Extension of lubrication intervals for 1,000 lubrication points
Lubrication of bearings in three extreme conditions
Sector: Construction materials
Our client, Steengoed, started project Elerweerd in the Maasvallei in 2020. The goal of this project is to increase river safety and create ecological value through the extraction of gravel and construction sand.
The challenge
The extraction installation consists of a deep-grab clamshell excavator and various transport systems. The major challenge for lubricants in this process lies in the three extreme conditions that rarely occur together, but are inherent to this installation and the raw materials: shocks, water, and dust.
The clamshell excavator lifts 30 tons of gravel and sand from the water each time and deposits it onto a sieve. The production averages 900 tons per hour. This immediately presents challenges number 1 and 2: a shock load and a significant amount of moisture.
Floating conveyors transport the material to the shore, where it is transferred to a fixed conveyor belt with a length of approximately 2 km. Sorting and storage are accompanied by challenge number 3: the generation of a large amount of dust.
The entire installation contains around 1,000 lubrication points that need to be lubricated every two weeks, using three different types of grease.
Our solution
To efficiently lubricate all bearings in this project, Interflon has guided the client step by step in transitioning from three standard greases to a single Interflon grease. Combined with our ILAC lubrication software and lubrication tools, Steengoed achieves optimal lubrication efficiency.
Our solution consists of:
- 1 grease, Interflon Grease LS1/2
- ILAC lubrication management software with a customized lubrication plan
- Battery-powered portable lubrication pumps with Interflon Lube-Shuttle cartridges
- Unique combination of Interflon G-Coupler with a digital flow meter (digimeter)
Benefits
- Extension of lubrication intervals from two weeks to three months
- Significant time savings since the lubrication points are spread over several kilometers
- User-friendliness of a stand-alone system
- Highly efficient operation
- No more errors due to the use of a single grease instead of three
Result
The client saves 432 hours per year in execution work alone. This allows the maintenance technician to perform other crucial preventive tasks for maintaining the installation. The service life of rotating equipment is extended, and there is less downtime, resulting in increased installation efficiency.
Expected annual savings: €15,120 on labor.
