Page 18 - Industrial Technology EXTRA - 10th August 2020

1. Conduct overall system check: Inspect the
equipment from a lubrication perspective for any
signs of contamination or oil leaks. If it is a large
lubricating system, consider taking an oil sample for
analysis before restarting, in case any corrective
action is required.

2. Remove any rust preventatives from equipment:
Use a suitable solvent.

3. Remove any water from bottom of oil reservoirs:
If a system has been left to stand, free water may
have separated from the oil and settled at the 9. Drain and replace engine oil: For those engines
bottom of systems. Open the lowest drain valve that have been idle for some time, drain the oil and
point to remove any free water. Wipe all accessible replace with fresh. Change the oil filter(s). Start
surfaces clean. Remove any bacterial growth. operations under low load and bring slowly up to
normal operating temperature.
4. Drain and fill with fresh oil if necessary: When
draining the oil prior to a refill, always check that 10. Ensure thorough documentation and take
any dead areas in the system have also drained. representative oil samples: All actions taken during
Before re-commissioning, check oil is at normal start-up should be recorded in maintenance
levels. manuals. After operating equipment for several
hours, take a good representative oil sample. Send
5. Check seals and access covers: Any areas for it to a specialist used oil analysis laboratory, such as
potential ingress such as seals, dipsticks, and Mobil ServSM Lubricant Analysis, to confirm the
access covers should be checked for contamination. condition of the oil, system and contaminants.

6. Monitor equipment leaks: Pay particular Place your trust in expert support
attention to seals which may have been The choices being made today, and in the weeks to
compromised after being left static for an extended come, will have an enduring impact on business
period. performance. This places significant pressure on
7. Only use heaters when oil is circulating: If a internal decision makers in the face of
system operates with heaters, in start-up they unprecedented challenges. Collaboration can be the
should only be turned on when the oil is already key to finding practical solutions fast, allowing
circulating. This ensures that static oil is not operators to re-start their businesses efficiently.
exposed to high localised temperature. ExxonMobil’s Field Engineering team is highly
skilled in working with manufacturing operations –
8. Purge grease lubricated bearings with fresh both onsite and virtually – to develop tailored Mobil
grease: Before re-commissioning, bearings should lubrication solutions that offer peace-of-mind at
be re-filled with fresh grease and then allowed to every stage of production.
purge by removing grease nipples or purge plugs. www.global.mobil.com

August 2020 • INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY EXTRA! • p18