanliness in loading on truck
• Cleanliness of truck
• Condition and cleanliness of hoses and fittings when offloading into distributor bulk tank

Condition of bulk tank

• Last time cleaned
• Open spaces promoting rust
• Gooseneck breathers

Packaging of lubricants

• Cleanliness of reconditioned drum
• Storage of empty drum
• Filling of drum
• Storage and filling of new pails

Bulk deliveries to end user

• Cleanliness condition of truck
• Loading procedures
• Cleanliness of hoses and fittings
• Cleanliness of end user tank

The process is marked by one challenge after another. With so many points where contaminants could be introduced, what can a distributor do to ensure that clean fluids are being delivered?

Taking the right steps
The first step a distributor should take is to evaluate the cleanliness of incoming fluids. Very few distributors monitor the fluids they receive from their lubricants supplier. One exception, a large Western distributor, has developed a program where retains are collected when the lubricant is loaded on their bulk truck and samples then taken during offloading. These samples are sent to an independent oil analysis laboratory for particle counts and water. It is interesting to note that this distributor operation goes through this process with all of its high-volume fluids, including engine oils. Table I reflects the average cleanliness of the fluids offloaded to the distributor's tank truck from the lubricant supplier. Since this is a new procedure, the sample population is low, but it still provided useful information.

Particle counts were run on the fluid being offloaded in the distributor's tanks. In some cases the fluid offloaded was two or more ISO codes higher than the fluid loaded at the blend plant. This could be caused by contaminants in the tank truck and/or by the procedures during offloading. This was truer for the hydraulic fluids than for the engine oils. The distributor has the data and is in the process of correcting the problem.

This distributor has installed desiccant breathers on all of its tanks to help control particles and moisture. The operation also is beginning to monitor the cleanliness of the fluids in the tanks.

Some of the more progressive distributors know the cleanliness of their incoming and outgoing fluids especially for turbine and hydraulic fluids. This allows the fluids to meet their customers' cleanliness standards in the most economical way and in some cases without having to provide a final filtration at the customer site. Some distributors provide final filtration at the customer site but don't verify the cleanliness of the fluids with a particle count. Anyone paying a fee for clean fluids should demand a cleanliness code rating for the delivered fluid.

Developing a plan

A large distributor in the Southwest is developing a new program to monitor and provide clean fluids to its customers. Evaluation of the data collected in Table II resulted in the planning and implementation of a program to deliver very clean hydraulic and turbine oils to their customers.

Note that several fluid samples obtained from the bulk tanks were not listed because particles could be seen on the bottom of the sample bottle. Analytical ferrography indicated the presence of rust, dirt, fibers and hose material. Based on these results, the distributor cleaned those tanks at the earliest opportunity. (It also should be noted that sampling at different levels in the tank will lead to different results. Therefore, it is important for a distributor to sample at the bottom of the tank to determine if cleaning is needed.) In the meantime, should your distributor(s) be required to clean their tanks? See the accompanying sidebar below.

Implementation of the plan… 
The following details are part of the Southwestern distributor's aggressive program to assure very clean and dry fluids for its customers:

• Bulk tanks will be examined and cleaned if necessary.
• Desiccant breathers will be installed on all bulk tanks.
• Particle counts and water measurement will be run on all incoming hydraulic and turbine oils.
• Filtration systems will be installed for turbine and hydraulic fluids. Both incoming and outgoing fluids from bulk tanks will undergo fine filtration. The target is to achieve a minimum cleanliness of 15/13/10, with a goal of achieving 13/10/08.
• All bulk trucks will have a cleaning procedure to meet the above standards.
• All hoses and fittings will be kept clean.
• Drum and pail packaging operations will be redesigned to maintain the cleanliness standards.

The packaging process
Many distributors do their own packaging both in 55-gallon drums and 5-gallon pails. Typically reconditioned, these units can be a source of contamination. Consequently, they need to be carefully examined before filling.

Most distributors put a mirror with a light at the bottom of a drum to look for rust and debris. The empty drums should also be stored properly without any openings to the environment. The drums evaluated as listed in Table II were relatively clean for general use—but not for critical hydraulic applications. (It should be noted that the gear oil in the table was in a new drum from the lubricant supplier.)

Most small-volume lubricants in drums are packaged by the lubricant blender and delivered by the distributor. New drums usually can be identified by their bright glossy finish. The 5-gallon pails (in Table II) showed a large variance in cleanliness. This was probably caused by how the pails were stored and the way they were filled.

The previous installment of this series (pgs. 16-21, Lubrication Management & Technology, July-August 2008) evaluated new oils in 5-gallon pails filled by different distributors. The results for the turbine and hydraulic oils are shown in Table III.

As shown in Table III, there is substantial variance among the three distributors. Distributor A had both the cleanest and driest fluids. Based on knowledge of their operation, it is not surprising.

Midwestern lubricant blender/distributor successes 
The road to supplying clean fluids began several years ago when one of this Midwestern distributor's major customers—a large steel producer—demanded 17/15/12 cleanliness for a high-volume ashless hydraulic oil. In response, the distributor installed an offline filtration system in its hydraulic fluid bulk tank. Over a two-year period, the operation has achieved this goal for its customer 100% of the time.

Data reviewed over a five-month period showed a low cleanliness rating of 14/13/10 to a high of 15/14/12. This was achieved with the help of both the offline filtration system and better lubricant-handling procedures.

Clean fluid can be contaminated quickly if it is not loaded properly in dirty trucks. Accordingly, a cleaning and loading procedure minimizing particle ingression was implemented to maintain the cleanliness goals during transport. The results were documented through the running particle counts during loading and offloading. In most cases cleanliness requirements are for turbine and hydraulic oils. In some cases, though, customers demand other types of clean fluids.

A large public utility required a 18/16/13 cleanliness code for an ISO 460 gear oil for a coal pulverizer. This was achieved by the distributor introducing a portable filtration system into the process. The incoming fluid was 22/20/14 and the goal was exceeded after six hours. Filtration was continued for one day and a 15/13/09 was achieved. This is remarkable for gear oil.

Conclusion
The distributor is the key link in the cleanliness chain, yet many have no idea as to the cleanliness of the fluids they are receiving and delivering.

Supplying clean oils does not have to be expensive—but it can lead to significant benefits for the end user. No wonder that the delivery of clean oil is becoming more of a factor as a marketing tool for distributors.

Clean fluids definitely are achievable—as demonstrated by many of the more progressive distributors. There are two ways in which a distributor can ensure the delivery of clean fluids:

When a distributor doesn't know the cleanliness of the fluids it is receiving from a lube blender (and loading on a tank truck and filling drums and pails with) cleanliness can be achieved by filtering the product at the end user site. Filtering dirty fluids, however, is expensive and time consuming.

Another method—and a more efficient one—is to implement a program to clean fluids on site and keep them clean up to the point of delivery. This approach, which also leads to the delivery of cleaner packaged lubricants, is being utilized by some of the market's more progressive distributors.

Acknowledgments
The authors offer special thanks to the following individuals who supplied information for this article:

1. Mike Skuratovich, VP sales & marketing, Eastern Oil Company
2. Jim Ferrell, lubricant sales manager, Western Energetix
3. Mike Boyd, Fluid Solutions

Contributing Editor Ray Thibault is based in Cypress (Houston), TX. An STLE-Certified Lubrication Specialist and Oil Monitoring Analyst, he conducts extensive training in a number of industries. Telephone: (281) 257-1526; e-mail: rlthibault@msn.com

Mark Graham is technical services manager for O'Rourke Petroleum in Houston, TX. Telephone: (713) 672-4500; e-mail: mgraham@orpp.com

Coming Up

The next article will involve analysis of the third link in the cleanliness chain: the end user. Very clean fluids can be delivered but they need to be maintained to achieve equipment reliability benefits. Several large manufacturing facilities will be examined and fluids will be evaluated on cleanliness and best practices recommended.

Of course, volumes have been written as to why pumps fail. Also, it is no stretch to assert that, when pump fires result from such failures, a mechanical seal is usually involved (Fig. 1).

Mechanical seals often fail as a consequence of prior bearing distress. In some instances, seal manufacturers supply products with close clearances between the periphery of rotating seal parts and the diameter (bore) of stationary seal parts. We believe that users should specify seals for hydrocarbon products to comply with API (American Petroleum Industry) Standards. We also believe that deviations from the user's specification or applicable guidelines (such as API-682) should be brought to the purchaser's attention.

There are, however, other ways to avoid seal failures. One of these would be to specify, whenever applicable, canned motor centrifugal pumps. Also called "hermetically sealed" pumps, they do not incorporate mechanical seals.

History of canned motor pumps A canned motor pump cross-section is shown in Fig. 2. The development of these centrifugal pumps is closely associated with the expansion of nuclear power generation technology. As of the early 1950s, safety considerations led to the development of hermetically sealed operating loops. It was then that the design principle of the canned motor— known since 1914—found practical application.

The chemical industry's recognition of the advantages of these pumps followed soon thereafter. Indeed, the additional demand created a widespread economic base for the manufacture of canned motor pumps.

By the 1960s, canned motor pumps had evolved to the point of standardization. Expanding populations and rising standards of living in both the industrial and developing countries required innovative technologies to solve the demanding and progressively urgent problems of protecting the environment. Increasingly, canned motor pumps became part of the answer.

We readily acknowledge that, in the last three decades, much progress has been made in the field of mechanical shaft sealing. Yet, beginning with the mid-1970s, environmental considerations, industry consolidation and automation of processes have become increasingly important. It is in this context—in a wide range of fluid movement tasks—that the more traditional types of sealing either provide inadequate safety or present pollution and loss concerns that can no longer be tolerated.

