Implementing Sustainable Lubrication Improvements Darryl Gray Matthew Grant
Starting Point- Turning This into This
Overview Background on Xstrata/EHM Starting Point Lubrication Process Improvement Benefits to EHM
Xstrata plc A major global diversified mining group Headquartered in Switzerland Listed on London & Zurich Stock Exchanges Top 20 in FTSE 100; S&P Europe 350 Index Market capitalisation approx US$45 billion Employs 43,000+ people worldwide
Ernest Henry Mining Located in NW Queensland, approx. 40km north of Cloncurry Copper/gold operation Employs over 580 people Began commercial production in 1998
Ernest Henry Mining Open pit operation- final dimensions 1.3km x 1.3km x 570m deep Produces 11 million tonnes of ore per annum Seeking to extend operations past the scheduled completion of open cut in 2010
EHM Concentrator Processes 11 million tpa of ore Produces approx. 115,000 tonnes of copper and 120,000oz of gold annually Single-line plant Employs around 90 people
EHM Concentrator Major Equipment Gyratory crusher Conveyor System SAG Mill Ball Mill Vertical Grinding Mill Flotation Circuit (rougher and 3-stage cleaning process) Concentrate and Tailings Thickeners Pressure Filter
Starting Point Lubrication-related failures common (30-40 hours per year @ $2000/minute) SAG Mill Gearbox replaced/overhauled on average every 12-16 months (cost around $500K plus up to 5 days downtime) Contamination levels (particles and water) off the scale Inappropriate lubrication management practices
LPIT Process Lubrication Process Improvement Teams (LPIT) were formed across Xstrata NQ in 2004 Driven by central maintenance department with assistance from lubrication consultant Involvement from reliability engineers and lubrication technicians
LPIT Process Overview 1. Document the AS IS 2. Plan & Consolidate 3. Employ Resources 4. Manage and Review 5. Optimise and Re-Plan
1- Document AS IS
Lubrication Audit- 2004 Following areas were identified as requiring significant improvement: 1. Lubricant Application 2. Lubricant Storage and Handling 3. Contamination Exclusion and Removal 4. Structure, Support and Education of Staff (including sampling practices)
Lubrication Application- Use of (old) single-point Auto- Grease Lubricators
Lubrication Handling- Poor Handling of 1000L Pods
Lubrication Handling- Poor Handling of 1000L Pods
Lubrication Handling- Poor Filter Storage
Lubrication Handling- Poor Housekeeping
Lubrication Handling- Dispensing Facility/Use of 205L Drums
Lubrication Handling- Waste Oil
Contamination Management- Incorrect Breathers
Contamination Management- Water Ingress As a further example of contamination management- during the audit, the Ball Mill Fixed Bearing oil circuit was contaminated with water, reaching levels of 27,000ppm and emulsifying
Contamination Management- Poor Mill Seals
Oil Sampling- Incorrect Sample Points/Techniques
Education, Structure and Support of Staff No full-time lubrication technician or reliability staff Use of three different labs for oil sample analysis No written lubrication standards No lubrication training
2- Plan and Consolidate
Set Standards- Cleanliness Targets Cleanliness Target for Gearboxes 19/17/14 (ISO:4406-1999) Cleanliness Target for Hydraulics 18/15/12 (ISO:4406-1999)
Set Standards- Contamination Control Portable kidney loop filters available to achieve the ISO targets on compartments Permanent kidney loop filters on all bulk lube tanks Water and Particle Contamination eliminating breathers fitted to all dispensing tanks, pods and drums. Oil dispensing manifolds fitted with (5µm Absolute Filters at Dispensing - Minimum) Inlet and outlet filters fitted to bulk lube installations (pods and tanks)
Set Standards- Oil Sampling and Analysis Oil sampling and analysis on all critical equipment with lube compartments Test criteria defined for each compartment type Live sample points fitted to all fixed and mobile lube compartments All people involved in taking oil samples trained Key maintenance people to complete oil analysis and interpretation training
Measure and Compare with Targets Specifications Before (14/08/04) Present (6/10/04) Target Shell Omala F460 VG 493 484 460 ISO Cleanliness >28/#/# 23/18/15 17/15/12 Particle Size Distrib. (%) (<10um) 84 96 80 (10-20um) 12 3 20 (>20um) 4 1 0 No. Particles of (>4um) 1,900,000 60,000 970 Est. Life Extension 1 2.5-3.0 5.0-6.0 Water (Crackle or FTIR) <0.1 <0.1 Below Saturation Filtration (Nominal) 20um 20um On Target <20um Offline Filtration Trolley No No Yes Machine Proactive Servicing - Seals, ect No Start The Norm!
