A large American company producing beer, wine, and spirits was seeking cost savings at one of their breweries. Three industrial compressors were closely examined. They wanted to reduce the number of lubrication intervals and thus downtime. The manufacturer originally recommended changing the compressor oil every 8,000 operating hours. Specialists from the manufacturer Lubrication Engineers were invited to extend the lubrication intervals to the maximum.
Trial with Multilec Industrial Oil
The trial involved two Atlas Copco screw compressors, model ZT90, and two of model ZT255. The specialists had experience with screw compressors. One of the compressors was used as a test to determine whether a significant extension of the lubrication intervals was achievable. The regular oil was replaced with Multilec Industrial Oil from Lubrication Engineers.
Specifically Designed to Extend Lubrication Intervals and Equipment Life
Multilec Industrial Oil (6803) is a heavy-duty ISO VG 68 oil specially formulated to extend lubrication intervals and the lifespan of machinery. It achieves this by combating the effects of high temperatures, water, contaminants, and heavy loads. This long-lasting, non-foaming oil offers superior resistance to heat, oxidation, and moisture, and has often been successful in maximizing uptime and reducing costs.
Friction, Heat, and Wear Significantly Reduced
An important component of Multilec oil is the exclusive wear-reducing additive Monolec. Monolec creates a single molecular lubricant film on metal surfaces, greatly increasing the strength of the oil film without affecting clearances. Monolec allows adjacent surfaces to slide smoothly past each other, significantly reducing friction, heat, and wear.
The Results
With regular lab analyses to monitor oil quality, the oil change intervals for all four air compressors were extended to eight times the manufacturer’s recommended interval of 8,000 hours. The total cost savings—oil only—amounted to $71,000 at the time of writing. The environmental impact was also reduced, with 1,035 liters less used oil. Fewer oil changes also meant less downtime, maintenance, and labor.
Reduction in Energy Consumption
In many test cases, we have documented a reduction of 5% to 20% in power consumption for customers using Multilec in various machines; the average for air compressors is 12%. Unfortunately, this brewery did not record power consumption for the compressors before switching to Multilec Industrial Oil, so it is not possible to demonstrate the energy savings for this facility. However, the previous results are compelling.