In some instances, the cost of seal support and monitoring systems is disproportionate to the potential success. It is only fair to point out the existence of services that simply cannot be performed using "open" or conventionally sealed centrifugal pumps. Absolutely hermetic transport of fluids using centrifugal pumps is only possible where the torque applied to the pump rotor is generated externally. To satisfy this requirement, a rigid external stator system using either electromagnets or permanent magnets is needed. In some industries, conventionally sealed pumps can endanger human life and physical assets. Thus, traditionally sealed pumps are not always "best available technology." Accordingly, wherever the state-of-the-art makes this protection feasible, the means employed must be aligned with the results achieved.

And so, keeping in mind the limitations of "open design" pumps (those with packing or mechanical shaft seals) that can contribute to air and water pollution, we should endeavor to be thoroughly acquainted with state-of-the-art of hermetic drive techniques for centrifugal pumps. The facts may surprise us.

Design and functional description As extremely environmentally sound machines, canned motor "hermetic" pumps are now very widely used in Europe and Japan. While making inroads in the United States, lost ground needs to be recovered in our quest for competitiveness. That said, wherever it is necessary to move dangerous, toxic, polluting, expensive, caustic, potentially explosive, high-temperature or low-temperature fluids, canned motor pumps deserve very close consideration.

The canned motor combines the well-understood hydraulics of centrifugal pumps with the equally wellproven three-phase induction motor. The hydraulic section is directly connected to the drive motor. A pipelike sleeve or "can" is inserted in the magnetically-bridged gap between rotor and stator. The "can" absolutely and hermetically separates the rotor chamber from the pressurized fluid pumping environment. In other words, the "can" is the boundary between the liquid-enveloped pump rotor and the non-wetted stator chamber (Fig. 2). The "can" thus separates the motor into two functional areas; it represents the hermetic sealing element of the pump assembly. In essence, the torque required for shaft rotation is transferred via the can, which consists of a non-magnetic material, by electromagnetic means. This type of drive does not require a shaft aperture through the fluid-containing (usually pressurized) housing; there is thus no need for dynamic gaskets or mechanical seals. The necessary static gaskets are generally problem-free but, in special cases, may be replaced by welded connections.

Canned motor pumps, therefore, are fully hermetic pump units. The pump section can be of single or multistage design. The pump impeller (or impellers on multistage pumps) is mounted at the overhung end of a shared pump-and-motor shaft. The performance parameters of these pumps now correspond to the stipulations of their main areas of application—the chemical and refining industries. At present (2008), the upper power limit is the vicinity of 600 kW. In order to approach as closely as possible the dimensional and performance-related envelopes of large numbers of standard centrifugal pumps (DIN 24256 or, respectively, ISO 2858 used in the chemical industry), many thousands of canned motor pumps in service today are available with the standard hydraulics of this pump range. The identical external dimensions of DIN and ISO hermetic and "traditional" centrifugal pumps allow rapid conversion from conventional to hermetic pumps. Needless to say, this allows reducing the spare parts inventory requirements of any modern facility.

There are, however, substantial additional advantages. These advantages, as well as the impressive efficiency and MTBF statistics of hermetically sealed API-compliant pumps, are discussed in the following Sidebar section, co-authored with George Dierssen, of IndustryUptime.

NOTEWORTHY MANAGEMENT CHANGES 
ConocoPhillips has announced a number of senior management changes. Among them: John Carrig, former executive VP, Finance, and CFO, will now serve as president and COO and continue to report to Jim Mulva, chairman and CEO. Jim Gallogly, who had been executive VP, Refi ning, Marketing & Transportation, has been named as executive vice president, Exploration & Production. His former position will be fi lled by Willie Chiang, former senior VP, Commercial. Greg Goff, former president, Strategy, Integration and Specialty Businesses for Refi ning, Marketing & Transportation, will replace Chiang as senior VP, Commercial. Ryan Lance will remain president, Exploration & Production – Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Emerson Process Management also has announced a number of corporate leadership changes. Steven A. Sonnenberg has been named executive VP of Emerson and business leader of Emerson Process Management, serving as president. John M. Berra, former president of the corporation and business leader since 2000, is taking a new role as chairman of Emerson Process Management to focus on strategic planning, technology, key customer relationships and organizational planning. Michael H. Train, president of Emerson Process Management Asia Pacifi c, is returning to the United States from Singapore as president of Rosemount. Train’s former position is now held by Sabee Mitra, who most recently served as president of Emerson Process Management Middle East. David A. Tredinnick, VP Southeast Asia for Emerson Process Management Asia Pacifi c, is moving to Dubai and replacing Mitra as president of Emerson Process Management Middle East.

The Lubrizol Corporation has announced a number of management changes as well. According to James L. Hambrick, Lubrizol’s chairman, president and CEO, these changes were essential in order for the company to execute its strategy and continue to grow, especially in today’s challenging business environment. Among the promotions that took effect September 26 were that of Steve Kirk, who was elevated to senior VP and COO, in charge of both Lubrizol Additives (LZA) and Lubrizol Advanced Materials (LZAM) business segments. He had been serving as senior VP of the corporation and president of LZA. Larry Norwood was promoted to corporate VP, Operations, leading operations personnel and infrastructure for both LZA and LZAM. Most recently Norwood had served as VP, Operations for the LZA segment. Bob Graf was promoted to corporate VP, Research and Development, leading research strategy and the development of scientifi c resources for both LZA and LZAM. He was previously VP, Research and Development for LZA. Dan Sheets was promoted to corporate VP and president, LZA, where he had been serving as VP of sales since 2005. In his new role, Sheets will be responsible for the day-to-day management and growth of the LZA segment, which will continue to be structured around two major product lines, namely the Engine Additives line and the Driveline and Industrial Additives line.

On a related note, Don Bogus, senior VP of The Lubrizol Corporation and president of LZAM, will retire effective January 2, 2009. Bogus began his career with Lubrizol in April of 2000 as VP of the then Chemicals for Industry division with responsibility for Lubrizol’s paints, coatings and inks additive businesses. During his tenure with the corporation, he played a key role in the company’s M&A growth strategy and was instrumental in integrating the Noveon business into the current LZAM business segment.

INTEGRATED POWER SERVICES ACQUIRES TRICO TCWIND SERVICES 
Integrated Power Services, a leader in the service and repair of electric motors, generators and mechanical power transmission components, has acquired Trico TCWind, a familyowned power-services company, based in Litchfi eld, MN. Trico TCWind specializes in the North American service and repair of wind generators and turbines, as well as the repair of electric motors and other rotating equipment for the Minnesota regional market. The deal marks the third acquisition for IPS in 2008, following the company’s prior purchase of Electro-Mec and The Monarch Group. Terms were not disclosed. Headquartered in Greenville, SC, IPS now has 16 regional service centers across the country, offering coast-to-coast 24/7 coverage to more than 2000 customers across a wide range of capital-intensive industries. Trico TCWind will operate as an IPS company, enhancing the company’s full-service capabilities, particularly in North American wind energy service and repair markets and providing a presence in the upper Midwest.

AZIMA ACQUIRES DLI ENGINEERING BIZ 
Azima Holdings, Inc. has acquired Washington state-based DLI Engineering, a pioneer in vibration-based condition analysis. The resulting new entity, known as Azima DLI, is now one of the PdM market’s largest players, based on geographic and industry reach, customer base and concentration of experienced vibration analysts. Azima DLI provides services to two of the industry’s largest customers, Air Liquide and the U.S. Navy. According to company press releases, Azima DLI’s combined strengths will benefi t its customers with “one stop shopping” for all their condition monitoring needs. DLI Engineering has 42 years of expertise developing automated machine diagnostics that extend Azima’s sophisticated remote monitoring, wireless and web-based portal software and services. It also brings global expertise in markets such as aerospace, automotive, food, military and maritime, pharmaceutical, and wind power that complement Azima’s footprint in the industrial gases, oil and gas, paper, power and steel industries.

ASHRAE OFFERS NEW FACILITIES CERTIFICATION
Energy use in buildings can be reduced by 10 to 40 percent by improving operational strategies in buildings, according to a study by the Energy Systems Lab at Texas A & M University. A new certifi cation program from ASHRAE helps building owners know they are hiring and retaining employees and consultants who know how to take advantage of such strategies.

The Operations and Performance Management Professional Certification (OPMP) program helps earners demonstrate their knowledge of the management of facility operations and maintenance and their impact on HVAC&R systems’ performance. The program will launch at the ASHRAE Winter Meeting in Chicago in January and will be available via electronic testing centers worldwide starting in March 2009. For more information, visit www.ashrae.org

DEADLINE EXTENSION FOR STLE 2009 CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS 
Abstracts for STLE 2009, which is scheduled for May 17-21, 2009 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, FL, are now being accepted. Please note that the Abstract Deadline has been extended to 5:00 p.m., Friday, October 24, 2008.

According to STLE, this extension accommodates the many individuals who have seen their operations and work schedules disrupted by the recent severe weather and economic problems throughout the U.S. and other countries. Abstracts received after October 24th will be placed on a waitlist.

Note, too, that submission for the Student Poster Competition ends April 5, 2009 at 11:59 p.m., EST. Submission for the 2- to 3-page Extended Abstracts for the Proceedings CD opens December 1 and ends March 16th at 11:59 p.m. For more information, visit www.stle.org

Motors drive the industrial and commercial sectors, and therefore contribute significantly to their electric load and your electric bill. However, motors often are overlooked as an energy efficiency opportunity. Management sees computers, lighting and refrigerators every day, but is usually unaware of the contribution motors make to overall operating costs or how more efficient NEMA Premium® class motors immediately can reduce the electric bill.

Motor purchasers have a choice between standard efficiency EPAct class motors or NEMA Premium® class motors, which are typically 0.4%-3% more energy efficient. While this may seem small, consider the Department of Energy's estimates that upwards of 85% of an industrial facility's electric load comes from motor systems—and approximately 23% of U.S. electricity is consumed by these systems alone. Further estimates project potential savings of 11-18% in this sector (62-104 billion kWh per year) from motor system optimization. Commercial office facilities typically see 20-25% of their electricity consumed by electric motors; in healthcare operations, such as hospitals, it's more like 25-40% because of those facilities' high, almost 24/7/365 use, of motor driven HVAC and air circulation equipment.