Lube Process Improvement Team Team Leader- Darryl Gray EHM Concentrator Maintenance Team Support from Maintenance and Central Engineering (Glen Croft) External Specialist Support (Wayne Dearness)
Training and Personnel Support All maintenance personnel to undertake 2- day lubrication and contamination management course All supervisory and management personnel to undertake 1-day lubrication course Key staff to undertake oil analysis and interpretation course RCM RCA
3- Employ Resources
Employ Resources- People Full-time Reliability Officer Full-time Lubrication Technician
Alfa Laval Centrifugal Filter
Alfa Laval Centrifugal Filter
Alfa Laval Centrifugal Filter
Alfa Laval Centrifugal Filter
Alfa Laval Centrifugal Filter
Alfa Laval Centrifugal Filter
Portable Kidney Loop Filtration Trolleys
Mill improvements- Kidney Loop Filters
SAG and Ball mills oil cooler (58 0 C to 45 0 C)
SAG and Ball Mills heat exchangers
Desiccant Breathers- First Trial
Desiccant Breathers- Second Trial
New Breathers
New Breathers/Fill Points
Mill Improvements- New System
1000L Pods
Lube storage shed
Lube storage shed
Lube pumps
Lube pump
Dispensing valves
Oil Storage Tanks
New Sample Points
Cost- Setup Filter systems fitted to all lube systems and gearboxes Alfa Laval centrifugal filter $120,000 $52,000 Lube storage facility $50,000 Oil storage tanks $127,000 Wear particle counter $5,000 Total $354,000
Cost- Ongoing Lubrication Technician Reliability Officer Running Costs (Filters, Breathers etc) Training Total $120,000 $120,000 $16,000 $10,000 $272,000
4- Manage and Review
Contamination Control- Alfa Laval SAG FLT 1-8-04 SAG FLT 12-1-05 CRUSHER 30-9-04 SAG FLT
Contamination Control- Alfa Laval
Contamination Control- Water 17-7-04 Sag Fixed 1-2-05 17-7-04 Sag FLT 1-2-05 18-12-04 Ball Fixed 1-2-05 11-7-04 Ball FLT 1-2-05
Contamination Control- Water
Quantifying Impact- Early Days CONCENTRATE FILTER HYDRAULIC POWER UNIT OIL TYPE Shell Tellus 68 DATE 17/12/2004 21/12/2004 31/12/2004 6/01/2005 12/01/2005 20//01/05 29/01/2005 > 4 um Count 33396 19304 1541 37802 4727 7908 911 > 6 um Count 14502 7255 316 10737 1270 670 186 > 14 um Count 230 160 23 1107 140 13 13 Water Content ppm 130 85 169 122 144 115 78 ISO - 4406 22\21\15 21\20\15 18\15\12 22\21\17 19\17\14 20\17\11 17\15\12 Particle Size Analysis 40000 35000 30000 25000 20000 15000 10000 5000 0 17/12/2004 21/12/2004 31/12/2004 6/01/2005 12/01/2005 20//01/05 29/01/2005 > 4 um Count > 6 um Count > 14 um Count Water Content ppm Filtering Buggy installed 17/12/2004 Filtering Buggy reinstalled 6/01/2005 Filtering Buggy removed 31/12/2004 100ltrs of oil added 20/01/2005
Quantifying Impact- Early Days Ball Mill Floating Bearing E332LU008 Trend count PPM 40000 35000 30000 25000 20000 15000 10000 5000 0 20 Jan 05 31 Jan 05 25 Mar 05 22 Jun 05 7 Jul 05 14 Jul 05 20-jul-05 4 micron 6 micron 14 Micron Water
Quantifying Impact- SAG Mill Floating Bearing
Quantifying Impact- Ball Mill Fixed Bearing
Quantifying Impact- Vertical Grinding Mill
Quantifying Impact- Larox Filter
Finishing Point
Quantifying Impact- Contamination (SAG Mill Floating Bearing) Sample Date ISO Codes Particles/mL (>4µm) Particles/mL (>6µm) Particles/mL (>14µm) 30/10/04 24/20/19 122,880 7,680 3,840 31/8/06 18/16/12 2,396 484 28 Contamination Removed: >4µm: 98.1% >6µm: 93.7% Equivalent to 59kg/day of particles >14µm: 99.3% Estimated Life Extension: 526%
Quantifying Impact- Downtime 2004-40 hours lubrication-related downtime 2005-30 hours lubrication-related downtime 2006-3 hours lubrication-related downtime 2007-118 minutes lubrication-related downtime Estimated saving: $3.2million in 2006
Quantifying Impact- Mill Gearboxes Each gearbox replaced only once since 2004 (for upgrade purposes rather than failure) Currently 18 months in service with no indication that replacement/overhaul will be necessary in the near future. Expectation is to at least triple life, possibly extend to 5-6 years. Estimated saving- $300-400k pa
Quantifying Impact- Oil Consumption Since 2005, lubricant and sealant consumption has decreased by approx. 18%. Saving- approx. $40k in 2007 Achieved through fewer changes of oilbased on condition rather than time, use of oil storage tanks for mills
Return on Investment Expenditure on improvements since 2005: Setup: $354,000 On-going: $624,000 Total: $978,000 Savings since 2005: Downtime: $6,500,000 Gearboxes: $1,000,000 Consumables: $65,000 Total $7,565,000 Return on Investment: 780%
5- Optimise and Re-Plan
Future Plans Senior Reliability Engineer- Sept 07 Maintenance Engineer- Jan 08 New Portable Kidney Loop Filter New Alfa Laval Contamination Control Improvements Improved KPI Reporting Review/Formalisation of Lubrication Standards
Conclusion Lubrication improvements, in order to be sustainable, involve significant work and financial commitment The benefits outweigh the costs by a significant margin
Questions