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Integrating lubrication work orders into maintenance management software will significantly enhance the reliability of thrust bearing maintenance in rotating machinery. Including all necessary steps for lubrication in work orders ensures precise and timely execution of these activities, reducing the possibility of errors and extending bearing life. Regular and proper lubrication is a key factor in maintaining the optimal functionality and reliability of thrust bearings.

In this blog, we will explore the various ways proper lubrication increases machine reliability in the process industry, why thrust bearing lubrication is important, and how to integrate lubrication work orders into maintenance management software.


### Increasing Machine Reliability Through Proper Lubrication

Proper lubrication of machines is a complex and essential aspect of machine maintenance.

Companies spend a lot annually on raw materials, spare parts, and production processes, often overlooking the multiple benefits of achieving greater machine reliability and energy savings through proper lubrication.

In numerous facilities, lubrication points on machines are not defined, although research shows that 40% of machine failures are caused by improper lubrication, such as choosing the wrong lubricant, incorrect intervals, or insufficient amounts due to lack of monitoring when the machine was last lubricated.

Often, lubrication is forgotten until a major breakdown, an expensive repair, and an even more costly production stoppage remind us years later.

Process plants consist of various equipment groups and can have up to 1,000 machines.

Each machine includes different parts that require lubrication, such as electric motors, couplings, pumps, and multipliers, meaning a single pump assembly may have 5-15 lubrication points.

If we multiply this by a hundred machines in a small production facility, we get over _1,000 lubrication points_.

Each lubrication point often requires different activities at different intervals.

For example, an oil reservoir for compressor unit lubrication requires oil replenishment every week, monthly oil sampling for lab analysis, draining every 10 days, and complete emptying and refilling with new oil once a year.

Assuming each lubrication point requires 3 to 4 activities, and we multiply it by 1,000 points, we get 4,000 activities in a single production plant that employees must complete annually to ensure proper lubrication.

In larger production facilities, the number of activities can reach up to 250,000 annually.

### How Do We Track Lubrication?

Keeping records of regular lubrication is often "stored" in the memory of employees who have been responsible for the same machines for years. However, what happens when an employee moves to another facility, retires, or leaves the company?

Valuable knowledge leaves with them.

On the other hand, new employees must invest a lot of time to learn all necessary activities and procedures, leading to numerous lubrication points being neglected or inconsistently maintained.

I have an anecdote from my own experience that illustrates this problem.
Many years ago, when I first started working as a maintenance engineer, I visited a small facility to inventory and visually inspect the equipment.

There, among other machines, I found a turbo blower with a diesel engine. On the oil sight glass of the blower, I noticed that the color of the lubricating oil had changed from light yellow to dark yellow.

After completing the inventory, I went to the control room to talk with the employees. Among other things, I asked one employee which oil they used for the turbo blower and when it was last changed.

The man replied that they used "turbo blower oil."

I thought I hadn't asked the question clearly, so I rephrased it. I asked again about the viscosity of the oil, the brand, and how they measured the amount when adding oil.

The employee replied (somewhat irritated), _"I told you, I use turbo blower oil!"_ Then he got up, opened a metal cabinet, and took out a white plastic canister labeled _"Turbo Blower Oil"_ in black marker.

So much for the accuracy of information received through verbal communication.

Larger companies rely on Excel sheets consisting of a list of equipment and numerous columns titled: lubrication point, lubricant type, lubricant quantity, lubrication interval, and last oil change date.

These tables cover basic lubrication needs but fail in practice when it comes to performing lubrication according to recorded requirements (how much, who, how, where).

Dates of completed activities are often forgotten or inaccurately recorded, filling countless cells is tedious, and the accuracy of the entered data depends on the responsible and conscientious approach of individuals in charge of tracking lubrication.

Fewer work orders are generated annually than the number of lubrication points. Systems cannot fully connect data on completed activities at each lubrication point, and often, data collected in Excel sheets are not available.

