Making Good Environmental Choices for Lubricants

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Making Good Environmental Choices for Lubricants

Ken Brown, Utility Service Associates, Toronto

The environmental impact of hydroelectric

power stations is becoming increasingly
important. In the past, the main focus has
been on the physical structures of the dam,
how it fits into the environment, and its
impact on water flows and fish kills. The
Past Issues maintenance activities of such equipment
Subscribe/Renew have considerable environmental impact as
well. For example, it takes only a small
amount of oil to form a clearly visible sheen
that might extend for miles. Fortunately, it is
Home relatively easy to reduce the impact by
Training/Events changing the way lubricants are being used.
Newsletter This article is an overview of some of these considerations.
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Advertise Making good environmental lubricant choices does not have to
Editorial Guidelines compromise equipment reliability or functionality. In fact, appropriate
Buyers Guide environmental decisions can be part of a first-rate, cost-effective
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design. The design aspects include the equipment itself,
maintainability, economic life span, ergonomics, operation and
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eventual removal. Removal does not necessarily mean disposal,
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because there may be some recoverable value left in the machine.
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For example, oil in equipment should not be changed unless it has

Practicing Oil Analysis
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reached the end of its useful life. This is typically not the case,
because the oil is often changed based on an arbitrary time criteria
or because of contaminants such as water or dirt. These
contaminants can normally be removed with the proper equipment.
A longer oil lifecycle not only contributes to less liquid waste, but
there are other benefits as well: cost savings because labor can be
used more effectively elsewhere, and fewer shutdowns for oil
changes. These added costs can amount to at least five times the
price of the oil alone. In addition, not having to drain the old oil,
move it for disposal and bring in new oil also means less chance of
spills. Spillage can often occur when a pail is knocked over or a drain
valve breaks off.

Product Effectiveness
For a lubricant to be most effective, a number of correct decisions
must be made throughout its service life, such as the following:

Initial Selection
Selecting the proper lubricant is important to sharply reduce long-
term costs. The best-fit product selection can mean longer lubricant
life, reduced machine wear, reduced incipient power losses and
improved safety. Suitable basestocks and additives reduce
environmental impact. This is important because there will be leaks,
spills and eventual disposal. Table 1 illustrates examples of
alternative selections.

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Making Good Environmental Choices for Lubricants

Mineral Vegetable Synthetic

Glycols
Oil Oils Esters
Density At 20°C
880 1100 940 930
(kg/m3 )
100 to
Viscosity Index 100 100 to 200 120 to 220
200
Shear Stability Good Good Good Good
-40 to
Pour Point (°C) -15 -20 to +10 -60 to -20
+20
Cold Flow
Good Very Good Poor Very Good
Properties
Miscibility with Not
- Good Good
Mineral Oil Miscible
Solubility in Not Very Good Not
Not Miscible
Water Miscible to Poor Miscible
Seal Swelling
Slight Shrinking Indifferent Fair
Tendency
Behavior
Good Poor Good Good
Against Paint
Biodegradability
10 to 30 10 to 99 70 to 100 10 to 100
(CEC) %
Oxidation
Good Good Fair Good
Stability
Hydrolytic
Good - Poor Fair
Stability
Sludge-forming
Good - Poor Fair
Tendency
Relative Cost
1 2 to 4 2 to 3 4 to 20
(Mineral Oil =
Table 1. Biodegradable Fluids

With the right lubricant, there is a greater likelihood that a product

can later be used elsewhere in less demanding applications. The
correct choice might be synthetic lubricants, lubricants with different
additives, or biodegradable products and/or products with less
environmental impact. The best product selection for each application
varies, depending upon the equipment specifics. For example, some
synthetic lubricants might not be compatible with the equipment
construction materials. In some cases, good separability from water
may be required, while good solubility is preferred in others. See
Table 2 for typical fluid characteristics.

Current “Green”
Use Advantages
Product Options
Bearings on Lithium- Synthetic oil Less torque in
Electric Motors thickened with a winter
and Pumps mineral oil complex and less oil loss in
thickener summer.
Possibly longer
relubrication
intervals.
Can also be more
biodegradable.

