BSA and Kluber help plant improve bulk grease dispensing methods

Situation

A global producer of wood pellets, a product that is used as a fuel in industrial ovens and power generating equipment, made the decision to transition their Texas plant from 400-pound grease drums to larger capacity tote (2200 pound) containers. The grease was previously pumped from 400-pound drums by a Lincoln 50:1 ratio PowerMaster® pump to the second floor that supplies the grease to multiple Lincoln Auto-Lube systems.

The customer’s goal with this project was to reduce human involvement, minimize safety issues, and create a sustainable grease storage and dispensing solution.

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Options/Recommendations

The lubricant supplier, KLUBER©, worked with the Texas plant to provide the grease lubricant in an EZ-BULK® tote (2200 lbs.). The lubricant/tote is delivered to the plant ready for use in a recyclable and biodegradable container. Overall, this new method decreased the time and effort required by the plant in handling the KLUBER grease.

Secondly, the customer considered the “best practice” method to pump from the tote to the auto-lube systems. The plant and KLUBER representative compared the technical benefits of using a vertical mount pump (couples directly to the tote) to a horizontal mounted pump. Finally, the plant chose to move forward with the vertical mounted Lincoln PowerMaster® pump due to the ease of changing from tote to tote, minimizing contamination issues, the pumps proven reliability, less human involvement, and creating a cleaner and more organized storage and pumping area.

Implementation

Bill Spitzer and Associates coordinated with the local KLUBER© representative and the plant to install the vertical mount pump along with commissioning the tote. The system kit consisted of a Lincoln PowerMaster® pump, a 3” NPT Lincoln standpipe assembly, 3” suction hose with Camlock© fittings to quick couple to the tote, along with mounting brackets to secure the pump.  The entire installation process required approximately ½ day of two Bill Spitzer and Associates technician’s time to install and commission the system.

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 Customer Savings/Value Proposition

The customer is benefitting with this process change both in time and effort required. The grease changeover process went from a daily event to once every five days.  With less human interaction required in the process, there are fewer cross-contamination issues, has helped with increasing the safety of plant personnel, and has eliminated the cost of drum disposal. Finally, this sustainable solution positively impacts the environment and benefits the plant’s community.

BSA Grout Pumping Package

For many years our sales team has been asked while assisting on grout pours, “why can we not pump the material?” The answer was - embarrassingly - simple: “we don’t have a pump!” Well, now we do.

Over the past 3 years our team has made a large investment in pumping technology. In those 3 years, our team has pumped hundreds of pieces of equipment in some of the largest petrochemical and refining facilities in Texas, alongside some of the biggest names in the mid-stream sector. The focus of our company has not changed: we offer solutions to help with quality, efficiency, and reliability with the best service in our market, and our pump package fits right in line with that.

Our package includes an enclosed trailer, grout pumps, generators, pressure washer, all other miscellaneous materials needed for pumping (hose, clamps, etc), and one service technician to instruct pump operation.

Typically, we will show up a day or more in advance to evaluate the current state of the job site, layout the pumping plan, and get all equipment in place. In addition to our technician, our grout representative will be on-site as well to ensure everything goes according to plan.

The benefits of pumping are widespread and significant, for both contractors and end-users:

• Reduction in labor needs

  • Financial Savings

  • Less Reliance on specific personnel or crews

• More organized, efficient, and simple

  • No (or less) need for headboxes, scaffolding, wheelbarrows, buckets, etc

• Added flexibility

  • Pump and mixer can be placed further away from equipment if necessary

• Significant safety improvements

  • Less bodies moving up, down, and around job-site and equipment (or scaffolding)

• Cleaner job-site

  • Significantly less cleanup of concrete, base, and equipment during and after job

When paired with our Chockfast HF, the end result is unparalleled in the market. Competitors will cut aggregate in their grouts to achieve flowability that still pales in comparison to Chockfast HF. This creates disastrous outcomes as working time is compromised and costly voids are left under the equipment.

Check out our videos below. Please contact us at 713-937-8977 for more information or any questions.

HTC-5000 For Quick Cure Concrete Foundations

Back Story

BSA recently consulted with a major midstream client to provide a concrete foundation solution that would reliably accelerate the installation and commissioning of six critical vertical pumps.

