Lubezine Magazine Vol. 4 Lubezine Magazine Vol. 4 | Page 29

ADVERTISER’S FEATURE GULF EN ERGY SUGARPRESS B R The ultimate solution in sugar mill lubrication I n a sugar mill, lubrication of the mill bearings has over years been a major source of headache to many maintenance engineers. This is clearly so because of the operating By Richard environment, the Mugambi Richard mugambi very high loads on the mill bearings and the is a lubricants engineer working very low speeds that with Gulf Energy. the mills rotate. Lubrication of these bearings demands a product that is dispensed from a lube pump at various intervals in order to ensure reduced friction which further ensures the operating temperatures are below 50 degrees c for protection of the fragile brass material that make up these bearings. Since the lubricant is not collected in a sump like in most other applications for reuse, there is the requirement to minimize on volume consumed to avoid waste and the environmental challenges that come with disposal of used oil. Balance between reducing friction, operating at minimal temperatures and reduced lubricant use, are the factors that a mill engineer has to contend with. Most of the products available in the market have not been able to satisfactorily offer this solution. SUGARPRESS BR has been specially developed with this challenge in perspective. The product has very high viscosity of 20,000 cst @ 40 degrees celcius to ensure proper lube film is formed between the shaft and mill journals to reduce wear on the brass journals while carrying the very high mill loads. In addition, its high adhesion capability makes it possible to stick on the shaft while rotating at the very low speeds. July-September 2012 | Lubezine Magazine Top: Sugar press pump system in a mill lubrication. Left: Gulf Energy Sugarpress BR lubricant This means little amounts of the product are used to keep the bearing cool and lubricated thereby reducing on the product consumption. SUGARPRESS BR is biodegradable making it valuable to organizations that are environment conscious. To ensure rationalization of inventory, the product has the added benefit of being multi-functional. In addition to lubrication of the mill bearings, it fits well in lubricating crown pinions, bull gears and crystallizer wheels among other areas. SUGARPRESS BR is the additional spanner in a maintenance engineer’s toolbox when it comes to trimming the maintenance cost especially from a lubrication point of view. . 27