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Mining
Eliminating the cause of early bearing failure by ensuring reliable, regular lubrication.
Potential annual customer saving US$167,000.
Customer: Barrick
Country: Peru
Application: Open Cast Mining – Bearings
Saving: US$167,000 Potential annual customer saving
Key edge: Shell Stamina Grease, Shell Tactic EMV, Shell LubeAdvisor and Shell LubeCoach
The Lagunas Norte mine is an open-pit, crush, valley-fill heap leach operation run by Barrick in Peru. It is now one of the few gold mines in the world with the capability to produce over one million ounces per year.
Lagunas Norte wanted to reduce operational costs and plant stoppages by increasing the life of bearings.
Premature wear caused by irregular re-greasing was causing the critical application to become unreliable. After assessing bearing size and speed, Shell recommended the automated re-greasing system Shell Tactic EMV, pre-filled with Shell Stamina EP 2 grease, to achieve the best results.
| 1) The Challenge: | 2) The Solution: |
| Prior to consultation, the customer was using Shell Alvania Grease EP 2 through a process of manual lubrication. The manual re-greasing schedule was not always completed and this, along with contamination of dirt, dust and water, was causing the production belt bearings to wear. Potential unscheduled stoppages (lasting at least three hours) due to belt bearing failures were threatening the flow of production with a value subsequent loss in gold production. | After thoroughly assessing the situation using the
Shell LubeAdvisor service, the recommended
solution was the installation of Shell Tactic EMV – an
automated grease dispensing unit – pre-filled with
Shell Stamina EP 2, and staff training using the
Shell LubeCoach service. Shell Tactic EMV lubricating
units were installed at two critical production points to
supply precise, reliable and regular grease to the
machine. Temperature and vibration levels were
monitored to assess the performance of the new
grease and dispensing system. |
| 3) The Outcome: | 4) The Value: |
After implementing the recommended solution, the customer experienced:
|
By identifying the customer’s need for re-greasing
support and a premium grease to perform well in a
high contamination environment, Shell was able to
recommend an ideal solution that catered for both
these predicaments. An outstanding potential production annual saving of
US$167,417 was recognised by the customer as a
result of this solution. |
‘Shell Lubricants’ refers to the various Shell companies engaged in the lubricants business.
