How chemical companies can use specialty lubricants to increase system reliability and achieve their sustainability goals at the same time.
Brief summary
Chemical companies are increasingly looking for new ways to help them achieve their wide-ranging objectives: To minimise downtime; to decrease energy consumption in order to meet social goals and political requirements in terms of environmental protection; to counter increasing cost pressure in the best possible way and to improve plant safety.
The use of specialty lubricants, especially in rotating equipment, for example, is a simple and often underestimated approach that companies can adopt at relatively little cost to significantly reduce their energy consumption and therefore their direct or indirect CO2 emissions.
Besides better energy efficiency, specialty lubricants offer a wide range of additional benefits, e.g. lower friction, wear, and operating temperatures, all contributing to less downtime for maintenance and relubrication as well as more reliable operation at lower component and lubricant cost.
The Klüber Energy Efficiency solution is designed to prove and quantify the reduction of energy consumption after a changeover to Klüber lubricants. When conducting a Klüber Energy Efficiency project, the Klüber specialists will determine all saving potentials of the machinery involved, measure power consumption before and after the optimisation, provide a professional analysis of the data and translate the measurement readings into tangible savings. With this approach chemical companies can realise potential savings and reduce their energy costs.
Energy efficiency: increasingly important for chemical companies
Many companies already have energy-saving projects and programmes in place to improve the energy efficiency of their facilities. Many of these approaches, however, are limited to what appears most obvious – such as replacing old machines with new, more energy-efficient ones, which involves considerable financial outlay. However, it is crucial for chemical manufacturers that the benefits of energy efficiency and the associated increased sustainability outweigh the costs invested.
The role of lubricants, which can have a large impact, is often overlooked. The smart selection of a specialty lubricant, precisely matched to the application, offers unimagined scope for energy saving. In terms of payback time, lubricants often yield much better results than cost-intensive design changes and renovations.
To summarise: Lubricants offer new ways to achieve sustainability goals, lower costs and an improved reliability of chemical plants through simple measures without major design changes.
Demonstrable efficiency improvement achieved with lubricants
Optimising the energy efficiency of production equipment through lubricants is not straightforward, and neither is its quantification, also in terms of monetary savings. In order to achieve particularly high energy efficiency, not only the lubricant but the entire system must be considered. Measures such as cleaning, changing seals and selecting the optimum viscosity grade also play a major role. A valid statement about the energy efficiency of a lubricant solution can only be made based on a before/after comparison. One indicator for improved energy efficiency is the reduction of the temperature at the application.
Strict audit regulations with ISO 50003
For more and more companies, certification of their energy and resource management plays an important role. The current version of ISO 50003 contains fundamental requirements for companies wishing to have their energy management system certified. In accordance with the standard, auditors require proof of the energy efficiency measure taken, normally backed up by measurements. For both initial certification and re-certification, companies must therefore prove that they are continuously improving their energy efficiency. For this purpose, Klüber offers a systematic approach that supports companies in achieving their goals and validating improvements.
Energy Efficiency solution from Klüber Lubrication
With Klüber Energy Efficiency, Klüber Lubrication has developed a solution that helps to systematically identify and realise the existing potential for increasing the efficiency of a plant. Klüber Energy Efficiency projects offer the advantage that demonstrable energy cost savings can be achieved with relatively little effort on the part of the customer. In each Energy Efficiency project, Klüber Lubrication develops a solution together with the customer, taking into account the specific conditions in the plant. This solution normally goes beyond mere lubricant recommendations.
A Klüber Energy Efficiency project includes the professional assessment of savings potential in the tribological systems, measurement of the energy consumption before and after the solution is intro-duced, professional analysis of the measured data and translation of the measurement results into concrete information about the financial savings achieved. Based on the analysis of the tribological system, a high-performance lubricant is selected for use after the first measurement. Then the second measurement is performed. In addition, the facility in question is analysed holistically.
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CONTACT
Bilal Al-Khanchi
Area Sales Manager – North East & Scotland
Klüber Lubrication GB Ltd
Mobile: +44 7542 027583
Email: bilal.alkhanchi@klueber.com
LinkedIn: Bilal Al Khanchi
or visit klueber.com/uk/en/products-service/services/performance-analysis/klueberenergy/