Each of these approaches to tracking proper lubrication inevitably relies on employee memory, leading to neglected lubrication at many points or outside recommended intervals, although companies still consider their lubrication program satisfactory.

There is no immediate feedback if a machine’s lubrication check is skipped today; instead, months or even years may pass before a machine failure occurs, and costly production stoppages reveal the consequences of neglected lubrication.

For example, the habit of running bearings until they fail with minimal oil changes and until the machine ends up in emergency overhaul also creates high energy loss and equipment efficiency loss costs.

Ultimately, the regularity of lubrication and timeliness of required activities becomes questionable and unreliable, depending on the engagement and memory of employees.

More advanced companies use [Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS)](http://www.metrikon.io/) to track lubrication, focusing on condition monitoring and preventive maintenance.

With the development of maintenance management computer systems, their price has decreased, so every serious company that values itself should digitally track its maintenance activities or at least be on the path to digitalizing its work processes as soon as possible.

CMMS still requires manual data entry, demanding considerable time and employee engagement for data accuracy.

Lubrication can only be tracked at the work order and machine label level, where the lubrication location, frequency, and amount of lubricant must be specified in detail.

Listing work orders for lubrication activities over the past 3-4 years provides a picture of the actual lubrication condition of machines, as it shows all relevant data.

Detailed CMMS system customization is the most expensive way to track lubrication, especially if it tracks individual lubrication points (remember those 1,000 points from the previous chapter?).

This tracking method has proven successful, but system customization is complex and costly to update as it requires maintenance staff involvement (often with programmer assistance) to keep the computer system running.

However, once established and customized, software allows repetitive activation of lubrication work orders according to predefined intervals.

### Increasing Reliability and Achieving Savings

It is now clearer that a high-quality and thoroughly customized lubrication tracking program/software provides employees with a detailed overview of all necessary lubrication data at the specific activity level and gives necessary information, ensuring machines are lubricated at the right points, at the right time, with the right amount of lubricant.

Good software automatically includes lubrication activities in work orders. Work orders appear as task lists directly for employees responsible for execution, allowing for feedback on the actual machine condition.

![Picture 1.png](https://strapi.metrikon.io/uploads/Picture_1_d16991b8b9.png)
Image: Example of a preventive work order for oil replacement in a centrifugal pump created in Metrikon software

Unfinished tasks are marked and resent each week until they are completed.

This automated lubrication tracking method saves time and generates weekly and monthly reports on lubricant consumption, equipment operation, lubrication intervals, and task frequency throughout the plant.

Task lists are arranged to form lubrication routes, covering all machines in the plant by combining lubrication criteria as needed.

Lubrication routes guide employees from one point to another, displaying all necessary information.

Week after week, employees follow the routes, performing scheduled lubrication activities. Instead of marking whether the entire work order is completed or not, only completed tasks on the list are marked.

This enables more reliable lubrication tracking by all key criteria on a daily basis.

Tracking the condition at each lubrication point directly calculates lubricant costs, machine operation costs, and energy and economic savings from preventing breakdowns. Corrective maintenance decreases, and plant reliability increases.

Properly tailored lubrication also reduces human error, improves work efficiency, and saves up to 20% of energy.

### Basics of Thrust Bearing Lubrication

**Thrust bearing with adjustable segments** is a type of plain bearing designed to carry high axial loads generated by shaft rotation with minimal power losses, easy installation, and, at least theoretically, easy maintenance.

Shaft diameters for rotating machines using thrust bearings range from 20 mm to over 1,000 mm.

The maximum load they can handle depends on the design, ranging from 500 kg to 500 tons.

There are two types with different bearing geometries.

The first type of thrust bearing **lacks a balance disk** and is used in gearboxes and other assemblies requiring perpendicularity between the shaft axis and bearing face.

The second type of bearing **has a balance disk** and is typically mounted on the non-working side of multistage centrifugal pumps or compressors.

The thrust bearing we are discussing today typically consists of an even number of axial, self-aligning segments arranged in a circular pattern.