Situation

This midstream company was adding capacity to their Houston ship channel terminal. They were challenged with a timeline to have six large vertical pumps installed within a few weeks; however, the concrete foundations had yet to be poured. The process to install these vertical pumps would require 28 days of concrete cure time to accept epoxy grout, as per API standards. This 28 day industry standard safeguard ensures minimal moisture content in the concrete allowing for a strong bond between the concrete foundation - epoxy grout - and vertical pump sole plate.  This 28-day delay was unacceptable to project management.

Recommendation and Advantages

Bill Spitzer and Associates recommended their HTC-5000 high strength concrete. This concrete is specially formulated to be acceptable for epoxy grout from 3 to 5 days and creating a minimum 4-6,000 compressive strength quality within 3-5 days. The HTC-5000 typically exceeds 10,000 psi in compressive strength qualities after 28 days per the ASTM C-39 requirement.

Value Proposition

This midstream company was able to speed up the installation of the vertical pumps by at least 28 days allowing the project to be completed on-time.

Contact Ray Dolan or Tony Aiken at Bill Spitzer and Associates, 713-937-8977 for more information.

Basetek Poxybases for ANSI/ASME Pump Bases

To compliment our line of Epoxy Grout products and services Bill Spitzer & Associates has recently brought on Basetek Bases into our wide range of solutions for keeping rotating equipment level.

Basetek Pump Bases are designed for ANSI/ASME pump combinations. They are made of a polymer composite called Zanite Plus, which replaces traditional materials such as iron, aluminum, and steel used in the manufacturing of many pump bases.

Using Basetek guarantees you an unmatched surfaced flatness compared to conventional steel designs and common vinyl ester concrete materials. Zanite Plus provides significant vibration damping, greater thermal stability, more resistance to twisting and diaphragming, and superior corrosion resistance. It is easier and less costly to install, plus requires no maintenance.

The big picture here is your equipment lasts longer and operates more efficiently for a healthier bottom line.

Oil Mist - Alemite EM Cabinet

Simple – Cost effective Solutions

Oil Mist lubrication has been in use since the 1930’s and has been historically seen as a low cost variant to the typical centralized liquid oil lubrication approach to lubricate bearings. The primary method of distribution for oil mist is simply compressed air or nitrogen delivering the lubricant to the equipment; thereby eliminating the need for expensive pumping mechanisms and metering devices.

Technology has driven many improvements in the operation, performance, and reliability of our lubricated equipment – that same technology has equally had an impact on the design of commercially available Oil Mist Lubrication Systems. Although continuous feedback of every operating condition within the given system may seem advantageous, it can often over shadow the beauty of oil mist lubrication. And that is the simplicity of Oil Mist - reduced installation and maintenance efforts, while delivering a continuous supply of fresh oil to the bearings at a very low cost.

Bill Spitzer & Associates and Alemite both recognize that there are applications where a more simple and proven path in the design of the Oil Mist System makes more sense economically and functionally. That system is our new EM cabinet.

This new design of EM cabinet has been developed primarily to get back to the basics of what you need to know about the operating status of your oil mist system. The system has alarm conditions for the oil heater, air heater, low oil level and air pressure. Those four conditions are the most important to monitor regularly while making oil mist. Although having additional forms of measurement can be nice, these non-critical conditions are rarely verified and can cause frequent nuisance alarms which are a problem for operators. Our EM cabinets are comparable to what was developed in the 1950’s and can still be found working in facilities today. By re-creating these cabinets we are getting rid of the idea that you have to spend thousands of dollars every 7-15 years to replace oil mist cabinets made “obsolete” by the newest marketing gimmicks.

The EM cabinet offers the end user a simple, cost effective and compact unit to reliably supply lubricant to your rolling element bearings - using the same technology that the Petrochemical industry adopted decades ago. Bill Spitzer & Associates has over 30 years of experience in the design, installation and maintenance of Centralized Oil Mist Lubrication Systems.

See our brochure: Alemite EM Oil Mist Console

Lincoln Lubricating Pinion Lubricator

The Lubricating Pinion shows how the grease exits only through the tooth that is meshed with the mating gear. In this case it is the tooth in the 12 o’clock position. As each tooth rotates through the 12 o’clock position, only then will they receive grease.

This unique design applies grease to the meshing teeth only and keeps excessive grease from accumulating in other areas.

