Mobilith SHC™ 1000 Special synthetic grease helps steel company reduce bearing failures and grease consumption*

Sintering unit – Pallet wheel bearings
Steel company
Turkey

Situation
A Turkish steel company operates sintering units containing 2,560 bearings in 320 pallets. Lubricated with a conventional mineral grease in temperatures as high as 130°C (266°F), the grease in the wheel bearings was losing mechanical stability and leaking out of the bearings, while the remaining oil film was thinning at the elevated temperatures. This resulted in 789 bearing failures and 10 tons of additional grease consumption annually. In an effort to improve equipment reliability, the company approached ExxonMobil to identify a lubricant solution capable of reducing bearing failure and total grease consumption.

Recommendation
ExxonMobil engineers recommended switching to Mobilith SHC™ 1000 Special synthetic grease. Formulated with a high viscosity index synthetic base oil, Mobilith SHC™ 1000 Special provides excellent oil film thickness and adhesion in high temperatures, as well as structural stability to avoid leakage and robust water resistance.

Result
After trialing Mobilith SHC™ 1000 Special synthetic grease for six months, the company was able to extend regreasing intervals to once every 12 weeks. As a result of Mobilith SHC™ 1000 Special’s sealing properties, bearings were also kept free of dust, which helped reduce bearing failure to one failure in six months. Mobilith SHC™ 1000 Special grease helped reduce bearing failure by 83 percent and grease consumption by 92 percent, resulting in reduced downtime and significant savings