Global demand for energy is expected to increase by more than 35% by 2040 as compared to levels in 2010 – states ExxonMobil’s Energy Outlook Report 2040.

ExxonMobil shares its perspective on how improvement in efficiency of machinery and equipment can help mitigate the effects of rising energy demand in the industrial sector

August 05, 2015, New Delhi, India – ExxonMobil Lubricants Private Limited, a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation shared a perspective on effective lubrication practices and the need for guidelines on industrial lubrication in India’.  Every year ExxonMobil produces an ‘Outlook for Energy’ report – ‘The Outlook for Energy: A View to 2040’, which provides a window to the future of the world’s energy needs. The Outlook for Energy is used to guide strategies and investments at ExxonMobil. One of the key findings of this report is the essential role that energy efficiency will play in the future to help solve energy challenges.

Companies in the industrial sector are increasingly looking at new technologies to reduce their energy usage. One opportunity for energy conservation that is often overlooked in industrial facilities is the technology behind the lubricant used. Lubricants are often considered as a negligible contributor towards the annual profitability of the plant. This is because of lack of appropriate awareness and quantification methods that capture benefits associated with the proper usage of a lubricant. ExxonMobil defines Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) as an effective way to consolidate key benefits. The concept attempts to cover the complete set of cost components from ‘Purchase to Disposal’. TCO comprises capital expenses incurred in acquiring and installing the equipment as well as operating expenses including operating cost, maintenance and repair, downtime cost, energy cost, environment cost, routine and overtime labor, training and disposal cost etc. High performance lubricants with significant energy efficiency benefits have the ability to achieve potential savings in energy, operation and maintenance costs in Indian industry.

According to Dan Kellen, Global Industrial Product Technology Manager, ExxonMobil Fuels, Lubricants and Specialities Marketing Company, “The science of tribology is growing and will become increasingly important in the future because of constantly increasing demands of improved efficiency from the industry. The lubricants of the future have to be more environmentally adapted with a higher level of performance, and lower total life cycle cost (LCC) than commonly used lubricants today. Looking to the future, the trend is toward lubricants and base oils with even higher purity, lower volatility and longer life.”

ExxonMobil continuously analyzes trends that will impact the industrial landscape and also evaluates lubricant technologies and services that will be needed in the future. Our relationship with equipment builders has given us the kind of inputs required specifically for investing in R&D to introduce new products with new technologies. In turn, we have made sure that our mutual customers’, i.e. our customers and our equipment builder customers are benefitted from this.

Mr Glen Sharkowicz, Asia Pacific Industrial Lubricants Marketing Manager, ExxonMobil Fuels & Lubricants said, “Using energy efficient lubricants will enable manufacturing facilities to operate at maximum efficiency at optimal cost. Whether for gearboxes, engines or hydraulic systems, energy efficient lubricants are available, and with upto 6% efficiency improvement having been proven in some applications, they can be a  very smart investment .Improving energy efficiency by utilizing energy efficient lubricants has helped ExxonMobil customers reduce carbon footprint, increase productivity and reduce overall operating costs.”

Along with high performance lubricants implementation of sound lubrication practices including preventative maintenance and monitoring programs are key to help extract peak performance and maximum value. Effective lubrication practices play a valuable role in improving equipment performance, and therefore overall equipment effectiveness. To minimize the risk of unplanned events and to help improve equipment performance, it is important to develop and implement a robust, solutions-oriented lubrication program for operations, which utilizes a combination of high quality products and appropriate technical services to better protect and monitor any industrial equipment.

According to Mr. Shankar Karnik, General Manager Industrial, ExxonMobil Lubricants Pvt Ltd., Mr. Shankar Karnik, “Validated data of real-time case studies establishes that energy efficient lubricants can help in achieving productivity improvement in various industries. Thus, we feel that there is a need in the industry for guidelines to support energy audit. This will be a step forward in the right direction for the lubricant industry in India.”