In the picture above, the tooth that is at the 9 o’clock position was initially in the 12 o’clock position and is NOT receiving grease. The Lubricating Pinion was rotated counterclockwise slowly. 

During this application the Lubricating Pinion was connected to a grease gun to supply the grease. The grease is exiting the 4 slots in each tooth as it rotates into the 12 o’clock position.

The internal porting keeps grease from exiting the teeth until they rotate into position.

Sizing a Lubricating Pinion Greaser to your gears

The above picture shows two different size Lubricating pinions resting on a 24” diameter gear. In order to spec a Lubricating Pinion, the Module and Width of the mating gear must be known. If the Module can’t be found, use the pitch diameter and # of teeth to calculate it.

Module: This may be on the gear fabrication drawing, but most likely it will have to be calculated from the pitch diameter and number of teeth.

Module = pitch dia / # of teeth

Pitch Diameter:  This dimension is on most gear fabrication drawings.

Number of total teeth on mating gear: Simply the total number of teeth around the circumference of the gear.

Width of mating gear: Try to match the width of the gear with the ‘Height’ dimension of the pinion lubricator (dimension ‘H’ in the service page). Be careful of using a pinion lubricator that is wider than the mating gear, grease overflow could occur.

Perma Star Vario

In many cases, centralized and progressive style lubrication systems take precedent in the majority of our customer’s automated lubrication system demands. With that said, single point lubrication remains a common practice in many applications we encounter on a daily basis. The ease of installation, combined with the lack of need for additional wiring or extensive plumbing, makes single point lubrication a great option for remote or minimal lubricant consumption applications.

The Perma Star Vario mounts directly to the lubricant inlet, or using Perma’s optional bracket, and requires a minimal run of hose or tubing.

Perma Star Vario's Features and Benefits:

• Reusable electromechanical drive utilizing 4.5V serviceable battery pack
• 1,2,3-12 month discharge rates as well as a purge function to clear blockages
• Discharge rates can be modified at any time
• LCD display & LED visual indicators, remote quick function control allows for ease of trouble shooting unit errors
• Unit operating pressures of 6 bar

The Perma Star Vario, as well as many of the other Perma products, utilizes prefilled customer specified lubricant cartridges.

The 60, 120, and 250 cm3 replacement lubricant cartridges come standard with a new battery pack. These cartridges operate using the same electromechanical head unit.

Please contact us with any questions regarding your potential need for single point lubrication.

Grouting Preparation and Installation

Our experience has taught that the preparation of the grout site as well as the grouting personnel, prior to the actual placement of the grout, is a critical step in the installation process. As seen in these pictures, our sales team worked closely with the installation contractor weeks prior to the pour, to facilitate the best possible outcome. Pre-grout meetings, properly designed head-boxes and grout forms, and correctly placed expansion joints, allowed for an effective and efficient installation. By following our recommendations, the installation time was significantly reduced - saving valuable labor and downtime costs.

For years our greatest value to the customer has been to provide a superior epoxy grout product, help to develop current and effective grouting procedures and specifications, and to provide field assistance to achieve maximum results. Let us assist you with your next project.

BSA Compressor Cylinder & Packing Lube Systems

Over the years we have always referred to Compressor Lubrication as our “bread and butter.” We specialize in the design and fabrication of custom packages, as well as service and installs of systems in the field. Our goal is to provide exceptional value with our quality of work and attention to detail. Every project is approached with a level of understanding and experience that will exceed our clients’ expectations and ensure success.

When it comes to design we take pride in saying that we have tried and seen it all. Having this experience makes it easy for us to customize packages to our clients needs.  We can make these systems as simple or as complex as needed. We provide field representation with a level of service that is to be expected when purchasing an engineered package of this caliber. Each package is provided with general arrangement drawings, bill of materials and operations manuals - enhancing the owner’s ability to easily operate, monitor, maintain and trouble-shoot the lubrication systems.

With Lincoln Industrial in our corner we can guarantee that the primary system components have been engineered, built and tested with the upmost of care. Lincoln has been in this market for over 100 years and understands the importance of reliability when it comes to Reciprocating Compressor lubrication.

We have worked this industry at an OEM level as well as with the end users. We understand what is needed from both ends and can assist in making any decisions as it pertains to the lube systems. Please feel free to call our office to setup a design meeting or a field walk-through of an existing compressor.

