Understanding oil viscosity is essential.
Mining equipment has many specialized requirements due to the significant power levels at which they operate. It is expected to perform at full capacity for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Combining these factors with operations in some of the world’s harshest conditions, the role of engine oil becomes a crucial factor in the reliability and performance of mining equipment.
Working throughout these extreme conditions, lubrication is especially important to ensure the necessary equipment protection by minimizing metal-to-metal contact between moving components. This is particularly important during cold starts, which are a significant factor in contributing to engine wear.
Extended warm-up periods can adversely affect the lubricant’s viscosity and in turn, affect the protection offered to vital components.
Lubricants are limited to optimal temperature ranges and consequently, when their temperatures change and reach the “critical” zone, lubricants can become overly viscous. The consequence of this can be harmful to equipment; if improper lubrication occurs, under these stressful conditions, equipment can seize up or even fail.
With the impact of downtime being so significant in a mine, selecting the right lubricant requires careful consideration. To ensure the correct selection of lubrication, there are four key tips to consider:
Understanding oil viscosity is essential for selecting the correct lubrication for mining equipment as it dictates the oil’s ability to flow, or its internal resistance to flow. If the oil’s viscosity is too high, the oil will resist easy movement which could delay lubrication and protection of critical engine components during a cold start-up event. This could increase engine wear and affect equipment performance.
To provide solutions for these recommendations and to adhere to the highest industry standards – including North American API CK-4/ FA-4 – Petro-Canada Lubricants developed the DURON heavy-duty engine oil product line.
Successfully extending oil drain intervals and providing protection in extreme environments within a range of heavy-duty mining vehicles, DURON has a proven history of helping mining fleet operators reduce their maintenance costs.
Selecting an incorrect grade of lubricant or adding an aftermarket additive to it could result in the invalidation of warranty, increased aeration issues causing foaming, increased wear, inefficient engine operation or unnecessary downtime.
Therefore, ensuring that professional recommendations play a part in the decision-making process should be a priority for mining operations. Brian Humphrey is OEM Technical Liaison with Petro-Canada Lubricants.
To find out more about DURON, visit www.lubricants.petro-canada.com and search DURON.
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