Dynamic Lubrication

Lubrication by Automatic Single-Point Lubricators

noreply@blogger.com (Soumyadip) — Tue, 7 Apr 2020 03:34:00 -0700

The basic role of a lubricator is to drive oil or grease into the lubrication point, ensuring the smooth operation and prolonged life of machinery, minimal wear and tear, and avoid downtime. Inexpensive and simple to fit, Single-point lubricator take seconds to install while bringing a wide array of benefits:

Maximize efficiency
Save hundreds of maintenance hours
Increase up-time
Boost reliability and safety
Eliminate human error
Move away from scheduled maintenance
Provide continuously, uninterrupted lubrication to the individual, expensive components

It’s my on-hand experience says that bearing problems represent approximately 50% of all repair events for motors and 30 to 35% for pumps and compressors, a number greatly reduced through the application of single-point lubrication.

Types of Automatic Single Point Lubricators

Gas-powered Lubricator
Electro-chemical Lubricator
Electro-mechanical Lubricator

*Gas-powered Lubricator :

The gas-powered units are actuated by mixing an electrolyte and zinc pellet to form a gas. The gas expands against a plunger that pushes the grease out of the unit at 45 PSI. They have a 3-6-9-12 month dispensing range that requires a different concentration of zinc. However, they are temperature-dependent.

That is, when it is 0° they will push harder for less grease; whereas, when it is 90° they will work less to lube the bearing. Some of the canisters are made of metal so you will not know if the unit is operating properly or injecting the grease. These cost the least out of the 3 and are a throw-away.

*Electro-chemical Lubricator

Electrochemical units use a battery, microprocessor and an electrolyte to create a gas that pushes the grease. The processor tells the battery to excite the electrolyte to create a gas. The processor compensates for low temperature.

When it is 10° the processor senses it and adjusts the unit accordingly. The unit dispenses the same amount of lubrication no matter what the outside temperature is. Some units have dip switches or jumpers that can be set for each of the different month settings. These units can be paused or turned off if the equipment is going to be out serviced for a while.

*Electro-mechanical Lubricator

All electromechanical lubricators have a battery, pressure source, programmable controller (LED). And grease pack. The LED controls a motor that pushes the grease. The type of motor dictates the amount of pressure the unit is capable of. This is important depending on how far the bearing tap is from the unit.

They have replaceable batteries and grease packs so purchasing the complete unit are not necessary, making it economical after the initial purchase is made. The most important feature is the feedback if the bearing does not accept the lubrication which separates it from the other two types of lubricators.

If the bearing or lube line is clogged and the unit can not push the grease, a fault occurs. There will be a flashing indication on the LED. This is very important for critical bearing. If and when this occurs some units have a memory that can be checked to see when the last lube event took place.

The units that can produce a pressure of 400 PSI plus can do multiple bearings using a divider valve. They can do 1 to 8 bearings because they lube only one bearing at a time. Keeping in mind the shorter the lube lines the better.

Is [ Single Point Lubricator ] only Used for conveyor belt ?

noreply@blogger.com (Soumyadip) — Sun, 5 Apr 2020 05:16:00 -0700

Yes, singe point lubricator is indeed used in conveyor belt in Industry, But also its use in several places. The Single point lubricator is an autonomous Lubricator which carries a certain amount of lubricant inside, and continuously supply the lubricant to the required point for a specified period.

Single point lubrication systems provide the appropriate lubrication quantity at the correct intervals, minimizing friction and wear and optimizing bearing and machinery service life.

Application:

ü Conveyors

ü Electric Motors

ü Pumps

ü Blowers

ü Other industrial / Locomotive components

It is designed to lubricate individual Bearing / complete plants, it provides proper, precise lubricant replenishment to all required points, enabling a range of benefits in the process:

Ø Significant savings in repair and spare costs

Ø Increased machine reliability

Ø Up to 50% savings in lubricant costs due to accurate timing and dosing of lubricants

Ø Fewer shutdowns and production losses

Ø Reduced environmental impact

Ø Greater workers' safety

Is it an automatic lubricator?

Yes, it is designed to automatically supply a small quantity of clean grease or oil to a lubrication point regularly, thus improving bearing performance. Key benefits of using an automatic lubricator are improved employee safety and increased machine reliability and optimized maintenance operations.

Which one Batter Parallel or Progressive CLS?

noreply@blogger.com (Soumyadip) — Fri, 3 Apr 2020 00:43:00 -0700

To know which one is better, I think you first need to know how both of its work. It is obvious that both do the same work that is Supply of Lubricant to the required place, But the working principle is completely different.