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Making Good Environmental Choices for Lubricants

Motor Oil in 10W30 5W30 with Energy and fuel

Vehicles or mineral oil 50% savings,
Equipment or similar less wear and
recycled using
mineral oil a recycled oil.
Transformer Mineral oil Synthetic Readily
ester-based biodegradable
fluids and better fire
resistance.
Gearboxes ISO VG460 Energy savings,
synthetic potentially
PAO oil longer service
lives and
less need for
heating in
winter and cooling
in
summer.
Wicket Gates Mineral oil- Canola oil- Base fluid is
based based vegetable oil
grease that is renewable,
can be
readily
biodegradable
and less ecotoxic.
Wire Ropes Asphaltic Vegetable- or Less polynuclear
solvent ester-based aromatics
cut back oils and less solvent.
mineral oil and calcium Can have
sulphonate better corrosion
thickeners protection.
Table 2. Environmentally Friendly Lubricant Choices

Product selection from an environmental perspective is a bit more

complicated. One must consider a number of factors such as:
whether the base materials are from renewable resources, how much
energy is used and/or waste produced during manufacture, safety,
efficiency, biodegradability, the end products, ease of maintenance,
service life, waste handling and the product’s ecotoxicity. While the
required information should be readily available, (if not, this should
be a red flag), interpreting such information is not as
straightforward. At first glance, one might think an H1- or H2-
designated food-grade grease would be better, but this is often not
the case. Many are not AW- or EP-rated, so there might be more
wear, and many are just as bad for the environment. For example,
zinc oxide used to give the white coloring in greases is not good
environmentally.

Equipment Design
Eliminating conditions such as hot spots and air entrainment, as well
as providing a good ergonomic design, will reduce the stresses on
the lubricant. Proper and effective maintenance is the key for
maximum performance from both the equipment and the lubricants.

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Making Good Environmental Choices for Lubricants

Equipment should have adequate seals to prevent the ingress of

contaminants and reduce lubricant loss. Breathers should have
adequate provisions for filtration to remove particulates and contact-
type shaft seals should be selected based on lifecycle and durability.
These kinds of features help extend the life of the lubricant and the
equipment. Proper component selection and configuration can also
mean lower temperatures and possibly less auxiliary equipment such
as coolers or heaters.

Reducing Liquid Waste and Cost

Industrial lubricant lifecycles can be extended dramatically from
typical annual lifecycles if the lubricant is managed effectively in the
sump. To get maximum value from the oil-lubricated components,
keep the oil cool, clean and dry. For self-contained sumps this can
simply mean ensuring that make-up oil is added properly, that the
breathers are adequate and operational, and that any cloudiness is
corrected. For circulating oil systems, ensure that the make-up oil is
not a source of contaminant. In most cases, side-stream filtration,
either continuous or intermittent, can be deployed to control these
factors.

Condition Monitoring
Lubricant condition monitoring (oil analysis), is critical for safe
lifecycle extension. Analysis serves three main purposes: First, it
ensures that the right lubricant is in place. Viscosity, additive content
and acid number are all telltale indicators of lubricant mixing. Some
types of cross contamination become immediately evident. For
example, even a slight amount of combustion engine oil mixed into
the turbine circulating oil will destroy the turbine oil’s ability to shed
water. Extreme pressure additives may be necessary in some cases,
while the same additive may be detrimental in others. Generally,
they shorten service lives or present additional considerations for
materials such as for the plastic cages in bearings.

Secondly, machine condition monitoring, when done in conjunction

with lubricant condition monitoring, provides a long-term view into
the health of the production asset. An advantage of lubricant-based
analysis is that it detects machine problems in the oil before the
problems are manifested in the equipment. Other analysis methods,
while certainly beneficial, measure for damage that already exists at
a level which almost always requires repair.

This is important, as the goal is not to save the oil, which is typically
inexpensive, but rather to prevent damage to and extend lubricant
component lifecycles. Even an inexpensive shaft bearing will require
taking that equipment out of service to be replaced.

Lastly, oil testing determines what is required to keep it in good

condition. This can be purification or additive supplement through
sweetening (bleed and feed). When contamination exists, it is usually
an advantage if the lubricant can be treated while still in the

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Making Good Environmental Choices for Lubricants

equipment so an outage will not be required.

Taking Action

1. Equipment Design. Request technical assistance to ensure

that the equipment selection has been optimized for
environmental and tribological considerations.

2. Selection of Material. Product selection can include additive

packages, long-life lubricants, recycled oils, or biodegradable
or environmentally friendly products.

3. Maintenance. Consider specialty maintenance items to reduce

liquid waste and improve sampling procedures. Review
condition monitoring testing, particularly the results and
successes. Periodically perform a lubricant survey. Set up
guidelines for conducting a proper failure analysis, including
lubrication failure modes and effects analysis.

