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Lubrication Oil Optimisation in an Aluminium Smelter
30 November 2024

Case Study: Lubrication Oil Optimisation in an Aluminium Smelter

A leading Australian aluminium smelter achieved remarkable results through lubrication oil optimisation. Learn how they improved efficiency, extended asset life, and reduced maintenance costs.

 

The Objectives

After expanding and upgrading their systems with new cranes and gearboxes, the aluminium smelter aimed to:

  • Maximise return on investment.
  • Extend the lifecycle of assets.
  • Minimise unscheduled downtime.

Aluminium smelter

 

The Problems

The smelter faced several challenges:

  1. High Contamination Levels: Dirty environments led to frequent lubricant contamination, causing premature wear.
  2. Moisture Ingress: The humid atmosphere caused moisture-related issues, affecting lubrication performance.
  3. Short Service Cycles: Temperature fluctuations shortened oil service cycles, increasing costs.
  4. Unscheduled Downtime: Frequent downtime disrupted production and escalated maintenance costs.

 

The Challenges

The smelter needed to reduce downtime and enhance asset reliability while improving the efficiency of their lubrication system. Their goals included:

  1. Reducing contaminant levels in the oil.
  2. Extending the intervals between lubricant replacements.
  3. Upgrading lubricant quality without increasing overall costs.

 

The Solutions

The management formed a dedicated Condition Monitoring team to conduct a study and audit aimed at enhancing asset reliability.

Through comprehensive lube oil sample analysis, they identified the specific contaminants affecting the lubricants, traced their origins, analyzed how they entered the system, and evaluated their impact on components and wear rates.

The first step was to install breather filters on all lube oil compartments to prevent airborne contaminants from entering and to keep the oil cleaner. A critical part of this solution included establishing a robust maintenance program to ensure regular inspection, maintenance, and repair of the breather filters.

 

Breather filters

Next, they enhanced the fixed conditioning filtration system operating in a kidney loop setup. Vacuum dehydrators equipped with β1000 filtration using 5 or 10 μm filters were introduced to dramatically improve lube tank cleanliness and remove moisture. These upgrades reduced the ISO 4406 cleanliness code from new oil levels of 21/18/17 (NAS Class 10) to 16/14/12 (NAS Class 5) for compressors, and further to 15/13/11 (NAS Class 4) for hydraulic systems. As a result, the asset life cycle increased by 2.5 times, extending hydraulic oil change intervals to 7 years.

With an extended lubricant life cycle, the plant could justify upgrading to fully synthetic lubricants. This step further enhanced both asset and lubricant life cycles, but it underscored the importance of maintaining oil cleanliness and managing moisture effectively to sustain these gains.

ISO 4406 code

Purification Tasks

The condition monitoring team used portable equipment to clean gearboxes, compressors, and hydraulic systems. Regular oil analysis programs confirmed ISO 4406 cleanliness targets and enabled early detection of wear or contamination.

Rotating Lubrication Purification Systems

 

Summary

By adopting lubrication oil optimisation strategies, this aluminium smelter achieved remarkable results by improving lubrication practices:

  • Increased asset life cycle by 2.5 times
  • Reduced downtime significantly
  • Maximized return on investment

Want similar results? Contact us today to discuss your plant’s needs!

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