Page 50: of Marine News Magazine (June 2017)

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Advanced Greases Can Handle

Today’s Deck Equipment Challenges

By Ben Bryant, Marine Market Manager at Klüber Lubrication NA LP nchor winches, cranes, level winders and other the auto-lube system in northern climates. Synthetic base equipment exposed to the elements on the deck of oils in specialty lubricants have a greater operational tem-

A a vessel ay look good with a thick, consistent layer perature range.

of grease, but appearances can be deceiving. In fact, several 4. Stocking different lubricants for different appli- problems may be lurking below the surface of commonly cations can get complex. While some high performance used greases. For example: lubricants are designed for a narrow set of applications, 1. Premature wear can occur if the grease is not up to others perform over a wide range of conditions. A lubrica- the design loads and speed of the equipment. tion engineer can sort through the requirements of each • Today’s deck equipment is being pushed much harder application and help rationalize the lubrication inventory over a wider range of operations, resulting in higher loads while keeping an eye on your operational objectives.

on gears and bearings that are rotating faster. Advanced, 5. Material incompatibility can occur. A recent inves- high-performance grease formulations are designed to tigation of seal failures on water tight doors led to a ? nding handle today’s more demanding conditions. that the standard grease being applied softened the seals 2. Obsolete formulations can’t match the advantages causing them to tear when the WTD was operated. of new lubricants. For example: 6. Eco-friendly characteristics are required when lu- • Commonly used thick asphaltic grease will slide off bricants eventually wash out to sea. This necessitates for- the vertical face of the slewing gear on deck cranes. Al- mulations that are as good in performance in deck equip- ternatives can provide a thin layer which stays in place, ment as they are for the environment.

improving component longevity and safety on deck. Modern lubricants have been formulated to maintain 3. Improper selection of lubricants can occur in an lubrication in today’s challenging marine applications. Key automatic lubrication system. Consider these factors: to selecting a specialty lubricant is an understanding of • A softer grease used in an automatic lubrication system the operating conditions for the application such as load, often performs better than older grease types. A lubricant must speed, temperature, type of friction, materials and envi- either separate contact points with a