Understanding Industrial Greases

Lubrication Engineers, Inc. (LE) is a leading developer and manufacturer of industrial greases. This blog is an overview of our eBook, which delves into the types, characteristics, functionality and applications of industrial greases.

Understanding Industrial Greases

Proper lubrication of equipment is essential for efficient and cost-effective industrial operations. Industrial grease is a semi-solid lubricant consisting of base fluid, thickener and additives. The base fluid and additives are often considered the most important parts of industrial grease formulations because they affect the grease’s lubricating characteristics. The thickener holds the base oil and additives in place in applications where fluid lubricant would run right out.

Functionality of Grease

Grease provides lubrication between moving, contacting surfaces without leaking or losing lubricity under the force of centrifugal action, gravity or pressure. It acts as a sealant to keep out contaminants and foreign substances, minimize lubricant leakage, and prevent corrosion. When there is a desire to include solid lubricants, such as very heavily loaded applications, the thickened grease keeps them in suspension whereas they could settle out of a fluid lubricant before reaching the lubricated contact. Grease’s rigidity allows for easier containment than oil, with simpler, less expensive retention devices.

Choosing the Right Grease

Industrial greases are often recommended for specific applications through an evaluation of various physical and chemical characteristics. Some of the important characteristics include:

• Thickener: Soap-thickened greases are by far the most used. Different soaps can provide specific benefits in thickening efficiency, shear stability and compatibility with additives, base fluids and other greases they might be mixed with.
• Base Fluid: Grease often contains one or several base fluids mixed in a ratio to adjust the base fluid to a desired viscosity.
• Additives: Ingredients are added to grease to impart additional performance properties, such as extreme pressure, anti-wear, corrosion resistance, oxidation resistance, and tackiness. LE developed proprietary additives for exclusive use in its lubricants.

All grease ingredients, properly dispersed, affect the following characteristics:

• Pumpability: A measure of how easily it is pushed into a mechanical device.
• Consistency: Ability to resist deformation due to an applied force.
• Water resistance: Determines how susceptible its properties are to change when exposed to water.
• Oxidation stability: Grease’s ability to resist reacting with oxygen. Oxidation typically causes sludge or lacquer-like deposits in equipment, which can slow operation and increase friction and wear.
• Dropping point: Indicates a grease’s heat resistance.
• Low-temperature effects: Typically, the base oil’s pour point provides a guideline for the low-temperature limit of most industrial greases.

High-temperature effects: Because grease is semi-solid, it cannot dissipate heat by convection like fluid lubricants. High temperatures can damage the thickener structure of the grease, allowing it to soften and possibly flow out of the application.

Lubrication Engineers works with companies all over the world to create customized lubrication reliability programs using top-of-the-line grease formulations. Offering a full line of high-performance industrial greases, LE provides proven lubrication solutions for many industries. To learn more about industrial greases and their common applications, please download our eBook: Understanding Industrial Greases

A Sustainable Approach to Industrial Lubrication

Lubrication Engineers, Inc. (LE) presents a compelling argument for the integration of sustainability principles within the industrial lubrication landscape. This blog is an overview of our eBook, which delves into LE’s commitment to the environmental pillar of sustainability, showcasing how our products, services and corporate practices contribute to a more ecologically responsible future.

LE’s Enduring Commitment to Sustainability

Since 1951, LE has demonstrated a steadfast dedication to sustainability, which is manifest in several key areas:

• Product Innovation: LE prioritizes the development of long-lasting, environmentally friendly lubricants. These formulations are specifically engineered to minimize energy consumption and waste generation while protecting equipment. 
• Production and Operations: In 2009, LE adopted a transformative approach to production processes by implementing a condition-based maintenance program. This shift treats lubricants as assets, not consumables, and has resulted in the significant reduction of gearbox oil consumption and maintenance hours. 
• Employee Satisfaction: The transition to reliability programs not only benefits the environment, but also prioritizes employee safety and well-being. LE invests in comprehensive training and advanced tools like Xtract® filter carts, Xport® Single Point Lubricators and Xclude® desiccant breathers. 

Empowering Customers for Sustainable Practices

LE recognizes that true sustainability requires a collaborative effort. We actively support our customers’ sustainability goals through a multipronged approach:

• Customer Education & Training: LE offers comprehensive training classes like MLT I and CLS. This training equips customers with the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed lubrication choices that align with environmental responsibility.
• Customer Engagement: LE fosters strong partnerships with their customers, providing onsite recommendations, education and ongoing support. This collaborative approach allows LE to work closely with customers to understand their specific equipment and lubrication needs.
• Reduced Waste: LE’s commitment to waste reduction is evident in our extended service interval lubricants and oil analysis programs, which minimize unnecessary lubricant changes and disposal. Additionally, LE provides specialized tools for lubricant contamination removal, further extending lubricant lifespan and minimizing waste generation.