A. Single-line (parallel) system CLS:

A single-line parallel system is the simplest automatic lubrication system. A pump pressurizes the main supply line and fills several individual piston distributors or injectors. Each injector serves one lubrication point and can be easily adjusted to deliver a precise amount of lubricant with a high degree of accuracy. The injectors operate independently of each other. The advantage of this is that failure of an individual injector, or a blocked supply line, does not disrupt the rest of the system.

Pumping Unit
Connector
Distribution Line
Distributor
Distribution Tube
Pressure switch

B. Series (Progressive) system CLS:

In a series progressive system, a pump supplies the lubricant through a master metering valve and optional secondary metering valves to the lubrication points. The metering valves are custom-sized for each lubrication point to deliver the required amount of lubricant. Each piston inside a divider, block is dependent on the flow of the previous piston. Lubricant is therefore delivered to each lube point in succession. This means that if lubricant reaches the final lube point in the network, you know that each point in the network has received its specific amount.

Pumping unit with reservoir
Primary distribution line
Primary Distributor
Secondary distributor
Distribution tubing
Miniature Limit Switch

So, now the question is who works batter, Based on my hand on experience I can Conclude that Progressive CLS is definitely battered then Parallel one Because of the advanced process/ Technology used here. Progressive can work in high pressure, MLS installed so you can monitor properly, Less maintenance is required.

What is[ CLS ] Centralized lubrication system ?

noreply@blogger.com (Soumyadip) — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 05:48:00 -0700

Centralized Lubrication Systems (CLS) Is an automatic lubrication Process offer numerous advantages as compared to other methods of lubrication: A centralized lubrication system maintains the flow, time interval, Quantity of lubricant as required to increase in machine life. Further, this also eliminates machine shutdowns for lubrication purposes, and prevents downtimes due to improper lubrication.

Grease Reservoir
Motor with Pump
Pressure gauge
Distributor
Secondary hose
Primary hose
Grease refilling connector

Why CLS?

We think that we just have to lubricate the bearing and moving parts by using the required lubricant then why CLS. When I learned about this I thought why someone should invest so much for the lubrication system which works automatically, But when I investigated properly and got the better of it and tested it in the practical world, it was actually the most effective, most convenient and cost-effective process. Once you can think about heavy machinery parts, heavy-duty machines, and supercars, if you do the proper lubrication, then the life expectancy of them will increase significantly and maintenance costs will be reduced. Barrer the lubrication healthier the machine.

How it's Work?

It's work by Forced Lubrication Method, so it needs a lubricant storage tank (1) to store then the motor(2) starts which create suction on the tank and supply it to the distribution line. While passing through the distribution line there is a Pressure Gauge (3)major the pressure developed by the pump. Then its go to the Distributor (4)through Primary hose (6) and then the lubricant discharge to the bearing or at the required place through Secondary hose(5). When the Lubricant consumed completely at that time we can fill it up through Grease refilling connector (7).

Types of CLS:

Centralized lubrication system is two types, CLS is categorized because of there operation principle.

Parallel Centralized lubrication system
Progressive Centralized lubrication system

Manual or Automatic [Lubrication]? You can decide now!

noreply@blogger.com (Soumyadip) — Sun, 29 Mar 2020 03:45:00 -0700

Lubrication is the process or technique employed to reduce wear of one or both surfaces in contact, and moving relative to each other, by interposing a substance called lubricant between the surfaces to help carry the load between them.

To achieve optimum reliability and maximum benefits from the lubrication Process, several factors need to be taken into account. These factors are

The right lubricant
In the right quantity
At the right time
At the right point
With the right method

The Process of applying lubricant also leads to optimum reliability, Industries following the below process

Manual Lubrication
Automatic Lubrication

So, If you want to choose that when the automatic or manual lubrication needs to be done you have to look into the below points then only you can choose the right one.

Ø Overall production cost:-

If you choose the automatic instead of Manual lubrication process then it will decrease the overall maintenance cost by decreasing the machine downtime.

Ø Overall maintenance cost:-

Automatic lubrication process is costly then manual one because of its required additional Pump or gas generator cell to supply the lubricant into the required place.

Ø Environmental impact: -

Automatic lubrication process works in fever of environment, in automatic lubrication process the lubricant is circulating in a close system so the negligible amount of lubrication came in contact with the environment. But in case of manual lubrication the lubricant directly come in contact with the environment (During application its dropdown into the ground) the less waste the better for the environment.

Ø Health and safety of Machine:-

If you are conscious about the health of the Machine/Equipment in that case the automatic lubrication works batter. Suppose we are applying the lubricant manually to a bearing, we will apply the same without any calculation; it may be that we have forgotten to apply. In that case, automatic lubrication will automatically apply the required amount of lubricant with the right time interval.

