Mobil Centaur XHP™ 461 helps iron & steel mill overcome rigorous conditions to improve operational efficiency, generating an annual savings of USD $3,650

Situation

Rough mill bearings are working under very difficult conditions because of exposure to excessive amounts of water, in addition to high loads and temperature. In periodic maintenance, observations noted the current lithium complex soap grease was no longer existing on the roll necks due to high water exposure. The site decided to replace the grease with another lithium complex soap grease including solid lubricants. However, the conversion to lithium-complex with solid additives caused consumption to dramatically increase.

Recommendation

After discussions between ExxonMobil Engineers and the company’s Mechanical Engineering team, it was decided to use the next-generation Mobil Centaur XHP™ 461 grease, which has unique water resistance and high load bearing capacity.

Result

After switching to Mobil Centaur XHP™ 461 grease and a feed rate reduction study was completed, a customer was able to reduce consumption in a Rough Mill stand from 1280 kg to 307 kg — a 76% reduction in grease consumption. Based upon customer costs, this accounted for $3,650 in annual cost savings on grease in 1 mill stand. After trial mill stand was fully disassembled, Mobil Centaur XHP™ 461 grease was still in place despite high H₂0.

*This success story is based on the experience of a single customer. Actual results can vary depending upon the type of equipment used and its maintenance, operating conditions and environment, and any prior lubricant used.