The thrust ring supports leveling segments paired with thrust segments. On the left side of Figure 1, a dismantled thrust bearing is shown, and on the right, we see a thrust bearing in assembly mounted in a bearing housing.

![Group 156 (1).png](https://strapi.metrikon.io/uploads/Group_156_1_c63ec6d178.png)
Figure 1: Dismantled thrust bearing and assembled bearing in a housing ([Source](https://www.kingsbury.com/))

Segment self-adjustment based on load action creates a self-sustaining hydrodynamic oil film. The bearing typically has a clearance of 0.355 mm to 0.5 mm relative to the disk, with oil injected between the bearing and disk.

Injected oil forms a wedge shape, 20–25 μm thick, withstanding pressures up to 35 bar. Manufacturers select bearing sizes that, under normal operating conditions, are lubricated with oil capable of withstanding loads up to 17 bar.

Thrust bearings with self-aligning segments are recommended to maintain acceptable vibration levels at various speeds and loads in rotating machinery, unlike lemon-shaped pad bearings, which create oil whirl.

Lemon-shaped pad bearings cannot stabilize vibrations if the load acts at an angle to the bearing’s central axis, as the oil film stiffness in that area is insufficient to help reduce unstable operation caused by increasing vibrations.

The thrust bearing with self-aligning segments is superior to other bearing types as it provides increased contact area, with each segment adapting individually to the shaft orbit at a given moment.

This bearing type also effectively prevents oil whirl, as reduced clearance between segments due to position adjustment forces excess oil out. Mechanical losses during operation depend on oil flow and the operating temperature if it exceeds the allowable 17°C.

Different manufacturers offer thrust segments made from various materials.

Segments made from polymer materials can withstand temperatures up to 120°C higher than white metal, which is limited to 240°C.

The change in thrust segment position during operation affects the segment’s operating temperature.

Centrally located leveling segments at moderate rotation speeds do not affect load-bearing capacity. Non-centrally positioned leveling segments can reduce surface temperatures of thrust segments, increasing load capacity during machine operation.

### How Does Thrust Bearing Lubrication Work?

**There are two lubrication methods for bearings.** The first method involves filling the bearing housing completely with oil, in which the bearing is submerged. This is applied to bearings operating at lower rotation speeds.

The second method involves forced or direct oil flow directed onto the thrust surfaces, where the oil then freely drains back into the housing.

This method is applied to bearings operating at high speeds and will be examined in detail as it is more complex and provides certain advantages.

**Direct lubrication** operates in a closed system comprising a reservoir, auxiliary oil pump, filter, heat exchanger, pipelines, and associated fittings.

Lubricating oil for the thrust bearing is pumped from the reservoir through a filter and a heat exchanger. The oil passes through a measuring orifice that controls or restricts flow and maintains oil pressure, at least in the range of 0.7 to 1.0 bar to prevent leaks.

If the assembly design includes a shaft inlet and outlet in the bearing housing, rubber seals will be mounted in those areas.

In Figure 2, a thrust bearing is mounted on a shaft rotating at a specific speed. Lubrication of the thrust bearing in the bearing housing occurs as the oil first enters through the outer flange of the base ring (1), then flows through radial grooves on the back of the base ring (2), and passes through the clearance between the base ring bore and the shaft (3).

![Picture 1.png](https://strapi.metrikon.io/uploads/Picture_1_98b0df2892.png)
Figure 2: Thrust bearing lubrication method ([Source](https://www.kingsbury.com/))

The oil then flows through the inner bore of the thrust disk (4), enters the segments (5), and, due to centrifugal force generated by shaft rotation, is expelled around the disk perimeter (6). Finally, the oil drains tangentially from the disk toward the outside, i.e., it flows into the lower part of the housing (7). Forced lubrication reduces bearing temperature, cooling it by dissipating heat.

Thrust bearings that can be lubricated by both methods may have identical dimensions and similarly sized thrust segments. In direct lubrication, the oil pressure ranges from 1.4 to 2 bar (sometimes up to 2.5 bar, depending on design and purpose).

