Publisher’s Note

Energy usage is a cornerstone of today’s society. Economic development and better standards of living both rely upon the availability of energy. Better lubrication can lead to remarkable energy savings and an improved bottom line.

Each year Exxon Mobil analyzes and updates its long term view on energy supply and demand. As per Outlook for Energy 2017, energy demand is driven by developing countries as population and living standards increase. Oil will remain the world’s primary energy source fulflling 1/3 of all demand. In 2040, the projected energy mix will be: 32% Oil, 25% Nat Gas, 20% Coal, 7% nuclear, 4% wind, solar & bio fuels, 12% other.

Many of the world’s governments are passing stricter laws regulating clean air and water, toxic waste, pesticides, endangered species and more. These factors – combined with a struggling economy – result in a challenge for plant operations managers, which is to reduce operating costs & discharge of effluents. Often, this means doing more with less. One way to reduce operating costs & effluents is to reduce energy consumption. Upgrading plant equipment to take advantage of newer, more energy-effcient technologies can reduce energy costs.

Unfortunately, in a challenging economic environment capital may not be available for plant upgrades. Simple changes in habits can also create substantial savings. One such change is improving the lubrication reliability program.

Energy-effcient lube oils and better lubrication practices are some of the strategic and niche measures to ensure the reduction in the energy bill of the industry. Various industry oriented studies have established that proper lubrication can reduce energy consumption by 5 to 8 percent compared to the baseline scenario.

The concept of energy effciency with special lubricants is already bearing fruit in the steel industry, as illustrated by two recent studies made in large steelmaking groups, one in South Korea, the other in Brazil, showing signifcant gains in cooling tower fan gearboxes.

It should be known that usage of high performance and energy-effcient lube oils may protect and extend the life of your equipment & can also result in saving of other resources such as labour cost, lube oil consumption, downtime cost, cycle time reduction, productivity improvement etc. According to a survey, introduction of synthetic lube oil in several industrial units have observed that oil-drainage interval has extended from 3000-4000 hrs. to 20,000-25,000 hrs. in case of gearbox, while in compressor it is 4,000 hrs. to 10,000 hrs.

Thank you for the heartening response to our last edition’s cover story – “Extending Equipment Life with Cleaner Oil”. Our current cover story on “Get Back to the Basics of Lubrication to Prevent Machine Failures” will help you discover proactive maintenance measures using the combination of back-to-basics approach with breakthrough technologies.

We welcome your suggestions and feedback.

We wish our readers a merry Christmas & a happy and prosperous new year.

Warm regards,

Udey Dhir