AUTOMATED LUBRICATOR IN ACTION FOR CEMENT PLANT
Cement production has increased over the years to meet the global demand of construction industries. Machineries are designed to
operate faster and better. In another words, cement plant profitability is directly related to equipment reliability. However,
components in the machinery still continue to break down.
Bearing failure is a major cause of equipment downtime in today’s
industrial environment, most often resulting from improper lubrication. Improper lubrication scenarios include the contamination of the lubricant by dust, dirt and moisture, inadequate amounts of lubricant applied to the bearing and/or over-lubrication of the bearing.
Each bearing failure directly impacts the production cycle. While bearings can be expensive, replacement cost alone is often miniscule compared to lost production and the cost to repair the damage. Till today, many bearings are still lubricated manually even though
the machineries are sophisticated. No matter how diligently a maintenance staff adheres to a lubrication schedule, it is still a
difficult task. Because employees are expected to manage multiple responsibilities in the lean environment of today’s plants, it becomes common for proper lubrication to be often neglected.
Automated Lubricator Helps
Although all bearings regardless of size are designed to work for 5 years, proper lubrication is essential. Improper lubrication will result in high, yet unnecessary costs for the operation. Some of the direct costs resulting from improper lubrication include labour for parts replacement and repair, excess lubricant and additional labour in case of inefficient manual practice. Some of the indirect, but very real costs, are downtime or lost production; product spoilage due to excess lubricant; environmental, safety or housekeeping issues; and excess energy consumption.
While grease guns and manual lubrication seem to get the job done for many maintenance operations, their benefits often cannot compare to those provided by an automated lubricator in terms of productivity, environmental issues and worker safety. An automated lubricator helps to prevent bearing failure by providing the right amount of the right (fresh, clean) lubricant at the right time to the right place.
Productivity Advantages
The obvious difference between automated and manual lubrication is that in the case of manually applied lubricants, technicians tend to lubricate on schedule (once a day, week, month, year, etc.) rather than when the bearing needs it. To compensate, the operator often will fill the bearing until he sees lubricant seeping out. The lubricant could be effectively “spent” by the time the operator gets back to it again. This sets up an over-lubrication and under-lubrication scenario.
Conversely, automated lubrication constantly provides lubricant at an appropriate amount that allows the bearing to operate at its optimum. When the bearing is properly lubricated in this manner, it also helps to seal the bearing from contaminants. Maintaining proper lubrication on production equipment reduces the number of breakdowns due to bearing failure. In addition, there is less downtime due to the manual lubrication process, as well as substantially reduced man-hours required for the task.
Automated lubricator is more precise and eliminates the cycle of over- and under-lubrication that contributes to bearing failure. Figure 1 shows the possible failures associated with manual lubrication that is not performed daily or applying the right quantity of grease due to several factors at production.
Whereas for the automated lubricator, the method ensures a regular and uninterrupted supply of sufficient, fresh lubricant to all required lubrication points. In addition, they effectively seal lubrication points and bearing seals to prevent the entry of water, dirt and dust. Even hard to access, moving, or hidden lubrication points that are often neglected are permanently lubricated without interrupting production.
Environmental Advantages
It also prevents excess grease from finding its way onto the finished product, the plant floor or other work surfaces. This results in fewer rejections, clean-up and disposal problems, as well as less waste of lubricant. And of course, all of this positively affects the company’s bottom line.
Safety Advantages
Employees in cement plants are constantly exposed to safety hazards: aggressive cement dust that irritates eyes and skin, extreme temperatures, environmental conditions, and the usual dangers experienced when working around rotating machine parts (see figure 2).
Reduced exchange intervals of automatic lubrication systems and remote mounting, away from potential hazards, minimise the time that
employees spend in dangerous areas. And planned exchange intervals make it easier to observe the required safety precautions.
Estimated Cost Saving
When considering the benefits of implementing an automated lubricator, it is important to know that it could pay for itself within the first year through the cost savings it generates. Production uptime, costs of preventive maintenance, repair, safety expenses,environmental compliance, lubricant and machine replacement are all positively impacted.
For example, it’s not unusual for a cement plant to replace 1,000 roller bearings or more per year on average. Depending on the application and size, each bearing replacement will cost anywhere from a few dollars to several thousand dollars. An averagereplacement is approximately $150 (material cost). It takes approximately three hours for a worker to replace each bearing. Let’s calculate the average cost to replace each roller bearing in the following example:
$150 per roller bearing + average 3-hour replacement time at $10 per hour labour cost ($30) = $180 per roller bearing
Total Annual Replacement Cost for 1,000 Bearings = $180,000
$60 per automatic lubricator + 15 minutes average installation time at $10 per hour labour cost ($2.50) = $62.50 per installation
Total Annual Cost for Lubricators for 1000 Bearings = $62,500
Total Cost Saving = $180,000 - $62,500 = $117,500
Downtime in the process industries costs from $10,000 to $150,000 or more per hour. Assuming a line production time value of $60,000 per hour, shutting down a strategic line for just three hours to replace a few bearings can be expensive. Consider that $60,000 x 3 hours = $180,000 in lost production.
There is no standard cost for a lubricator. An average lubricator can cost as little as $60. It becomes a fairly simple matter to justify the cost of an automated lubricator. Obviously, the most important factor is how many bearings or other lubrication points need protection. Then, depending on the scale of the application, other accessories may be required to install with a lubricator.
Conclusion
In general, automated lubricators offer superior features to manual lubrication. The benefits of automated lubrication include less downtime due to bearing failure, reduced man-hours required for the lubrication task, and increased worker safety, as well as reduced lubricant and clean-up costs. All of these positively affect productivity.
There are many variables to consider regarding equipment lubrication. Automation of the lubrication process can start out small and simple, and can be adapted over time to specific needs. Suppliers can help determine what will work best for each situation and can assist in cost-benefit analysis