Higher-efficiency NEMA Premium® class motors usually will be more expensive than their less-efficient counterparts. Given the choice, facility managers and purchasing departments, often unaware of the dramatic energy and cost savings that can be achieved, will buy the lower-priced, but less-energy-efficient motor. However, the small incremental, purchase cost difference typically could be overcome in as little as 18-24 months, with continued savings through reduced electricity bills extending for the 15- to 20-year life of such motors.

To help offset this "first cost" barrier, many utilities offer customer incentives on qualifying NEMA Premium® motors. For example, when the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA) "New York Energy $martSM Program" recently audited 93 motors at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, it found that 38 of them met the financial requirements to be candidates for immediate replacement with a NEMA Premium® unit. In addition, 42 motors were candidates to be replaced with a NEMA Premium® motor when they failed. If all the recommendations are followed, Roswell Park could save more than 3 million kWh—or $256,620—over 10 years.

Roswell Park is not alone. Overall, in its survey of 90 facilities, NYSERDA found that 11% of their motors were candidates for immediate replacement with NEMA Premium—and another 52% were candidates upon failure. Additional savings from motor system efficiency enhancements, such as installing adjustable speed drives, where appropriate, also were projected.

Motor Decisions Matter (MDM) can help you begin finding energy savings. MDM is a national campaign for raising awareness on motor management and providing support for companies interested in it. A consortium of motor manufacturers, motor service centers, trade associations, electric utilities and government agencies, including NYSERDA, sponsors the MDM campaign. The MDM Website, www.motorsmatter.org, contains information, such as a summary of energy effi- ciency programs throughout the U.S. and Canada, and tools, such as the Motor Planning Kit and the 1·2·3 Approach to Motor Management, you can use to develop a motor management plan that meets your company's needs. The information also can lead to partnerships with your local sales & service center, vendor, utility or other energy-efficiency representatives who may offer added support. For details, contact MDMinfo@cee1.org

The Motor Decisions Matter campaign is managed by the Consortium for Energy Efficiency, a North American nonprofit organization that promotes energy-saving products, equipment and technologies. For more information, contact Kellem Emanuele at kemanuele@cee1.org or telephone (617) 589-3949 x225

Environmentally considerate lubricants should combine a number of important properties, including high biodegradability, which means it is rapidly removed from the environment by natural processes in the event of a leak or spill (fate) and low ecotoxicity (effects). Furthermore, such lubricants should provide effective lubrication with performance meeting the needs of operators (function).

Biodegradability: Lubricants and other organic materials are broken down in the environment by micro-organisms in a process called ‘biodegradation'—biodegradability is the ease with which this can occur. There are a number of ways in which biodegradability can be measured. To meet the internationally recognized requirement for ‘ready biodegradability,' lubricants must be at least 60% CO2 evolved after 28 days when tested according to OECD guideline 301B.

Ecotoxicity: The effect that a material may have on the environment usually is assessed by measuring its toxicity toward plants and animals that represent different levels of the foodchain (‘ecotoxicity'). For example, in the aquatic food chain there is determination for toxicity towards algae, water fleas (Daphnia) and rainbow trout. Lubricants must meet the limits for ‘not harmful' when tested by independent laboratories using OECD 201, 202 & 203 Test Guidelines for ecotoxicity.

A considerate solution 
Shell Lubricants has been working to develop environmentally considerate lubricants that are formulated and tested to the highest standards to help keep equipment running efficiently while protecting against premature wear and breakdowns.

Shell Naturelle is a range of lubricants specially developed for applications operating in environmentally sensitive areas. Their biodegradable qualities mean that any accidental spillages or leaks are readily broken down by natural processes in soil or water; their low eco-toxicity means that their impact on the environment is reduced should a spillage or leak occur. Shell Naturelle lubricants offer a more environmentally acceptable alternative to conventional industrial lubricants without compromising performance.

In the U.S., Shell currently offers Shell Naturelle HF-E and HF-M hydraulic fluids, which are well suited for use in environmentally sensitive areas. Both formulations are readily biodegradable1 with low ecotoxicity2.

• Shell Naturelle HF-E uses a special blend of synthetic esters and a tailored additive system. It offers multi-grade performance, good shear stability and good oxidation resistance.
• Shell Naturelle HF-M is blended with a mixture of synthetic ester and vegetable oil. Shell Naturelle HF-M has low deposit-forming tendency and stable lowtemperature viscosity, providing benefits over products formulated from natural based esters only.

In the future, Shell Lubricants is planning to introduce additional products to its portfolio in the United States. Currently, Shell Lubricants is considering adding a gear oil, expanding the viscosity grades for the hydraulic fluids, and possibly adding a grease. Dates are not yet set for distribution.

¹ as measured by OECD 301B test 
² as measured by OECD 201-203 test

Shell Lubricants
Houston, TX

ConocoPhillips 
Houston, TX

Advanced Food Grade Technology
Inolex's new line of ester-based H1 lubricants remain stable when operating temperatures reach up to 550 F, eliminating the need to use multiple lubricants along a production line. The Lexolube® FG-OCL product series remains liquid after long exposure to high temperatures and, according to the company, shows minimal evaporation or deposits. Lexolube® FG-OCL series can be used in many medium- to high-temperature applications, and most significantly in the lubrication of conveyor chains for baking ovens.

Inolex Chemical Company 
Philadelphia, PA

High-Viscosity Drum Pumps 
The FPUD500 series of high viscosity drum pumps from OMEGA Engineering comes with TEFC or air driven motors and has the ability to empty a variety of containers in numerous applications. The pump tubes are constructed modularly and supplied separately for maximum flexibility. This series of pump tubes is rated up to 200 F, 15,000 cps viscosity and 1.8 specific gravity. It is also available in 316SS or sanitary polished 316SS.

OMEGA Engineering Inc. 
Stamford, CT

New Thermal Imager Allows Complete Radiographic Measurement Of Processes 
LumaSense has announced the release of its new Mikron MCL-160 thermal imaging camera. This cost-effective, fast-response product is well suited for environments where quick, accurate temperature measurement is required of fast-moving targets, such as high-volume manufacturing processes. With the flexibility that the MCL-160 offers, users no longer have to rely on just a single-point temperature or questionable measurements to control their critical processes. Process control in many applications typically means measuring a single point temperature and applying control that is based on only one data point. That data point may or may not be the critical parameter needed. This means that something can be missed. Another option would be to install several (and sometimes even hundreds) of pyrometers on the process to understand what is going on. The new Mikron MCL-160, though, allows for complete radiometric measurement of the process.

Stainless Bearing Alternative 
Made from high nitrogen corrosion resistant steel, MRC® "HNCR" steel bearings have superior corrosion resistance and fatigue life compared to conventional stainless steel bearings. They offer an ideal specialty solution in the aftermarket for equipment operating in excessively harsh and demanding conditions, including food and beverage processing equipment, paper mill machinery and industrial pumps. The bearings are available as custom, made-to-order products.

SKF USA Inc.
Kulpsville, PA

Plant Asset Protection 
The SmartSignal Plant Availability and Performance Solution (APS) predicts, diagnoses and prioritizes equipment failures. SmartSignal advanced asset analytics develop unique operating profiles for critical equipment across all known loads and ambient conditions. After linking to a plant's data infrastructure, the solution analyzes the data and delivers an informationrich portfolio of reports and real-time notifications of impending problems that mesh closely with a plant's O&M processes. Through its Internet collaboration features, SmartSignal works with plant personnel until the problems are investigated and resolved.

SmartSignal Corporation 
Lisle, IL

This forward-thinking supplier is taking the type of solutions that improve efficiency and help reduce operating costs directly to end users.

SEPCO® (Sealing Equipment Products Co., Inc.), a manufacturer of fluid sealing products headquartered in Alabaster, AL, has taken an innovative approach to providing sealing solutions to the ethanol industry. World demand for alternative fuel sources has produced rapid growth and expansion of ethanol facilities, all of which has presented new demands and challenges for support companies that serve this burgeoning industry.

To meet these new challenges head-on, SEPCO has dedicated full attention to the developing bio-fuels industry by using its Mobile Ethanol Support Unit—otherwise known as "MoE"—as a tool to share its products and programs through instruction, demonstration, plant support and training.

On-site with MoE
The Mobile Ethanol Support Unit takes SEPCO support programs directly to ethanol plants. The unit serves as a classroom for hands-on training of fluid sealing products which are used in operations. Ethanol plant employees are trained on SEPCO mechanical seals that include, but are not limited to, the hot oil Seal (HOS), double tandem pumper (DTP), cartridge grease seal (CGS) and many other fluid sealing products.

Another primary function of the MoE unit is to serve as a central point of support during plant outages and start-ups by providing inventory and technical assistance at the site. The MoE also can be used as a base of operations in performing plant equipment inventories/ surveys and developing fluid sealing applications to maximize equipment operational performance. Totally self-contained, the MoE has its own computer system, audiovisual equipment and graphics and product literature. Working models of pumps for training are onboard, as is an inventory of SEPCO fluid sealing products.

According to a SEPCO spokesman, this mobile support unit has been very well received by end users. Scheduling information may be obtained by calling the company. LMT

Sealing Equipment Products Co. (SEPCO®) 
Alabaster, AL

As the reader will recall from Part I of this two-part article, dry sump oil mist on electric motors represents wellproven technology. In the mid-1960s, oil mist—a mixture of 200,000 volume parts of clean and dry plant or instrument air with one part of lubricating oil—gained acceptance as the ideal lubricant application method on rolling element electric motor bearings in several major United States oil refineries. Since then, this lubrication method has gained further acceptance at hundreds of reliability-focused process plants in this country and overseas and, as of the late 1990s, many thousands of electric motors were being lubricated by dry sump oil mist. Remember: Whenever oil mist is used for pump lubrication, its extension to cover electric motor drivers will be very inexpensive.

