Conditioning unit raises quality of lubrication oil
Plug-and-play unit cools and filters lubricant as it circulates, which helps to extend machine service life and cut the need for maintenance
Gothenburg, Sweden 25 August 2021: SKF’s Oil Conditioning Unit (OCU) helps to prolong bearing lifetimes by improving the performance of lubricants in service.
The plug-and-play unit cools and filters lubrication oil as it circulates. Cooling helps to improve lubricant performance, while filtration removes contaminants. Filtration levels can be selected from coarse to ultra-fine.
“All this helps to reduce bearing failures and ensure reliable operations,” says Tommi Pitkaaho, Product Manager at SKF. “It can give a five-fold extension to oil service life.”
Around half of all premature bearing failures are caused by inappropriate lubrication and contamination. Cleaning lubrication oil, and bringing it to the optimum temperature, helps to reduce the risk of failure. This leads to increased machinery uptime and service life, plus a reduction in maintenance needs and repair costs.
An added benefit is that oil does not have to be replaced so frequently, which helps to reduce consumption. In addition, this helps to reduce the cost of oil disposal.
The OCU range includes a number of options, including stainless steel models for demanding environments, and add-on sensors to allow oil condition monitoring. It can be bundled with other offerings, such as SKF’s RecondOil DST oil treatment, which filters out nanoparticles – to further enhance machine performance. This can be extended to an ‘oil as a service’ agreement.
The OCU is widely used in machinery such as gearboxes, fans and other large bearing housings. Typical applications are in heavy industries such as pulp & paper, steel and mining – in machinery from drives and pumps to conveyors and rotating kilns.
The system can be connected to existing hydraulic and lubrication reservoirs when extra oil recovery is needed. It is typically aimed at OEMs and aftermarket users whose equipment runs at an oil temperature of 10-80°C and ambient temperatures of -10 to 40°C.
For further information, please contact:
Press Relations: Nia Kihlström, +46 31-337 2897; +46 706 67 28 97; nia.kihlstrom@skf.com
SKF’s mission is to be the undisputed leader in the bearing business. We do this by offering solutions that reduce friction and CO2 emissions, whilst at the same time increasing machine uptime and performance. Our products and services around the rotating shaft, include bearings, seals, lubrication management, artificial intelligence and wireless condition monitoring. SKF is represented in more than 130 countries and has around 17,000 distributor locations worldwide. Annual sales in 2020 were SEK 74 852 million and the number of employees was 40,963. www.skf.com
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