4. Condition Monitoring. Quick on-site tests can usually

determine if the oil requires treatment or if the machine is in
distress. Proactive oil testing prevents damage. In contrast,
most other testing/monitoring methods require some damage
to have already occurred.

5. In-situ Treatment. A lubricant can often be effectively

treated while still in the equipment, and in many cases can
remain on-line. Caution should be exercised to prevent
inadvertent contamination of the sumps from oil previously
treated with the filtration equipment, if required drain housings
and hoses have separate ones for turbine oils or phosphate
esters.

6. Reuse or Disposal. Cost-effective alternatives to disposal are

offered because the fluid can often be used in less-demanding
applications either on-site or in other industries. For example,
mineral oil could made into a cutting fluid or recycled.

7. Training. Correct actions require decision makers to be fully

aware of their actions, nonactions and alternatives. Products,
equipment and rules change quickly and necessitate periodic
updates. Consider asking suppliers to give presentations or
arrange for industry experts to provide specific training.
Ongoing, two-way communication is a must.

8. Persistence. Last but not least, it is important to show that

efforts have been made to reduce the environmental impact of
operation and/or spills. While this might not prevent charges
from being levied if there are spills, it can reduce the likelihood
of problems and/or reduce the environmental consequences.

Consider what your company or plant site has done to address the
following:

1. Demonstrate effort and findings to reduce the likelihood of

chemical or petroleum releases.

2. Demonstrate initiatives to reduce risk and consequences of

spills.

3. Demonstrate initiatives to reduce the impact of releases and

spills.

4. Verify efforts to maintain hazard compliance.

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Making Good Environmental Choices for Lubricants

It should be easy to make improvements by taking advantage of one

or more of the options in the previous section. This provides a win-
win situation because not only can the equipment run better, but
there is less environmental impact.

There are many reasons why better products are not used. Often the
plant staff is not aware of how easy it can be to choose better
lubricants. The plant is often locked into one supplier, with limited
options from that supplier.

In some instances, the “credit” attributed to the site for use of a

green product outweighs the performance value of the lubricant in
the machinery. In this case, the perception can be that the
maintenance department is forced to use products that make
maintenance and machine condition management more difficult for a
political benefit that is given to another department. This might still
be the case for some “green” hydraulic fluids that have shorter
service lives, but in other cases, the correct “green” lube can perform
just as well or even better. If a machine part fails because of
lubrication, it is often a simple remedy to prevent it from happening
again. Making “green” product choices for the application is an added
consideration.

Alternatively, maintenance might find a superior performance green

product alternative, but have to pay two to three times more to use
the product. As an incentive, incrementally higher costs attributed to
the use of “green” product choices could come out of a separate
fund, at least for the first few years.

Recommendations

1. Know the products and equipment and use them wisely.

2. Know what you are using, and know how to track it from cradle
to grave.

3. Have financial objectives in place that actively support the use

of energy-saving green and/or cost-saving products.

4. Do not compartmentalize the decision-making process so much

that initiatives die. Let a champion go with getting support or
direction as required.

5. Talk to industry/government resources before embarking on

new project. Do not do the wrong thing for the right reasons. It
is beneficial to use existing technology and resources.

References

1. Bergstra, R. “ Green Means Go .” LubesNGreases, November

2004. p 36-42.
2. Fulton, E. “ Using Environmental Friendly Lubricants at Hydro
Stations.” Hydro Review , May 2000. p. 10-12.
3. “ Biobased Lubricant. ” EPA EPP (Environmentally Preferred
Purchasing) Update, Update 10, January 2002. http://www.epa.
gov/oppt/epp/pubs/update10.pdf
4. “Going Green.” International Water Power & Dam Construction,
August 2004.
5. Brown, K. ” The Green Way to Lubricate.” Renewable Energy
2004. p 55-57.
6. Hanna, L. and Pugh, C. “ Environmentally Safe – Green
Lubricants for Wicket Gates. ” U.S. Bureau of Reclamation,
Denver, Colorado
http://www.usbr.gov/pmts/hydraulics_lab/cpugh/mech/index.
htm

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Making Good Environmental Choices for Lubricants

Please reference this article as:

Ken Brown, Utility Service Associates, Toronto, "Making Good
Environmental Choices for Lubricants". Machinery Lubrication
Magazine. September 2005

Issue Number: 200509

Machinery Lubrication
Lubricant Selection

© 2007 • Noria Corporation • Webmaster

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