Tangible Benefits of LE’s Sustainability Approach

LE’s unwavering commitment to sustainability translates into a multitude of tangible benefits for both the environment and our customers:

• Energy Savings
• Reduced Waste
• Reduced Downtime
• Environmental Compliance

Our dedication to sustainability extends far beyond simply offering environmentally friendly products. We champion a holistic approach that minimizes environmental impact while maximizing customer benefits. To learn more about our sustainability solutions, please download our eBook: Green for All: Sustainable Solutions from Lubrication Engineers.

High-Temperature Grease Guide

High-temperature grease is a lubricant applied to equipment operating at high heat levels. Such greases can resist degradation in the presence of hot temperatures and heavy loads while providing ideal lubrication, enhanced wear resistance and performance, and increased uptime and longevity for machinery components like bushings and bearings. Choosing the right grease for a project requires knowledge of working temperature conditions, the chemistry of thickeners and additives, grease compatibility and degradation, and relubrication needs.

High-Temperature Grease Explained

The concept of “high-temperature operations” does not refer to one universal maximum temperature. For example, steel mill bearings must operate in continuous temperatures as high as 149° C (300° F), while drying ovens for curing surface coatings operate at approximately 204° C (400° F), and they both fall under the category of high-temperature applications.

High-temperature greases are made up of a balance of base fluids, thickeners and additives. Their price per pound typically goes up in correlation to a specific grease’s operational temperature range. It’s the lubricant’s composition that dictates the ideal operating temperature, viscosity, stability and related properties.

High-temperature operating environments and hot equipment will cause any grease, including high-temperature grease, to degrade over time due to thermal stress. Oxidative failure, another concern when grease is exposed to air, is exaggerated as temperature increases. Machinery requires lubrication periodically to ensure optimal performance.

While trying to select a high-temperature grease leaves much to consider, there are multiple selection criteria used to help identify the right base fluid to achieve the needed performance characteristics, as well as the necessary composition of thickener and additives to maintain stability and balance in a high-temp grease mixture.

Selecting a High-Temperature Grease

To effectively choose the right high-temperature grease, ask the following:

• What is the ambient temperature of the environment where the equipment being lubricated is operating? Is it possible to measure the temperature of the component being lubricated?
• If the maximum operating temperature is known for the equipment, is it continuous or intermittent?
• During the equipment’s operational and non-operational intervals, is it exposed to heating and cooling cycles?
• Will the chosen grease be appropriate for the speed and load capacity of the equipment?
• Are there atmospheric contaminants in the equipment’s operating environment that could be incompatible with certain grease types?
• What base fluid type and viscosity are best for the equipment?
• What thickener type would be best considering the temperatures and base fluid type selected?
• What additives and additive characteristics are best to enable optimal grease performance?
• What are the appropriate lubrication intervals for the machinery and does that fit with the processes it is performing?

High-Temperature Grease Compatibility

It’s vital to determine the compatibility of a high-temperature grease mixture before grease selection to ensure ideal performance and maintain the proper chemical balance. It is easier to evaluate compatibility before exposing the grease to high temperatures and only then discover the grease in service is incompatible with the one considered for replacement. Often, relubrication intervals can be used to address compatibility problems by flushing the original product until the incompatibility issue is resolved.

Additionally, grease compatibility can be determined by doing the following:

• Review the compatibility chart. Each type of grease usually has an accompanying compatibility chart to help determine the proper thickener to use.
• Run grease compatibility testing. Prepare mixtures of the current grease with the replacement at 10:90, 50:50, and 90:10 ratios. Raise the temperature of the grease mixtures to those thermal conditions expected in the operating application for a specific interval. Afterward, test for modifications to four-ball wear performance, penetration stability, and any other noticeable abnormalities.
• Check the compatibility properties.  Grease can be mixed to determine compatibility by evaluating whether it becomes a softer consistency, heat resistance is reduced and it melts more easily, and additive performance still provides good equipment protection.

High-Temperature Grease from Lubrication Engineers

High-temperature grease is critical for effectively lubricating equipment operating under high-temperature conditions. Choosing the best grease for the specific application will help optimize machinery performance and prevent failure of bearings, bushings, gears, slides, and more.

Since 1951, Lubrication Engineers, Inc. has formulated and manufactured an extensive, versatile product line of high-performance industrial greases, including high-temperature and extreme-pressure varieties designed to outperform standard options. To suit industries worldwide from automotive to food and beverage, LE  offers industrial greases in various NLGI grades,  with a variety of thickener types, and proprietary additives.

To learn more about our various product offerings and the best choice for your unique high-heat application, contact us today.