Making The Switch: Lincoln's New 24VDC FlowMaster 2 Grease Pump For Packing Lube On Frac Trailers

After years of reliable service as the heart of Lincoln’s Packing Lube System for Frac Trailers, the hydraulicly driven FlowMaster is making the switch to electric!

In today’s market hydraulic circuits are getting tighter and becoming less reliable as a power source for our pump, so this could not have come at a better time.

The beauty of this pump is we no longer have to rely on the Frac Trailers Hydraulics. We now have a standalone system that solely relies on 24 VDC power. On top of that, this pump is a workhorse!

With crankcase improvements and a newly designed pump tube, performance and reliability have increased tenfold.

We are still running these systems off of stroke count and feeding our SL-V Injectors.

This particular client shown is running a triplex pump for Acidizing, Cement & Stimulation. They have been running in the field for 4 months now and our new FlowMaster 2 Packing Lube System hasn’t skipped a stroke!

Houston MetroRail Realizes Benefit of Wayside Lubrication

Shortly after Houston completed the new metro rail project through the medical center and the outskirts of downtown, a slight controversy ensued.  Because of space limitations, fitting a functional rail in a small area created very tight radius curves within the rail system.  115 pound rail with tight radiuses create wear on steel wheels and track, but most importantly create a very high decibel squeal. When a barrage of noise complaints, especially from the medical center, began surfacing, Houston MetroRail had to find a suitable remedy in order to still move people without creating a nuisance.

Lincoln Industrial had recently introduced a new railroad wayside division with a full line of wayside lubrication products.  While Lincoln offered a system readily available for 115 lb. track, the system was solely for ballast track with an 800 lb reservoir.  Metro had very limited ballast track with the majority of the rail embedded in concrete.  Bill Spitzer and Associates and Lincoln Industrial began engineering a way to use current lubrication methods that would function with embedded track.

The first obstacle was to build a reservoir that would house Lincoln’s 24 volt Flowmaster high pressure pump along with batteries and controls, fit between the north and south railway and store enough lubricant for infrequent filling.  An aesthetically appealing, vandal and pest proof, stainless steel enclosure within close tolerances was fabricated to fit between the existing rail. The 24 volt system utilizes a 200 watt solar panel mounted on galvanized poles in order to continuously charge a bank of two 12 volt high duty cycle batteries.  Within the reservoir is a control panel that is capable of counting axles that pass a wheel sensor and engages the internal pump on a timed basis.

The second and most challenging problem was to incorporate the Lincoln lubrication bar in embedded concrete.  Because the bar uses Lincoln’s divider valve technology which spreads even amounts of lubricant over a larger portion of the rail, we had to find a way to excavate concrete, install the bar, and commission between train schedules.

The result was the industry’s first well-designed wayside lubricator for small embedded rail in a metropolitan rail system. As new rail has been constructed, Bill Spitzer and Associates and Lincoln have provided a total of 30 lubricators that are presently eliminating noise and protecting rail and train wheels for an expanding rail system in Houston, Texas.

SKF CircOil Lubrication System

Safety Critical SKF CircOil Lubrication System for Critical, Hot Running, and Problematic Process Fans and Pumps

Main Features:

• (2) 460V, 60 Hz, 31 liter/minute Vertical Mount Gear Pump units
• (2) 1 – 12 bar adjustable Pressure Regulating Valves
• Oversized 400 liter Carbon Steel reservoir, allowing efficient convective and radiant heat transfer
• Low Level Switch
• Duplex 10 micron Oil Filter
• Pressure Gauge
• Reservoir Desiccant Air Breather
• Oil Level Sight Gauge with Temperature Gauge
• Shell and Tube water cooled Heat Exchanger – 15,000 BTU/Hour @ 20 F approach
• Water Modulating Valve
• All electrical components suitable for Class 1, Group C & D, Div 2

Lincoln P653S Way Lube System For Horizontal Planer Mill

Being one of the largest Lincoln distributors of automated grease and oil systems gives us the opportunity to work on several different applications. Each one is different from the next and presents it owns challenges.

This particular system was installed over the weekend by our service technicians at a machine shop west of Houston.

This Horizontal Planer Mill has a manufacturer-installed way lube system that has not worked in years. The operator has been forced to utilize a squirt bottle of oil throughout the day just to keep his machine running.

