Product Families
Open Gear Oils and Greases
Open gears are typically large, slow-speed and heavily loaded gears that use spur, helical or herringbone gear types. Due to high loads and low speeds, they require heavier and tackier compounds to cling to and protect the gears. Open gear lubes typically have solid additives for anti-wear/EP protection and are most commonly delivered to the gear surface via an intermittent automatic spray system; they may also be applied via hand, spray or sump. Open gears may have an enclosure around them, but they are generally open to the atmosphere.
For this reason, pumpability of the lubricant in cold weather and contamination from the environment are potential concerns.
The need for open gear lubricants is typically found in heavy industries such as mining, steel, cement, construction, off-shore, and sugar production, amongst others. Lubricants used in these harsh environments require a high degree of engineering to protect equipment. Castrol formulates its products in these industries to provide maximum equipment protection without the use of hazardous or environmentally sensitive materials.
Lubricant classifications and requirements
Several industry-wide specifications and standards have been developed for open gear lubricants by the AGMA and different original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
Open gearing applications, particularly those associated with ball mill and finishing mill applications, are considered some of the most difficult applications a lubricant can encounter. Generally, these types of open gears operate at low pitch line velocities and under heavy loads. More recent designs of equipment require open gearing to transmit increasingly higher loads. Because of these considerations, an open gear lubricant must possess the following characteristics and properties:
- Have high load-carrying capability to protect against friction and wear
- Be sprayable and drainable for ease of removal from roots and guards
- Have tackiness: adhesion to the gears and resistance to fling-off
- Have resistance to water and provide protection against corrosion
- Alleviate housekeeping and maintenance
Types of open gear lubricants
Open gear lubricants can be divided into several classes:
- Asphaltic type
- Semi-fluid greases
- High-viscosity synthetics
Each class has its own set of requirements and is intended to provide the correct performance for each application.
OPEN GEAR OILS
| PRODUCT | Available Viscosities @ 40°C | Available Viscosities @ 100°C | Performance Additives1 | Base Oil | Typical Viscosity Index | Upper temperature guide for normal operations2 | Description and Application |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optigear Synthetic SMR 16 | 15500 | 449 | EP/AW | Synthetic | 158 | 100°C/212°F | For boundary lubrication conditions seen in heavily loaded, low speed gears. Food grade H1 approved. |
| Molub-Alloy OG 9000 | 9000 | 360 | EP/Solids | Semi-Synthetic | - | 100°C/212°F | High performance heavy duty gear lubricant containing solid lubricants for extreme operating conditions |
| Optigear OG 4 | 16000 | 560 | EP | Semi-Synthetic | 185 | 100°C/212°F | For open gears, rolling or slide bearings and guides. Supports high loads and with high adherence properties. |
| Optigear OG 4 EP | 13000 | 550 | EP | Semi-Synthetic | 201 | 100°C/212°F | As Optigear OG 4 plus increased EP. For Type 2 open gears and heavy loaded antifriction and plain bearings. |
- 1 EP = Extreme Pressure; AW = Antiwear
- 2 Temperature for guidance purposes
Solvent-free open gear greases
Castrol’s development of its Molub-Alloy OG 936 SF Heavy was done with years of research to understand the complex nature of generating a lubricant with low friction while maintaining the high EP and anti-wear protection that is often lost in the process. This product has been used in the industry for many years and has provided customers with overall total savings in operation.