The right bearing and correct installation
Oil mist cannot eliminate basic bearing problems— it can only provide one of the best and most reliable means of lubricant application. (Refer again to Fig. 1.) Bearings must:

1. Be adequate for the application, i.e. deep groove ball bearings for coupled drives, cylindrical roller bearing to support high radial loads in certain belt drives, or angular contact ball bearings to support the axial (constant) loads in vertical motor applications.
2. Incorporate correct bearing-internal clearances.
3. Be mounted with correct shaft and housing fits.
4. Be carefully and correctly handled, using tools that will avoid damage.
5. Be correctly assembled and fitted to the motor caps, carefully avoiding misalignment or skewing.
6. Be part of a correctly installed motor, avoiding shaft misalignment and soft foot, or bearing damage incurred while mounting either the coupling or drive pulley.
7. Be subjected to vibration spectrum analysis. This will indicate the lubrication condition in regard to lubricating film, bearing condition (possible bearing damage) and general equipment condition, including misalignment, lack of support (soft foot), unbalance, etc.

Additional considerations when converting electric motors that are already in use 
When converting operating motors from grease lubrication to dry sump oil mist lubrication, consider the following measures in addition to those mentioned in the previous list:

1. Perform a complete vibration analysis. This will confirm pre-existing bearing distress and indicate if such work as re-alignment and/or base plate stiffening is needed to avert incipient bearing failure.
2. Measure the actual efficiency of the motor. If the motor is inefficient, consider replacing it with a modern high efficiency motor, using oil mist lubrication in line with the aforementioned recommendations. This will allow the capture of all benefits and result in greatly enhanced return on investment.
3. Last, but not least, evaluate if the capacity of the motor is best suited for the application. "Best suitable" typically implies driven loads that represent 75% to 95% of nominal motor capacity. The result is operation at best efficiency. Note that converting an overloaded, hot-running electric motor to oil mist lubrication will not usually be of economic benefit and will lead to marginal improvement at best.

Regarding explosion-proof motors
Although explosion-proof motors have been successfully lubricated with pure oil mist for at least three full decades, questions are occasionally raised as to whether explosionproof (XP) electric motors are suitable for this mode of lubrication.

Dealing with codes and practices…
The selection, operation and even maintenance of industrial equipment in the developed countries often are influenced by industrial standards, regulatory agencies and certain applicable codes. Major companies, though, superimpose their own design standards, specifications and best practices. It can be shown beyond any doubt that many of these practices reflect advanced thinking that is often years ahead of current regulatory edicts. Nevertheless (more recently), some of these practices have come under scrutiny. In the case of oil mist applied to explosion-proof electric motors, the scrutiny was not prompted by any safety incidents. Rather, it has been brought on by the fact that we live in litigious times and lawsuits are costly.

It appears that the acceptability of dry sump oil mist on explosion-proof motors relates to third-party approval and the original equipment manufacturer's certification of the motor. For years, users have provided all except their explosion-proof electric motors with a small (3 mm) weep hole and have given XP-motor drains closer attention. The latter are furnished with either an explosion-proof rated vent or a suitably routed weep hole passage at the bottom of the motor casing or lower edge of the end cover. Intended to drain accumulated moisture condensation, the vent or weep hole passage will allow liquefied or atomized oil mist to escape. Note, however, that explosion-proof motors are still "explosion-proof" with this passage. (For example, Baldor • Reliance Motors [formerly Reliance Electric] tackwelds an explosion-proof "XP-breather drain" to the motor brackets. The suitability of this line of motors for Class 1, Group C and D locations was specifically re-affirmed by the manufacturer in July of 2004.)

Not being familiar with dry sump oil mist, though, causes some motor manufacturers and third party validation providers to take the position that explosion-proofmotors lose this "listing" once any modifications are made to the motor.

Highlighting oil mist for XP motors 
As the name implies, explosion-proof motors are intended for use in hazardous areas. The majority of hazardous areas in hydrocarbon processing facilities are designated as Class 1, Division 2, Groups B, C and D.

The Class 1 area designation indicates that either a flammable liquid or vapor or both are present. (Class 2 designations are reserved for areas where combustible metal, carbon fines or other combustible dusts such as grain flour or plastic are present).

The "Division" label is used to better describe the probability of flammable gases or vapors being present in a Class 1 or Class 2 location.

• Division 1 is intended for locations where ignitable concentrations of flammable gases or vapors can either exist under normal operating conditions, or might be present while the equipment is undergoing repair or maintenance.
• Division 2 defines the area or location where the flammable liquids or vapors are possibly present and/or:

1. Normally confined within closed containers or closed systems and are present only in case of accidental rupture or breakdown of such containers, or in case of abnormal operation of equipment; or
2. Where ignitable concentrations are normally prevented by positive ventilation; or
3. An area adjacent to a Class 1, Division 1, location.

The "Group" designation has four subgroups, or gas groups—appropriately called Groups A, B, C and D. Determining the proper group classification for flammable gases and vapors requires monitoring and describing explosion pressures and maximum safe clearances between parts of a clamped joint under certain prescribed conditions whereby a test gas is mixed with air and ignited.

The test values obtained for a reference gas are compared with the gas or gases of interest; these must now be tested under the same conditions. Gases having similar explosion pressures are grouped together. However, Groups C and D contain the majority of flammable gases and vapors. Group A only contains acetylene, while Group B generally contains hydrogen and other hydrogen-rich gas mixtures, plus a few other flammable gases.

An important concession is made by the National Electrical Code (NEC) for equipment used in Division 2 areas, where flammable gases are normally not present, i.e. a refinery or petrochemical plant under normal conditions. If they meet stipulated criteria, the NEC allows the use of certain types of devices and materials that may not be listed by third party, or "listing" agencies. For instance, these exceptions to the NEC's general code requirements permit general-purpose enclosures if the electrical current interrupting contacts are:

1. Immersed in oil; or
2. Enclosed within a chamber that is hermetically sealed against the entrance of gases or vapors; or
3. In non-incendive circuits; or
4. Part of a "listed" non-incendive component; or
5. Without make-and-break or sliding contacts.

Except for the above exclusions, the National Electrical Code/NFPA 70 ("NEC") requires that all electrical apparatus installed in classified (hazardous) areas must be approved for use in the specified Class and Group where it is to be used. Once an electrical apparatus is described as "explosion-proof," it is implied that the device has been evaluated and approved for use in a particular Class and Group. The evaluation or approval agency was earlier called a "third party." In the United States, third parties include Underwriters Laboratories (UL), Factory Mutual (FM) and others. Once an apparatus or device has been evaluated and approved for a particular Class or Group, it is labeled "listed" by the agency.

In most Class 1 Division 2 hazardous areas, the electric motors are not, and do not need to be "explosion-proof." The overwhelming majority are non-arcing induction motors that meet the requirements of the applicable and allowed exceptions. These non-explosion- proof motors can be adapted for dry sump oil mist lubrication by simply connecting oil mist supplies and vents to the existing connections used with the explosion-proof units. Because these motors are non-arcing and an explosion-proof housing is not needed for Division 2 service, the case drain fitting can be removed and a drain can be installed without in any way affecting the suitability of the motor for Division 2 service.

Safety of XP motors for Class 1 Division 1 service
Regrettably, some listing agencies in the United States seem to believe that oil mist applied to the bearings makes the motor different from what was originally approved. Not understanding oil mist, they take the position that by in any way adapting plugs and drain fittings to oil mist application, mist venting and mist draining, the safe clearance requirements between clamped components used in the original design requirement may have been changed. Therefore, they consider the approval listing void and claim the motor is no longer suitable for use in Class 1 Division 1 service. In view of this stance taken by third parties, even a major provider of oil mist systems in the United States does not allow its employees to make on-site modifications to convert or connect an explosion-proof motor to oil mist. That said, a number of clarifications are in order here.

First and foremost is the fact that explosion-proof motors were successfully converted to oil mist lubrication by undisputed best-of-class petrochemical companies three decades ago and have since given safe and reliable service. These forward-looking companies, for whom safety is of utmost importance, correctly reasoned that all electric motors, regardless of classification, were assembled and being operated in an ambient environment. Thus, they always are filled with ambient air; certainly none of these motors are provided with mechanical seals that would positively prevent an interchange or communication between motor-internal air and the surrounding ambient air. Should an explosive gas mixture prevail in the vicinity of such motors, there would now exist the possibility of the motor ingesting this explosive gas mixture. If, on the other hand, such a motor were filled with the demonstrably non-explosive oil mist at slightly higher-than-atmospheric pressure, the probability of the motor becoming filled with an explosive gas mixture would be greatly reduced. In other words, knowledgeable user companies have long recognized that an oil-mist-lubricated motor operating in a Class 1 Division 1 environment is safer than a conventionally lubricated electric motor operating in the same environment.

It also may be argued that item 2, and possibly one or two other items cited as exclusionary by NEC, allow the user to reason that oil mist existing at a pressure higher than atmospheric complies fully with the spirit of the listed exclusions.

References

1. Bloch, Heinz P., and Alan Budris, (2006), Pump User's Handbook: Life Extension, Fairmont Press, Inc., Lilburn, GA, 30047; ISBN 0-88173-517-5, pp. 265-290
2. Bloch, Heinz P., and Abdus Shamim, (1998), Oil Mist Lubrication: Practical Applications, Fairmont Press, Inc., Lilburn, GA, 30047; ISBN 0-88173-256-7, Fig. 9-7, p. 109
3. Shelton, Harold L., "Estimating the lower explosive limits of waste vapors,"Environmental Engineering, May-June 1995, pp. 22-25
4. Lilly, L.R.C., (1986), Diesel Engine Reference Book, Butterworth & Co., London, U.K., ISBN 0-408-00443-6, p. 21/3

Contributing editor Heinz Bloch is the author of 17 comprehensive textbooks and over 340 other publications on machinery reliability and lubrication. He can be contacted at:hpbloch@mchsi.com

How much do you know about the blending process and its effect on oil cleanliness? Is that where the trouble starts?

