Product category:
Lubrication - lubricants and lubrication systems
News Release from: Chevron Products Company | Subject: Lubricants
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 02 January 2007
Desiccant breathers solve contamination
problems
For the maintenance staff at Saint-Gobain's Seattle plant, it is an ongoing challenge to control lubricant and equipment contamination caused by the operating environment.
Saint-Gobain Containers is a leading producer of glass packaging for the food and beverage industries, serving the North American market from 16 plants and two service centres The company's Seattle-based plant manufactures glass containers for a variety of premium beverages, including Robert Mondavi, Columbia Crest and Kendall-Jackson wines, Lipton Tea and Jones Soda
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 21 Jul 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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For the maintenance staff at Saint-Gobain's Seattle plant, it is an ongoing challenge to control lubricant and equipment contamination caused by the operating environment.
The process of melting raw materials to make glass generates fine dust particles in the atmosphere, and Seattle's humid climate produces excessive moisture.
Prior to mid-2004, as protection for its hydraulic systems, the plant was using standard breather caps that were unable to prevent moisture or contaminants smaller than 20 microns.
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As a result, there were regular hydraulic failures and consequently, high repair costs.
Lubricant storage tanks utilised simple u-turn piping as vents, which were equally ineffective.
In addition, the plant experienced frequent humidity issues in the chemical tanks that housed its glass-coating compound.
These created costly coating failures, necessitating extensive cleanup and discarding of defective bottles.
In June 2004, Chevron Products Company's North America Lubrication Business Manager Ken Harle surveyed the plant and analysed oil samples from various storage tanks.
He discovered abundant lubricant contamination from particulates, as well as the presence of rust inside many of the standard breather caps on the hydraulic reservoirs.
Harle recommended the installation of Isoclean Desiccant Breathers, a component of Chevron's unique Isoclean Solutions.
He worked with Trigg Minnick of Des-Case Corporation, manufacturer of the Desiccant Breathers, to install them on Saint-Gobain's hydraulic reservoirs and storage tanks.
Since using Isoclean Desiccant Breathers, the Saint-Gobain plant has achieved significantly diminished contamination, resulting in far fewer equipment failures and a decrease in associated expenditures.
Joe Marich, the plant's manager of machine repair, says he is very happy with the results.
"Chevron did a good job of educating us about the high risks of contamination in our operating environment, and helped us solve major problems and save a lot of money," said Marich.
"For instance, we've reduced the frequent moisture contamination in our glass-coating compound storage tanks, which was costing us thousands of dollars each time it occurred.
The breathers we previously used cost four times as much as Isoclean Desiccant Breathers and were not doing their job effectively." Marich noted that Isoclean Desiccant Breathers have also successfully prevented water from collecting at the bottom of his storage tanks and have eliminated moisture damage in hydraulic systems.
"We have 50 percent fewer hydraulic failures with a corresponding reduction in repair costs for cylinders and seals, and I believe we'll see further improvements over time," he said.
"Even premium lubricants need to be safeguarded from contaminants that can shorten lubricant life, accelerate system wear, reduce efficiency, increase operating costs and cause significant downtime," said Harle.
"By providing value-added solutions to Saint-Gobain Containers in the form of Isoclean Desiccant Breathers, Chevron provided a complete product and services package that successfully solved the plant's problems." Saint-Gobain Containers' Seattle plant utilises a range of premium Chevron lubricants, including Texaco Texglass MV, Chevron 1000 Tractor Hydraulic Fluid, Chevron GST Oils and Chevron Delo 400 SAE 30W heavy-duty engine oil.
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