Manual Lubrication

This is the process of direct application of Lubricant to the moving part with the help of hand/Cotton west. It is used for ball bearings, chains, large gear ring. This method has limitations. The parts operate with insufficient lubricant or maybe more than required.

Automatic Lubrication

With this method, a given amount of lubricant is forcibly fed at a given interval. Although a special lubrication system using piping or the like needs to be designed, this method reduces the likelihood of forgetting to replenish lubricant.

What are the basic types of Lubrication System?

noreply@blogger.com (Soumyadip) — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 04:51:00 -0700

With this below Photograph, you can understand that there are several types of lubrication systems, which means we can lubricate different machines in different processes.

The first one is called Oil bath lubrication this is the common type of lubrication system used, It's a non-circulating system that works by maintaining proper oil level. So the system is very simple also there is no pump required, Once the Lubricant level goes down we just have to fill it with the required amount of lubricant.
The second one is called Weak field lubrication hear generally we are using certain kinds of Cotton waste or maybe some kind of threads by which you lubricant is sucking from the sump or maybe from the container then directly it is going to the machines or maybe to the bearings / moving parts.
The third one is called Dip feed lubrication In this process Lubricant is flowing because of the gravitational force. It's simple and less expensive.
Next is Oil splash lubrication here we are creating a little bit of maybe vacuum or maybe a little bit of pressure so that the oil is coming to the parts, that it is totally splitting into my parts and it is covering the whole meeting surface or maybe in between the interfacing surface it is entering.
The fifth one is called the Circulating oil lubrication here we are using a pump so that it is taking out the lubricant from the separate sump to the mating parts, then again the oil depositing into the sump.
Next one is Oil jet lubrication it's a circulating process where we are using certain kind of pressure so that the coil is passing through with every high velocity, The advantage of this that if there is any complex shapes or any complex places where that lubricant can't reach with the help of high-pressure it can reach each and every corner.
The last one is Oil mist lubrication, In this case, we are using high pressure it may be air or Lubricant itself so that the Lubricant mixed with air and atomized properly.

Lubrication matters, But do you know how much?

noreply@blogger.com (Soumyadip) — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 04:55:00 -0700

I have been working in operation and maintenance from the last few years and I can feel it very well how much lubrication is necessary. For every industry, lubrication is vital to the performance of rotating equipment; Every industry can save 30% to 40% of the cost in Operation and maintenance If they Lubricate the moving parts properly with the proper Lubricant, with a defined time interval. It can improve/increase the lifetime of each moving parts also can save an enormous amount of money, Time and Manpower required to repair.

If you try to understand this with a very simple example, I think it is well understood, A car is moving at 40 kph. Suddenly the driver presses the brake, because of that friction generated between the Wheel and the road that friction will cause wear of the wheel. If we use a specified amount of lubricant in between the roar and Wheels it can reduce the wear of wheels. The same is done while we lubricate the moving parts.

Just an example to understand

The above car is moving forward even after breaking because there is water on the road which is working like a lubricant.

If you ask how much Lubricant, here is the answer

Suppose you are using 6209 ball bearing, it's working at 1,750 RPM. If the machine works for 24*7 a week. Bearing-6209 has an inner race of 45mm, and outer race of 85mm, and a width of 19mm. Using the below chart and the formula, the bearing only needs 8 gr. of grease each 10,000h. You can supply the same amount through the Grease pump, Single-point Lubricator or maybe through Centrilige Lubrication System(CLS).

Lubrication is necessary

For friction reduction.
For vibration minimization.

For reduction fo wear and tear.
For reduction fo heat(Generated due to friction)

For corrosion Prevention.

For Noise reduction (Created by the moving parts).

What Is [ Lubrication ] ?

noreply@blogger.com (Soumyadip) — Sun, 22 Mar 2020 06:41:00 -0700

Lubrication is something like any kind of material which can lubricate in between the metal surface, Either that surface can directly come into the contact or maybe there is a lubrication which will act in between the two mating surfaces.

Definition- Lubrication is the process or technique employed to reduce friction between surfaces in proximity and moving relative to each other, by interposing a substance called a lubricant in between them.

* This is mainly intended to minimize the wear of one or both of the surfaces.

*When lubrication breaks down, components can rub destructively against each other, causing heat, local welding, destructive damage and failure.

The objective of Lubrication :

Lubrication is done to reduce

Wear and tear of surfaces.
Maintenance cost.
The heat from the bearing.
Unsmooth relative motion
Expansion of metal due to frictional heat.
Power loss