A major coal mining company was experiencing expedited wear of dragline components such as house rollers and upper and lower rails on its Bucyrus-Erie 1570-W dragline. Replacement of these components cost over $20,000 per hour in downtime. The customer was getting fewer than 70,000 hours’ life on the house rollers and upper and lower rails, leading to enormous amount of labour and downtime for replacement. Converting to Castrol Molub-Alloy OG 936 SF Heavy led to the following benefits:
- 100,000+ operating hours
- Component life increase: 43%
- Increased machine availability
- Reduced parts cost
- Reduced labour costs
New technology open gear compounds
Traditional open gear lubrication is achieved through the use of an asphaltic-type compound that contains solvent for ease of application to the gears. While these materials do provide good adhesion and film strength to the gears, they have a number of downsides including build-up on the gears and gear guards, attraction of abrasive dirt from the atmosphere, less than ideal EP and wear protection, and environmental concerns from the solvent. Castrol has developed a number of non-asphalt technologies to overcome these drawbacks, including its Castrol Molub-Alloy OG 8031 line that readily flushes away contaminants, provides exceptional wear protection, and uses no solvents. In one case study at a major cement manufacturer, Castrol Molub-Alloy OG 8031/3000-00 replaced an old-technology asphalt compound and extended gear life by 33%. In addition, it eliminated nozzle clogging problems, reduced lubricant usage by over 80%, eliminated build-up on the gears, and stopped abrasive wear from contaminants.
| BEFORE CASTROL | AFTER CASTROL | |
|---|---|---|
| LUBRICANT TYPE | Asphaltic open gear | Molub-Alloy OG 8031 open gear grease (no asphalt) |
| LUBRICANT USAGE | 17 drums/year | 3 drums/year |
| GEAR LIFE | 6 years | 8 years |
| PRODUCTION LOSS | 1,080 tons/year | None |
Additional benefits of OG 8031
- Eliminated nozzle clogging
- Stopped build-up of lube on gear teeth, roots and guards
- Prevented abrasive wear
- Dropped gear temperature by 15˚F
OPEN GEAR GREASES
| PRODUCT | THICKENER/ SOAP BASE | BASE OIL | BASE OIL VISCOSITY @40°C | NLGI GRADE | Drop Point °C | TEMPERATURE APPLICATION RANGE °C | ADDITIVES | DESCRIPTION AND APPLICATION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OPEN GEAR | ||||||||
| Molub-Alloy OG 8031/3000-00 | Inorganic | Mineral | 3000 | 00 | NA | 0 +120 | EP/AW/Solids | Heavily loaded Open Gear Grease based on high viscosity base oil gel formulated with a non-soap, inorganic thickening system used in Type 2 open gear drives |
| Molub-Alloy OG 8031/6000 | Inorganic | Mineral | 6000 | 00 | NA | 0 +120 | EP/AW/Solids | Heavily loaded Open Gear Grease based on high viscosity base oil gel formulated with a non-soap, inorganic thickening system used in Type 2 open gear drives |
| Molub-Alloy OG 936 SF Heavy | Lithium | Mineral | 2030 | 0-1 | NA | 0 +80 | Solids | Open gear grease for use in Type 1 open gear drives. Meets the specifications of major Shovel and dragline manufacturers. |
| Molub-Alloy OG 936 SF Heavy A | Lithium | Mineral | 1890 | 0-1 | NA | -10 +80 | Solids | Open gear grease for use in Type 1 open gear drives. Meets the specifications of major Shovel and dragline manufacturers. |
| Molub-Alloy OG 936 SF Light | Lithium | Mineral | 687 | 0 | NA | -20 +80 | Solids | Open gear grease for use in Type 1 open gear drives. Meets the specifications of major Shovel and dragline manufacturers. |
| Molub-Alloy OG 936 SF Super Heavy | Lithium | Mineral | 6000 | 0 | NA | Solids | Open gear grease for use in Type 1 open gear drives. Meets the specifications of major Shovel and dragline manufacturers. | |
| Molub-Alloy OG 936 WT 680 | Lithium | Mineral | 687 | 0.5 | NA | -40 +60 | Solids | Wide temperature Type 1 open gear grease |
| Molub-Alloy OG-RI Compound | Inorganic | Mineral | 1000 | 00 | NA | -10 +80 | Solids | Open Gear Running- in compound |
| Molub-Alloy OG 968 SF Heavy | Lithium | Mineral | 978 | 1 | > 180 | -10 +90 | Solids | Multi-Service Lubricant for heavy dury applications. Excellent corrosion protection including for underwater use. |