There are many different lubricant blenders in the U.S.—some very large and some small. In this series, the general practices of large, major oil company blenders and some of the medium-size specialty lubricant suppliers are examined.

The blending process
The typical flow through a blend plant is characterized by Fig. 1. The process begins with receiving of the base stocks that are shipped to large facilities by pipeline, barge or rail. Smaller facilities receive base stocks by rail or truck.

Base stocks usually are not filtered before being introduced in the blend tank, but there are some exceptions. One blender company filters all base stocks shipped by barge, rail and truck with a 25 micron filter. Additives come in many package styles, including drums, totes and bulk. They typically are not filtered before being introduced in the blending tank. Hydraulic and turbine oils contain less than 1% additives, so cleanliness is not as important as it is for base stocks

Base stock and additives are introduced in the blend tank and mixed together to make the finished product. Cleanliness targets are set by some facilities for turbine, hydraulic and other oils specified by large customers. The first filtration (which typically is a coarse one, perhaps through a bag filter) is from the blend tank to the finished product tank. The final filtration, which is to achieve a specific cleanliness target, is from the finished product tank into a bulk truck for customer or distributor delivery. Finer filtration also is performed from the finished product tank to the packaging operation.

There is a range of lubrication blenders—from those that provide very little to no filtration and no measurement of lubricant cleanliness, to those that have tight cleanliness specifications to meet specific customer needs. Hydraulic and turbine applications usually require cleaner fluids.

The following are examples of companies that have targeted cleanliness levels on oils shipped from their facilities.

• A large major supplier of finished lubricants has established a reasonable target of 19/17/14 for its hydraulic and turbine oils. It normally will achieve a cleanliness level of 2 or more ISO codes below the target. This supplier filters with a sock filter from the blend tank to finished product tank, then uses finer filtration from the finished product tank to a truck or packaging line.
• Another major supplier of finished lubricants has a program for its premium turbine oils. For an additional charge, the turbine oil is guaranteed to have a minimum ISO cleanliness of 18/16/13. (This meets General Electric's cleanliness specification of 16/13.) This supplier also will guarantee hydraulic oils to an ISO cleanliness of 17/15/11—something that is achieved by having initial filtration with a 13 micron filter going into the product storage tank. This is followed by a 6 micron filtration from the product storage tank to a dedicated tank truck for turbine oils or the drum packaging operation to achieve guaranteed cleanliness targets. In addition, all drums for both the turbine and hydraulic fluids with guaranteed cleanliness are polyethylene plastic to maintain the cleanliness level. In most cases this supplier will be lower than the established cleanliness level.
• A mid-size supplier of specialty lubricants has a guaranteed ISO cleanliness code of 14/13/11 for its ISO 32, 46 and 68 synthetic oils. This is for only plastic-packaged products (in drums, pails and totes). The main filtering step incorporates a product-holding tank with fine offline line recirculation filtration. This company also does bag filtration from the base stock tank to the blending tank. The fluid is recirculated until the required cleanliness level is attained. The plant has stainless steel dedicated piping that helps meet these cleanliness levels.
• Another mid-size supplier of specialty lubricants has a program to supply hydraulic fluid for injection molding machines requiring clean fluid. This company supplies the fluid in plastic containers at a guaranteed ISO Cleanliness Code of 17/15/13.

Clean fluid shipped by the lubrication blender will require less or no filtration when it reaches the end user. Remember, though, there is a cost for fluid cleanliness. Some companies charge $.05 to $.20/gallon, which is well worth the cost to get a guaranteed cleanliness. Many blenders don't measure fluid cleanliness as it leaves the plant and many do just a very coarse filtration—if any. Fluid cleanliness can vary by one or two ISO codes, depending on how it is measured—whether it is with a portable or online counter or sent to a laboratory for evaluation. (Part III of this series will address online versus laboratory particle counting.)

Lubricant evaluation
Do you really know how clean the oil is that you are buying? Is it clean enough for your equipment, especially hydraulics and turbines? With the exception of a few companies, no one publishes data that specifically points to a cleanliness rating for their products. The few that publish this information do so only for specific products. In order to shed more light on the subject through this series of articles, 17 oils were purchased and underwent evaluation for cleanliness and water content along with other oil analysis.

MRT Laboratories of Houston, TX was selected to do all the test work for several reasons, including:

• The lab's proximity to sample collection, which minimized shipping;
• The authors' experience with the quality of MRT's work;
• The fact that this laboratory is ISO 17025-2005 accredited.

The following samples from four of the major lubricant suppliers and one small blender were purchased from Houston-based distributors in five-gallon plastic pails:

• Four ISO 32 turbine oils
• Four ISO 46 hydraulic oils and one ISO 32
• Four ISO 100 R&O circulating oil
• Four ISO EP 220 gear oil

The following tests were performed on the samples:

• Particle counts as expressed as ISO 4406 Cleanliness Code with the use of an
  optical blockage counter
• Karl Fisher Water Coulemetrically
• Viscosity @ 40 C
• Acid Number
• Emission Spectroscopy for 24 metals.

Test protocol
The five-gallon plastic pails were delivered sealed to the laboratory. The pails were agitated, and individual samples were taken from the middle of each. A superclean bottle was used and flushed with four ounces of fluid before being filled. The samples were immediately run in the laboratory

Results

Turbine oils…

It is interesting to note that the only turbine oil packaged by a blender came from Supplier D; this sample was the cleanest of the group. The others had been packaged by the distributor/marketer. All of these oils were clean and very dry. (Product moisture has not been discussed but it is a very important property of a lubricant and should be monitored.)

Hydraulic oils…

Supplier E's product was an off-brand hydraulic oil purchased from an automotive parts store and 30% lower in cost than the premium hydraulic oils purchased through a distributor. There was no viscosity designation on the pail. It was called R&O hydraulic oil. This oil upon evaluation appeared to be used flush oil. It had 24 ppm of iron along with 41 ppm of aluminum. It also contained high levels of silicon, sodium and potassium. This indicated possible coolant contamination. In light of its high particle count and water content, this fluid should not be used in a hydraulic system. How would you know the low quality of such oil unless you ran oil analysis tests? It was observed that the oil was very dark and emitted a pungent odor. Low-viscosity hydraulic oils are not dark in color, nor do they have an odor.

There are many very good lubricants sold by compounder blenders. The evaluation of this low-quality oil should not reflect on the rest of the group. A lesson to be learned from this is that one should buy lubricant from a supplier with whom you are familiar—especially if it is used in a critical application like hydraulics.

Supplier D's product was the cleanest of the group—and the only one packaged at a lubricant blend plant. The others were packaged by distributors. This is a common practice. Many distributors package their own oils in drums and pails—especially hydraulic and turbine oils. The only other oil that was marginal for a hydraulic system without further filtration was that from Supplier B—it showed a high amount of water and a high particle count, but all other tests revealed it was high-quality oil. The moisture and particles were probably introduced during the packaging process at the distributor.

R&O circulating oils…

All of these ISO R&O circulating oils (which are used in compressors) were packaged at the blend plant. These oils were clean and dry. Supplier D again had the cleanest oils, but all the others also were high-quality and suitable for usage.

EP gear oils…

All of the lubricants in the EP gear oil table are ISO 220, which is the most common viscosity grade for most gear reducers. Supplier B's product was packaged by the distributor. The others were packaged at blend plants. Gear oils are not as clean as turbine or hydraulic oils, but these lubricants in many cases will be clean enough for unfiltered lower speed gearboxes, especially if this oil is added to existing oil in the reservoir, which is probably dirtier. In splash lubrication, the most common lubrication method for gearboxes, bearings also are lubricated by the same oil. Bearings require cleaner oil than gear teeth. This should be taken into consideration when determining the cleanliness targets for gearboxes and in some cases may require filtration to meet those targets.

Conclusion: encouraging results
The first key link in the cleanliness chain was examined by looking at the contaminant levels of various oil types from their respective blend plants. The results were encouraging. The major lubricant suppliers' oils were clean and dry for most applications. Some suppliers offer further filtration to meet stringent customer requirements, but at an additional cost. This is particularly true for turbine and hydraulic oils where greater cleanliness is required. It also was encouraging to note that of the 17 oils evaluated for water, only four were higher than 100 ppm—and two of those were packaged by a distributor.

As a group, the gear oils evaluated here were not as clean as the other lubricant types. That was expected. They were, however, found to be clean enough for most applications.

One final word of caution: Be familiar with the lubricants you purchase! Use of that low-quality hydraulic oil previously cited could have caused equipment damage. Overall, though, rest assured that there are many reputable lubricant suppliers—both large and small—that furnish quality products. LMT

Contributing editor Ray Thibault is based in Cypress (Houston), TX. An STLE-Certified Lubrication Specialist and Oil Monitoring Analyst, he conducts extensive training in a number of industries. Telephone: (281) 257-1526; e-mail: rlthibault@msn.com

Mark Graham is technical services manager for O'Rourke Petroleum in Houston, TX. Telephone: (713) 672-4500; e-mail: mgraham@orpp.com

As companies move from preventive maintenance to proactive maintenance, there is increasing interest in onsite lubricant testing because results can be obtained much faster—and they may be more trustworthy. It allows lubrication specialists and maintenance personnel to take decisive action right away. This latter point is important since some of the degradation processes in lubricants occur nonlinearly in time and more quickly than one might expect, which can lead to increased equipment wear or failure. Of course, the ability to use on-site testing equipment is predicated on the ability of the testing equipment manufacturers to make their products straightforward to use and provide valuable information.

A number of analysis methods have made the jump from use by experts off site to routine use by lubrication specialists on site. One technique not making that jump—until now—has been infrared spectroscopy. Infrared has been used for years to evaluate lubricating fluids, but virtually always in off-site commercial labs. Now, though, infrared analysis also is available for use in on-site facilities.

Monitoring critical lubricant parameters
There are several key parameters for which infrared is capable of providing highly accurate information in lubricants including:

• The level of water present
• The amount of oxidation and nitration by-products
• The amount of anti-wear, anti-oxidation and extreme pressure additives remaining

All of these parameters are critical—and some can be measured with other methods. No other technology, however, can provide information on all parameters simultaneously, in less than two minutes. The use of infrared analysis for each parameter will be explored here.