Oil flow speed through passages should not exceed 3 m/s to ensure sufficient pressure. The housing must have a sufficient volume to hold the required oil amount, preventing excessive oil drainage at the disk's edge.

A closed lubrication system requires adequate external cooling, hence the installation of a tubular heat exchanger. The quality of lubricating oil is critical for a long bearing life.

Solid particles and dirt can damage the bearing surfaces and contaminate the oil, altering its lubricating properties. Therefore, the lubrication system includes a filter with an appropriate mesh that should be cleaned or replaced when the differential pressure on the gauge increases.

Choosing oil with the right [viscosity](https://strojarskaradionica.wordpress.com/2019/08/22/povecanje-pouzdanosti-stroja-primjenom-pravilnog-podmazivanja/) is crucial for each thrust bearing, and manufacturer recommendations should be followed. Using lower [viscosity oil](https://strojarskaradionica.wordpress.com/2019/10/24/kako-promjena-temperature-utjece-na-mazivo/) may create a dangerously thin oil film, while higher viscosity oil will unnecessarily create a thicker oil film, increasing power losses.

Before starting the machine, the auxiliary lubrication system must be activated, allowing oil to flow through the thrust bearing. During the first startup, after general maintenance, or after prolonged machine downtime, monitor bearing temperatures for possible anomalies.

Bearing temperatures can vary with rotation speed and ambient temperature. When normal seasonal temperatures are present, the control circuits monitoring temperature values can be adjusted accordingly.

Typically, the over-temperature alarm is set 8°C above normal operating temperature. The high-level over-temperature protection is usually set 14°C above the highest normal operating temperature or according to equipment manufacturer instructions.

The maximum operating temperature of the bearing should be limited to 130°C, with oil flowing tangentially in the direction of disk rotation.

### How Does an Integrated Lubrication Work Order Improve Reliability?

An integrated lubrication work order entered into [maintenance management software](http://www.metrikon.io/) significantly enhances reliability in several key ways:

1. **Automation and scheduling:** The software enables automated scheduling of lubrication work orders, ensuring that all necessary tasks are performed on time. Regular and timely lubrication prevents failures and reduces the risk of unplanned downtime.

2. **Tracking and recording:** Integrated software enables tracking and recording of all lubrication-related activities, including recording dates, materials used, and actions performed, allowing for detailed analysis and monitoring of maintenance effectiveness.

3. **Standardization of work procedures:** The software can define standardized procedures and protocols for lubrication. These standards ensure task consistency, reducing the chance of human error and ensuring optimal maintenance performance.

4. **Preventive maintenance:** Maintenance management software includes digital tools for predictive and preventive maintenance. By analyzing data on equipment use and condition, the software can identify potential issues before they occur, allowing for preventive measures such as timely lubrication.

5. **Improving communication:** Integrated systems facilitate communication between different departments within the organization. All relevant lubrication and maintenance data is available in real-time, facilitating coordination and collaboration among personnel responsible for machine management, maintenance, and servicing.

6. **Data analysis and reporting:** The software enables detailed analysis of lubrication and maintenance data, providing insights to help optimize processes. Regular reports allow management to make informed decisions on maintenance strategies and resource allocation.

Thus, integrating lubrication work orders in [maintenance management software](https://www.metrikon.io/hr) becomes a crucial element in achieving high equipment reliability, reducing maintenance costs, and increasing the organization's overall productivity.

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Group 156 (1).png

Maintenance software with lubrication work order integration increases equipment efficiency and reliability.

Wartungssoftware mit Integration von Schmieraufträgen erhöht die Effizienz und Zuverlässigkeit von Anlagen.

Integration von Arbeitsaufträgen: Der Weg zu effizienterer Wartung

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Work Order Integration: The Path to More Efficient Maintenance

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Work Order Integration: The Path to More Efficient Maintenance

Katarina Knafelj Jakovac

November 12, 2024

Metrikon