Whether a manufacturing company specialises in producing nuts and bolts, complex gear sets or high precision valves, keeping its equipment running efficiently is the key to profitability. Lubrication plays an integral role in reducing friction between critical rotating or moving machine tool components, which can translate into equipment durability and availability.

To help ensure that the machine tool runs smoothly, it is important to choose a combination of high-quality lubricants – slideway oils, water soluble cutting fluids and neat cutting oils.

Slideway Oils
Poorly formulated slideway oils may not separate readily from aqueous coolants. This can result in the formation of ‘tramp oil’ which can compromise the effectiveness of the coolant by shortening its effective life and adversely altering cutting performance. Tramp oil can also lead to bacterial growth resulting in foul odour, short service life and potential health and safety concerns.

To identify high performance slideway oil, maintenance professionals should seek out products with the following performance characteristics:

• Outstanding frictional properties – which enable increased machine accuracy and reduced chatter and stick-slip
• Exceptional coolant separability – which enhances the performance and life of water based metal working fluids

One product that meets these requirements is the Mobil Vactra Oil Numbered Series of slideway oils, which have a proven track record in service.

Water Soluble Cutting Fluids
To optimise productivity it is very important to choose technology-leading aqueous coolants. The highest performing coolants can provide reduced maintenance requirements by resisting biological attack which helps to extend batch life. Ease of maintenance needs to be balanced with good machining performance as well as protecting the machine tools and work pieces from corrosion and sticky deposits. In addition, the fluids should meet the latest Health and Safety regulations and be easy to monitor and maintain in service. Collectively, these properties will help deliver long service life, excellent cutting performance and reduced maintenance downtime.

The new Mobilcut series from ExxonMobil, comprising milky emulsions, high performance micro-emulsions and a fully synthetic grinding fluid, are cutting fluids designed to offer long service life, good operator acceptability and easy waste management. The high performance, long life semi-synthetic cutting fluids in particular have been designed to meet the wide variety of applications and operations found in medium to small sized machine shops where flexibility, inventory management and machine downtime are of paramount importance.

Neat Cutting Oils
Neat or straight cutting oils are used in applications which are beyond the typical performance profile of aqueous coolants, such as tapping and threading of high alloy steels. Properly formulated products can improve machining in high speed automated machining centres through outstanding cutting performance, reduced tool wear and enhanced surface finish. Maintenance professionals should seek products that:

• Are light coloured to allow clear visibility of the workpiece
• Have low misting characteristics to help workplace safety and product usage
• Are chlorine free to support environmental concerns, while balancing with a high degree of lubricity and machining performance

Specially designed to meet the increasing demands of today’s sophisticated machining centres, tooling trends and health and safety regulations, the Mobilmet series of cutting oils and the new series of Mobilgrind grinding oils from ExxonMobil have been developed for applications where excellent surface finish, high precision machining and improved productivity are the primary objectives.

Maximising Productivity
As well as utilising high quality metal working fluids, manufacturing companies should also incorporate an oil and equipment monitoring programme in order to maximise productivity. Oil analysis is a series of tests that help determine the condition of internal parts and in-service lubricants. With this information the useful lives of both equipment and oil can be extended by identifying early warning signs such as contamination and wear, which can help minimise unscheduled maintenance.

For maintenance professionals that want to implement an effective oil analysis programme that can save both time and money, ExxonMobil offers its proprietary online Signum Oil Analysis programme. With a few keystrokes, users can manage all their oil analysis needs including:

• Updating equipment registrations and selecting analysis options based on their equipment or maintenance needs
• Tracking the status of samples at the lab
• Directing actions based on analysis results and requesting sample kits
• Sharing critical results with colleagues in a secure, password protected environment

By following the suggestions provided above, businesses can help enhance overall efficiency and maximise productivity.

By Shankar Karnik, Asia Pacific Mobil SHC Brand Manager, ExxonMobil Lubricants Pvt. Limited