Infrared analysis for water
The amount of water that is present in lubricants is critical to the performance and longevity of the lubricated equipment. Lubricant properties affected by the presence of water include viscosity (measure of the oil's resistance to flow), specific gravity (density of the oil relative to that of water), and the surface tension (a measure of the stickiness between surface molecules of a liquid). All of these properties are important for the ability of the oil to coat, lubricate and protect the critical mechanical clearances. In addition, the presence of water can accelerate additive depletion and contribute to chemical degradation mechanisms such as oxidation, nitration and varnish formation.

The ability to measure water on-site provides a substantial benefit to ensure accuracy of results. Off-site analysis for trace water may be compromised due to variability of water concentration introduced by storage, transportation or shipment of a sample. Furthermore, some lubricants contain de-emulsifying additives that cause microscopic water droplets to separate concentrate in layers at the bottom and sides of sampling containers. This de-emulsifying action takes time to occur and can cause large variations in analytical measurements. Furthermore, lubricant samples can lose water due to evaporation and loss to the sample container walls. To obtain an accurate picture of the amount of water present, measurement should be made soon after the sample is pulled from the machine.

Analytical determination of water in lubricants typically is carried out using the well-established Karl Fischer (KF) coulometric titration. KF has some practical drawbacks for on-site analysis including complicated sample preparation, the use of hazardous and expensive chemical reagents and length of time required to perform the analysis. With these issues in mind, KF analysis is still considered the "gold standard" method for analyzing water in oil because it provides accurate and precise answers. Under ideal conditions, Karl Fischer has an accuracy of 3-5% for prediction of water in lubricants.

While infrared spectroscopy provides an easy means to measure water, only recently has this technology been able to provide the accuracy and range desired by the lubrication industry. New developments in the ability to use FTIR spectroscopy to carry out customized methods have now made the analysis of low levels of water in lubrication possible, which overcomes earlier technical difficulties. These new methods, coupled with a dedicated on-site infrared analyzer, measure the concentration of water in mineral-based oils with an accuracy and range equivalent to the Karl Fischer method. FTIR allows this measurement to be carried out on a single drop of lubricant, requiring no hazardous or expensive reagents, and it takes significantly less time to complete than KF.

Methods to directly measure water in mineral oils via infrared spectroscopy have been available for over 30 years. For example, the ASTM 2412E method was originally designed for use with motor oil. Routinely containing 1000 to 2000 ppm of water, motor oil has additives that solvate the water into the oil. The methods developed to measure water in these oils by infrared analysis were targeted at large concentration and had correspondingly large errors associated with them. Other lubricants (such as turbine oil) solvate significantly less water—typically it's 50 to 100 ppm. In these lubricants, higher levels of water form small droplets that eventually settle to the bottom of the turbine oil. If the ASTM 21412 method for water is used for turbine oil, measurement variability of up to 40% on replicate samples is observed.

The primary reason the conventional method for measuring water in oil by FTIR produces a high error in turbine oils is water separation—water separates into small droplets in turbine oil. These small droplets scatter instead of absorb infrared light, and only the light that is absorbed contributes to the measurement of water. Over time, it became clear that a means of stabilizing the water in the oil would be needed to reduce variability.

Water stabilization method for infrared analysis
A new method (patent pending) has been developed for the measurement of water in turbine oil. This method, reflected by the data in Table I, uses a surfactant to distribute and stabilize the water in the oil, creating a stable emulsion with uniform water droplet size. Addition of approximately 3% of a premixed non-ionic polyethylene oxide based surfactant blend and gentle mixing effectively stabilizes the water in the lubricant.

Determining degree of oxidation and antioxidant depletion
Oxidation is the most significant cause of lubrication breakdown. It occurs when the hydrocarbon components of the lube combine with oxygen to form a wide range of harmful by-products including ketones, aldehydes and carboxylic acids. Once these compounds form, they in turn combine with other species in the lube and form even more unwanted degradative products. Virtually all of the chemical species that result from oxidative processes can be detected and measured by infrared analysis (Fig. 1). Early detection of these species allows for remediation action to slow down the oxidation process.

The phenolic and aminic antioxidants in lubricants function as preservatives that prevent the oil from oxidizing. Oxidation causes lubricants to quickly lose viscosity and the wetting characteristics that protect metal contact surfaces and prevent wear. Oxidation arises from a combination of sources—including elevated temperatures, extreme pressures, high shear conditions and the presence of water and metal particles—and is accelerated by electrostatic sparking, particularly in certain gas turbine systems. Although antioxidants inhibit the formation of these decomposition products, once the antioxidants are consumed, oxidation accelerates exponentially and at a certain critical point corrective action has negligible benefit. On-site analysis offers a significant benefit in this regard by ensuring that both the antioxidant levels and the amount of oxidation present are known in time for corrective action to be taken before the critical point is reached.

Infrared compared to other oxidation-measuring technology
Infrared analyzers require a drop of neat oil—with no sample preparation. Voltammetric systems require careful pipetting techniques and an extraction step involving an electrolyte solution. The extraction step used in voltammetric systems assumes that all of the antioxidants are extracted from the oil into the electrolyte solution. However, extraction efficiencies are variable for additives in oils. Ranging from 50-90%, these efficiencies may result in 10-50% of additives being left in the oil after extraction, and thus not being measured. Moreover, voltammetric electrodes require maintenance, such as conditioning in buffer solutions. Metal particles, water or organic salts (i.e. ionized carboxyls such as copper carboxylates) will not interfere with the antioxidant measurements using infrared spectroscopy.

Conclusion
Real-time, on-site FTIR analysis offers a number of potential— and important—benefits to lubrication specialists and maintenance personnel. They include the ability to:

• Analyze lubricants more frequently, especially when previous analyses indicate that machinery needs more careful monitoring… When the performance of lubricating fluid begins to degrade, or if earlier analyses indicate the presence of a mechanical problem, it is important to monitor the lubricant more frequently because the process of deleterious change can accelerate rapidly.
• Help reduce machinery wear caused by rapid oil breakdown and to detect problems that could cause catastrophic failures… For example, an anti-freeze leak causes excessive levels of water and glycol to be present in engine oil; these levels can be readily detected by FTIR. More frequent monitoring of engine oil by real-time FTIR can quickly catch these contaminants before they have a chance to cause catastrophic damage to an engine.
• Ascertain the condition of lubricants in remotely deployed equipment, for which the delay in receiving information from off-site labs may be unacceptable… On-site FTIR analysis minimizes the need to send lubrication samples to off-site labs for condition-based monitoring. It is especially important that equipment operating in these remote locations be carefully monitored since ambient conditions may be particularly challenging.
• Act as the supporting analytical technology in programs designed to bring lubricants back to spec via readditization… FTIR is a powerful method for analysis of anti-wear and anti-oxidation additives. More companies are looking to extend the use of lubricants by refreshing critical additives to bring the lubricant back to spec. Real-time, on-site FTIR can be a powerful tool for determining how much additive should be recharged and for monitoring the overall refreshed oil composition.
• Enable maintenance personnel to make better decisions on when to send oil samples for full analysis… Real-time FTIR is an excellent screening technology to detect problems with both the lubricating fluid and the lubricated equipment. More frequent screening with FTIR enables personnel to make informed decisions on when to send samples for full elemental analysis, in order to try to pinpoint specific internal machine problems that may indicate excessive mechanical wear. LMT
  

TRICO CORPORATION ACQUIRES PREDICT USA

Trico has purchased Predict USA, of Cleveland, OH, a leading provider of predictive condition monitoring technologies including ferrography, lubricant analysis and vibration analysis. The acquisition will allow Trico to bring oil analysis and monitoring services in house and now offer a one-stop shop for all predictive lubrication management services to its clients. According to Trico's president Nick Kroll, his company will strengthen the Predict's ferrography services "Ferrography and the accompanying instrumentation is one of the niche Predict's strengths," he notes. "We're looking to improve this part of the program, along with a host of other services."

Predict will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Trico, but continue to operate under its current brand name.

SKF SET TO ACQUIRE PEER BEARING COMPANY

SKF has signed an agreement with the owners of U.S.-based PEER Bearing Company (PEER) to acquire PEER and its manufacturing operations in China and Thailand. Headquartered in Waukegan, IL, PEER primarily manufactures deep groove ball bearings and tapered roller bearings, most of which are sold to North American customers. According to SKF, the acquisition is expected to strengthen the corporation's presence in certain North American market segments that it doesn't currently serve, including Mechanical Power Transmission. PEER will continue to operate as a standalone business, acting independently on the market under its existing PEER brand.

The proposed transaction is subject to certain conditions to closing and requires approvals by relevant authorities.

Bob Asdal, Hydraulic Institute, and Jane Alexander, Editor

The St. Paul forum on May 6 offered multiple presentation tracks focusing on the importance of looking at effi ciency from a systems perspective for Xcel Energy customers across a variety of industries. Incorporating countless real-world examples, the keynote presentations and nine workshops covered a range of issues related to business and reliability strategies, compressed air systems, motors and variable speed drives, life-cycle costing, pump system optimization, mechanical seals optimization, water and wastewater systems and more.

Co-sponsors of the day-long, information-packed event included some of the biggest names in the fi eld of energy-effi cient solutions for industry, including ITT Corporation, Baldor-Dodge-Reliance, Flowserve Corporation, Emerson Motors/US Motors, Emerson Control Techniques-Americas, John Crane International, Sundyne Corporation, AURORA Pump, Armstrong International, Inc. and Sullair Corporation, among others.

