Page 47: of Marine News Magazine (March 2020)

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LUBRICANTS sliding friction than mineral oils or PAOs. or chemicals and whether the element is operating under

The speed of the mechanical element will impact the pressure (deep sea) or in a vacuum (gyro stabilizers) must viscosity of the base oil chosen as well as the NLGI grade of be considered.

a grease. The faster the speed, the lower the viscosity and/ or NLGI that should be selected. CONCLUSION

The choice of lubricant will be affected by the operat- Understanding that the choice of lubricant chemistry ing temperature. The base oil chosen can improve perfor- and formulations can have a substantial impact on the mance at high temperatures, low temperatures and chang- performance of your vessel operation is the first step ing temperatures. Additives can improve the oxidative toward an optimal lubrication program. A lubrication performance of the base oil. The thickener system may engineer can assess the tribological conditions of each have a big impact on the performance. application and make recommendations that balance

Load will determine the viscosity and whether anti-wear the price of the lubricant with the return on invest- or extreme pressure additives are required. ment derived from reduced lubrication usage, lower

Finally, operating environments including ambient labor costs, extended lubrication intervals, safety and temperature, moisture, contaminates, exposure to vapors asset life extension. 47 www.marinelink.com MN