For more information on Pump Systems Matter and upcoming educational opportunities for your organization's energy-effi ciency team, visit www.pumpsystemsmatter.org

ASSOCIATION NEWS: WATER ASSOCIATIONS & EPA RELEASE TOOLS FOR EFFECTIVE UTILITY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

Six associations representing the U.S. water and wastewater sector, in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have released a series of tools designed to help water and wastewater utilities advance effective management practices to achieve long-term sustainability. The tools are based on the "10 Attributes of Effectively Managed Utilities" and fi ve "Keys to Management Success" fi rst identifi ed in a report released by the group in May 2007. Since the release of that report, the "Findings and Recommendations for a Water Utility Sector Management Strategy," the Effective Utility Management Collaborating Associations—the American Public Works Association (APWA), American Water Works Association (AWWA), Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), National Association of Water Companies (NAWC), the Water Environment Federation (WEF)—and EPA have been working together to develop tools aimed at helping utilities assess their current operations and adopt best management strategies for improvement.

"These tools were developed by utility mangers for utility managers," said WEF executive director Bill Bertera. "The Water Environment Federation is very gratifi ed to have been part of this important effort." EPA assistant administrator for Water, Ben Grumbles commented that he considers the collaboration among the associations "to be one of the Agency's most important accomplishments under our Sustainable Water Infrastructure Initiative" and "appreciates the water associations and utility advisors for their continuing leadership."

The tools now available include the Effective Utility Management Primer for Water and Wastewater Utilities that is designed to help water and wastewater utility managers make practical, systematic changes to achieve excellence in utility performance. It was produced by water and wastewater utility leaders who also developed a series of suggested Utility Performance Measures focused on the Attributes to help utilities establish a performance baseline and begin to measure their progress. Finally, the group is releasing an online Resource Toolbox that contains links to key resources and tools. The new primer can be downloaded at no charge from each of the collaborating associations' Websites or at www.watereum.org LMT

Viscous Tapping Fluid

Rustlick RTD is a premium tapping fluid for the most demanding reaming, tapping and drilling operations, including jobs with high strength steel, titanium and stainless steel. This thick brown fluid has been formulated with extreme pressure additives that fortify water-based coolants instead of contaminating them like traditional tapping fluids. It significantly reduces friction in operations to give superior cutting performance and finishes as well as prolonging tool life. Rustlick RTD is water soluble and available in a 12-oz. squeeze bottle, as well as 1-, 5- and 50-gal. containers.

ITW ROCOL North America 
Glenview, IL

Lubricant Identification Tags

Trico's Spectrum tags and labels help users avoid lubricant cross-contamination and misapplication by identifying lubricants from storage to point of use. Available in 10 colors, the tags are easily marked with up to four lines of information using a felt tip marker, crayon or Spectrum customized label and then sealed beneath a laminate sheet to maintain readability. Optional barcoding also can be added. The tags are made of 1/16" UV inhibited plastic and designed to withstand harsh environments.

Trico Corporation 
Pewaukee, WI

Bolting Made Easy

Wright Tool's line of torque multipliers includes three styles: universal tube, plate reaction and foot reaction. These tools range in output capacity from 750 to 8000 foot-pounds. Their compact, rugged, onepiece design is easy to handle and, according to the company, operators rarely need to apply more than 200 foot-pounds of input torque to achieve their output goal. A torque conversion chart is attached to each of these multipliers to show the input torque required for any given torque output.

Wright Tool Company 
Barberton, OH

Industrial Strength Degreaser

CRC's T-Force™ Degreaser combines the power of a high-performance, industrial- strength degreaser with lower VOCs. Offering the benefits of Trichloroethylene, Perchloroethylene and n-Propyl Bromide without the associated risks, it quickly dissolves grease, oil and sludge, thus allowing mechanical equipment to operate more efficiently. Available in 20-oz. aerosol cans, the product has a high dielectric strength of 33,300 volts, is non-conductive, noncorrosive, non-staining and has no flash or fire point.

CRC Industries
Warminster, PA

Drum Cabinets & Accessories

Lyon Workspace Products offers a variety of drum storage cabinets, including configurations that safely house a 55-gallon drum horizontally or vertically, or two 55-gallon drums with space for attached pumps or funnels. Conforming to NFPA Fire Code No. 30 and OSHA standards, each model incorporates a three-point latching system with key lock for secure closure. Lyon also offers drum handling trucks, mobile drum cradles, drum ramps and drum rollers.

Lyon Workspace Products 
Aurora, IL

Bearing Protection

Electro Static offers two AEGIS SGR Split-Ring Bearing Protection Kits™ (one for NEMA motors and one for IEC motors). They are designed to provide clearance for shaft shoulders, slingers and other end-bell protrusions while keeping bearings safe from electrical damage caused by circulating or shaft currents. Split-Ring Kits are ordered by motor frame size. Standard-size kits fit NEMA-frame motors with shaft diameters from 0.625" to 3.375" and IEC-frame motors with shaft diameters from 19mm to 95mm.

Electro Static Technology 
Mechanic Falls, ME

Universally Interchangeable Worm Gearboxes

AutomationDirect has expanded its mechanical power transmission product line to include worm g e a r boxe s in four frame sizes and six gear ratios from 5:1 to 60:1. Constructed of cast iron onepiece housings, the IronHorse™ worm gearboxes feature a C-flange input and carbon steel shaft with either right-hand or dual shaft output and double-lipped embedded oil seals to prevent leakage. Designed to change drive direction by 90 degrees, these products are mountable in any direction, except motor pointing up. The universally interchangeable compact design ensures easy OEM replacement.

AutomationDirect 
Cumming, GA

Despite being an accepted method of lubrication in countless reliability-focused process plants around the globe, questions about this technology continue to surface.

In early 2008, two widely read U.S. trade journals carried articles on grease lubrication of electric motors. Neither article mentioned oil mist lubrication, probably because the scope of the articles was, of course, grease lubrication. Failing to mention oil mist as a reasonable alternative for modern process plants, though, is somewhat like aiming an article about the repair of belted automobile tires at today’s drivers—as another publication recently did. Belted tires were great for a 1950 Chevrolet, but what savvy car owner is using them on his/her vehicle today?

Dry sump oil mist on electric motors is not new technology. In the mid-1960s, oil mist—a mixture of 200,000 volume parts of clean and dry plant or instrument air with one part of lubricating oil—gained acceptance as the ideal lubricant application method on rolling element electric motor bearings in several major United States oil refineries. Since then, this lubrication method has gained further acceptance at hundreds of reliability-focused process plants in this country and overseas. As of the late 1990s, many thousands of electric motors were being lubricated by dry sump oil mist (Fig. 1).

However, while taking at least some steps to become more profitable through increased equipment reliability, the majority of process plants have not yet abandoned their traditional costly repair-focus. Along these lines, questions and concerns relating to oil mist that had been answered decades ago are again surfacing today. The reasons are not always clear and may even be difficult to comprehend. Nevertheless, these questions are being asked and should be answered by open discussion.

This overview deals with considerations that have allowed oil mist lubrication to improve the reliability and energy efficiency of electric motors. It is not meant to dissuade plants from using grease lubrication, if that’s their choice and preference. But, it will discuss what’s out there if an operation is truly reliability-focused and wishes to understand proven best available technology.

In this series, particular emphasis will be placed on industry practices relating to oil mist lubrication of explosion- proof electric motors. The article is not intended to bypass compliance with regulatory edicts as they might relate to explosion-proof motors and might have to be adhered to regardless of merit. Be this as it may, these articles will be laying out the facts as they exist in 2008 and asking readers to draw the right conclusions for themselves.

Documented wide application range
For the past 44 years, empirical data have been employed to screen the applicability of oil mist. The influences of bearing size, speed and load have been recognized in an oil mist applicability formula, limiting the parameter “DNL” to values below 10E9, or 1,000,000,000. Here, D = bearing bore, mm; N = inner ring rpm; and L = load, lbs. An 80 mm electric motor bearing operating at 3600 rpm and a load of 600 lbs would thus have a DNL of 172,000,000—less than 18% of the allowable threshold value. The vast majority of electric motors equipped with rolling element bearings can thus be served by dry sump oil mist.

Although major grass-roots olefins plants commenced using oil mist on motors as small as 1 hp (0.75 kW) decades ago, the prevailing practice among smart reliability-focused users is to apply oil mist lube on horizontal motors, 10 kW and larger, and vertical motors of approximately 3 kW and larger, fitted with rolling element bearings. Note that oil mist serves not only to lubricate the bearings of operating machines, but also protects and preserves the bearings of non-operating (spare or standby) equipment. This is hugely important in humid and dust-laden (desert) environments.

In the 1960s, it was customary to apply oil mist near the center of the bearing housing, letting the excess mist vent to the atmosphere after passing through the bearings. More recently, and in accordance with the recommendations of API- 610 8th and later editions governing centrifugal pumps in the petrochemical and refining industries, the oil mist has been routed through the bearings. The oil mist enters at a convenient location between the bearing housing protector (bearing isolator or end seal) and bearing (see Fig. 2). The metering orifice (reclassifier) may or may not be incorporated in the end cap as shown here, although locating it close to the bearing is considered advantageous.

Originally intended for centrifugal pumps, the recommendations of API-610 have worked equally well for electric motors with rolling element bearings. The resulting diagonal through-flow route shown in Fig. 2 guarantees adequate lubrication, whereas oil mist per Fig. 3, entering at the top of the bearing housing and exiting directly below,might:

• Cause some of the oil mist to leave at the drain port, without first wetting the rolling elements (Ref. 1).
• Inadvertently be kept away from the rolling elements due to windage, or fan effects, generated by certain inclined bearing cage configurations.

It is acknowledged that a few “business-as-usual” oil mist users continue to be satisfied with routing the oil mist from the top of the bearing housing to the bottom of the same housing (Fig. 3). Nevertheless, it can be shown that highly-loaded bearings and bearings operating at high speeds must use the API-recommended routing of Fig. 2. A risk-averse user thus recognizes throughflow as one of the key ingredients of successful oil mist implementations. No less a company than Siemens A.G. has published technical bulletins showing oil mist as a superior technique for electric motors ranging in size from 18 to 3000 kW (Ref. 2).

It can be stated without reservation that through-flow oil mist addresses the above concerns and will accommodate all of the lubrication needs of electric motors furnished with rolling element bearings (see above).

Flow requirements explained 
The required volume of oil mist is often translated into bearing-inches, or “BI’s.” A bearing-inch is the volume of oil mist needed to satisfy the demands of a row of rolling elements in a one-inch (~25 mm) bore diameter bearing. One BI assumes a rate of mist containing 0.01 fl. oz., or 0.3 ml, of oil per hour. Certain other factors may have to be considered to determine the needed oil mist flow. These are known to experienced oil mist providers and bearing manufacturers. The various factors also are well-documented in numerous references and include:

1. Type of bearing… the different internal geometries of different types of contact (point contact at ball bearings and linear contacts at roller bearings), amount of sliding contacts (between rolling elements and raceways, cages, flanges or guide rings), angle of contact between rolling elements and raceways, and prevailing load on rolling elements. The most common bearing types in electrical motors are deep groove ball bearings, cylindrical roller bearings and, occasionally, angular contact ball bearings.
2. Number of rows of rolling elements… multiple row bearing or paired bearing arrangements require a simple multiplier to quantify the volume of mist flow.
3. Size of the bearings… related to the shaft diameter— inherent in the expression “bearing-inches.”
4. The rotating speed… the influence of the rotating speed should not be considered as a linear function. It can be linear for a certain intermediate speed range, but at lower and higher speeds the oil requirements in the contact regions may behave differently.
5. Bearing load conditions… (preload, minimum or even less than minimum load, heavy axial loads, etc.)
6. Cage design… Different cage designs might affect mist flow in different ways. It has been reasoned that stamped (pressed) metal cages, polyamide cages or machined metal cages might produce different degrees of turbulence.

Fortunately, industrial experience shows that no further investigations are needed for bearings in the operating speed and size ranges encountered by motors driving process pumps.

As of 2008, several thousands of oil mist lubricated electric motors continue to operate flawlessly in reliability-focused user plants. Moreover, a 2004 survey of these plants confirmed that their procurement specifications for new installations and replacement motors require oil mist lubrication in sizes 15 hp and larger. The largest motor with oil mist lubricated rolling element bearings had a nameplate rating of 1250 hp (933 kW). Questions as to whether different rates of turbulence cause different amounts of oil to “plate out” on the various bearing components are thus of academic interest only.

Sealing and drainage issues 
Although oil mist will not attack or degrade the winding insulation found on electric motors made since the mid- 1960s, mist entry and related sealing issues must be understood and merit discussion.

Regardless of motor type, i.e. TEFC, X-Proof or WP II, cable terminations should never be made with conventional electrician’s tape. The adhesive in this tape will last but a few days and become tacky to the point of unraveling. Instead of inferior products, competent motor manufacturers use a modified silicone system (“Radix”) that is highly resistant to oil mist. Radix has consistently outperformed the many other “almost equivalent” systems.

Similarly, and while it must always be pointed out that oil mist is neither a flammable nor explosive mixture, it would be prudent not to allow a visible plume of mist to escape from the junction box cover. The wire passage from the motor interior to the junction box should, therefore, be sealed with a product such as 3M Scotch-Cast Two-Part Epoxy potting compound to exclude oil mist from the junction box. As mentioned earlier, the volumetric ratio of oil to air is 0.000005. The weight ratio of oil to air is 0.00035. The lower volumetric explosive limits of heptane and hexane are approximately 0.01 (Ref. 3). Another source gives the lower explosive limit of oil in air at 0.035 by weight (Ref. 4).

TEFC vs. WP ll construction 
On TEFC (totally enclosed, fan-cooled) motors, there are documented events of liquid oil filling the motor housing to the point of contact with the spinning rotor. Conventional wisdom to the contrary, there were no detrimental effects, and the motor could have run indefinitely! TEFC motors are suitable for oil mist lubrication by simply routing the oil mist through the bearing, as has been explained in Ref. 1 and numerous other references, including the more recent editions of API-610. No special internal sealing provisions are needed.

On weather-protected (WP II) motors, merely adding oil mist has often been done in the field, and occasionally even with the motor in operation. These on-the-run modifications have generally worked surprisingly well. In this instance, however, it was found important to lead the oil mist vent tubing away from regions influenced by the motor fan. Still, WP II electric motors do receive additional attention from reliability-focused users and knowledgeable motor manufacturers.

Air is constantly being forced through the windings and an oil film deposited on the windings could invite dirt accumulation to become objectionable. To reduce the risk of dirt accumulation, suitable means of sealing should be provided between the motor bearings and the motor interior. Since V-rings and other elastomeric shaft-contacting seals may be subject to wear, low-friction face-contacting seals based on mechanical seal technology are considered desirable. The axial closing force on these seals could be provided either by springs or small permanent magnets.

As is so often the case, the user has to make choices. Low friction axial seals (face seals) are offered by several manufacturers. Some of these may require machining of the cap, but long motor life and the avoidance of maintenance costs will make up for the added expense. Nevertheless, double V-rings using Nitrile or Viton elastomeric material should not be ruled out since they are considerably less expensive than face seals. Certain rotating labyrinth seal designs with axially contacting O-rings were introduced in early 2005 and offer another possible option.

Sealing to avoid stray mist
Even when still accepted by prevailing environmental regulations (e.g. OSHA or EPA), the regulatory and “good neighbor climate” will sooner or later force industry to curtail stray oil mist emissions. Of equal importance and to set the record straight, it must again be noted that state-of-art oil mist systems are now fully closed, i.e. are configured so as not to allow any mist to escape. In the late 1980s, the author collaborated with a California-based engineering contractor in the implementation of two plant-wide systems in Kentucky. As of 2008, these systems have continued to operate flawlessly and have even been expanded. The owner company has added another fully closed system at its refinery in Minnesota and is planning to convert existing, open systems to closed systems.

It should be noted that combining effective seals and a closed oil mist lubrication system is a proven solution. Application per Fig. 2 eliminates virtually all stray mist and oil leakage, but makes possible the recovery, subsequent purifi- cation and re-use of perhaps 97% of the oil. These recovery rates make the use of more expensive, superior-quality synthetic lubricants economically attractive. Needless to say, closed systems and oil mist-lubricated electric motors give reliability-focused users several important advantages:

• Compliance with actual and future environmental regulations
• Convincing proof that closed oil mist lubrication systems exist that won’t put avoidable stress on the environment
• The technical and economic justification to apply energysaving, long-lasting, high-performance synthetic oils

Optimized energy efficiency 
To capture energy efficiency credits, lubricants with suitably low viscosity must be used in combination with the correct volume of mist. Moreover, and as mentioned above, low-friction seals are desired on WP II motors.

PAO and diester lubricants embody most of the properties needed for extended bearing life and greatest operating efficiency. These oils excel in the areas of bearing temperature and friction energy reduction. It is not difficult to show relatively rapid returns on investment for these lubricants, providing, of course, the system is closed and the lubricant re-used after filtration.

Again, very significant increases in bearing life and overall electric motor reliability have been repeatedly documented over the past four or five decades.

Contributing Editor Heinz Bloch is the author of 17 comprehensive textbooks and more than 340 other publications on machinery reliability and lubrication. He can be contacted at: hpbloch@mchsi.com

References
1. Bloch, Heinz P., and Alan Budris, (2006), Pump User’s Handbook: Life Extension, Fairmont Press, Inc., Lilburn, GA, 30047; ISBN 0-88173-517-5, pp. 265-290.

2. Bloch, Heinz P., and Abdus Shamim, (1998), Oil Mist Lubrication: Practical Applications, Fairmont Press, Inc., Lilburn, GA, 30047; ISBN 0-88173-256-7, Fig. 9-7, p.109.

3. Shelton, Harold L., “Estimating the Lower Explosive Limits of Waste Vapors,” Environmental Engineering, May-June 1995, pp. 22-25.

4. Lilly, L.R.C., (1986), Diesel Engine Reference Book, Butterworth & Co, London, U.K., ISBN 0-408-00443-6, p. 21/3.

Ken Bannister, Contributing Editor

Like most car owners, I have taken my vehicles to a variety of garages and dealerships for maintenance work over the years. Yet, none have ever surpassed a particular Chrysler dealership I frequented well before “customer satisfaction” became an abused mantra. There, I was fortunate to have my vehicle worked on by a mechanic named Ed, who proved to be highly competent at repairing all makes of vehicles. Ed never had a vehicle returned for poor workmanship.

What made Ed special above all else was his disposition—he cared and it showed.

For a simple oil change, Ed would clean the valve cover before filling with oil and always use a fender cover to ensure that the paint was kept clean during the process. To top the job off, he would fill up the windshield wash jar, dust the car’s dashboard, shake off dirt from the floor mats and empty the ashtrays—all on his own time and cost.

On his own volition, Ed also had negotiated a special rate with the local car wash. That helped him out with larger mechanical jobs—when he would run a car through the wash during his test drive at the end of the work.

Little wonder Ed was loved by his customers, becoming the most requested mechanic at the dealership. Sadly, I lost Ed as my mechanic when I was fortunate enough to lure him away from the dealership and hire him as a lubrication system installation specialist. With training, Ed excelled and went on to become an exceptional and wellrespected lubrication program manager.

Whether we choose to believe it or not, all maintainers are in the customer service business—and good service does get recognized.

Simple acts like planning the job beforehand, having the right parts to do the work, ensuring cleanliness and safety at the job site, performing work carefully, cleaning up the mess and the equipment—including tools—at the end of the job and taking the time to complete the paperwork correctly are all hallmarks of caring and excellence! Doing it with a smile just adds icing to the cake.

Adopting good work habits, with a good disposition is simply taking care of business the right way. This approach, in turn, is good for the equipment, good for the environment, good for department moral and good for you in the long run.

Are you taking care of business the right way? Good Luck!

Ken Bannister is lead partner and principal consultant for Engtech Industries, Inc. Telephone: (519) 469-9173; e-mail: kbannister@engtechindustries.com