We came in and installed this Lincoln Centro-Matic P653S Oil System, which is actually one of the first for Lincoln. The P653S pump has been a huge seller for Lincoln on the grease side due to its fully integrated and rugged design. The demand for a version for oil was there and it is finally available.

This pump is feeding twelve Lincoln SL-32 Injectors, which fire a metered amount of oil to the ways upon reaching pressure from the pump.

The client currently has this system setup to go off once every 30 minutes and we will assist in monitoring the performance over the next couple of weeks.

This system can be utilized on several different applications in just about any industry. Contact us today to discuss your application and possible solutions for your lubrication problems!

IFH Fluid Handling Carts

IFH is the industry leader in aiding maintenance professionals with effectively managing their lubricating and industrial fluid needs. IFH offers more than 100 standard models of Fluid Handling Cart. Of course, these Fluid Handling Carts are fully customizable and offer a nearly endless array of configurations to give the operator the tools at hand needed to accomplish the job efficiently and cleanly. This saves money and more importantly the resource most critical to a demanding work environment…TIME.

Managing your industrial fluids are made easier as each container is equipped with liquid level gauges and gallonage strips – taking the guess work out of inventory control.

Benefits of your IFH Fluid Handling Cart:

• Fluid Handling Cart containers hold 15, 30, 65 gallons or more
• Storage space on all fluid handling carts for cans, rags, grease guns and wrenches
• Eliminate multiple trips by handling much more with a single trip
• No spills – each fluid handling cart base is one big drip pan!
• Every fluid handling cart has its own pump (hand, electric or air operated)
• Rugged construction with high load bearing wheels, for maneuverability and tight turning radius
• Options for filtering, metering devices, hose reels, storage and much more

Contact your Bill Spitzer & Associates Sales Professional today and start improving the efficiency of your operations.

Lincoln Centro-Matic Packing Lube System For Trailer Mounted Frac Pump

Years back, Bill Spitzer & Associates and Lincoln took a step back to revisit packing lubrication on trailer mounted Frac Pumps. This particular application is tough due to the violent nature the systems are subject to, and the high level of importance of a properly lubricated plunger. We spent several months in the field with different Frac crews to get a better feel of what this market has evolved into. When it came time to design a new system we focused on three key aspects: rugged, reliable, and efficient. The pictures show where we are today with our current design.

The System

1) Lincoln Centro-Matic 60 lb. pump station with 24 VDC hydraulic driven pump

Pump selection was key in this application. We knew in order to withstand the violent nature of a frac job we had to use a pump that had been proven in the harshest environments. Lincoln’s FlowMaster pump has been utilized in the mining industry for over 10 years with great success. There are several different versions of a FlowMaster pump. We chose to use the hydraulic driven version to keep it simple and reliable. Our hydraulic requirements call for 300 psi and 2 gpm. This pump station is sitting on a 60 lb. sealed reservoir, which has increased average refill from once every four hours to once every 5-7 days.

2)  Lincoln SLV Injectors

Our pump station is feeding a bank of Lincoln SL-V Injectors (three for a triplex pump or five for a quintuplex pump). These are not to be confused with our Lincoln SSV divider valves, which were traditionally used in this application. The injectors serve as  measuring valves that distribute measured amounts of lubricant to the each packing point simultaneously. The output is adjustable, but we have seen great results with setting them at half output (.04 cubic inches per cycle per point). By delivering smaller shots more often we ensure a strong film strength is kept on the plunger and no lubricant is wasted. At a yard where we have outfitted their entire fleet of quintuplex pumps we have not seen an injector fail in the year and half of pump time.

3)  Lincoln Orsco 24 VDC Pump Stroke Count Controller

The stand alone control system was also designed based around the rugged requirements. Our programmable controls are sealed tightly in a NEMA 4X box. On the exterior you will find a power on light, system pumping light, system fault light and manual lube button. Feeding this box is a proximity switch that is picking up a signal off of a spilt collar mag pickup and counting pump strokes. If available we like to utilize the rotary union on the power end that turns during pump time (one revolution equals one stroke of the pump.) The controller comes preprogrammed at 120 strokes, but can be adjusted if more or less lubricant is required.

By utilizing Lincoln’s FlowMaster pump and SL-V Injectors we were able to meet the rugged and reliable aspects this application calls for. By counting strokes we have not only increased lube consumption, but packing life as well making this system an efficient solution to packing lubrication problems. By using this system some customers have seen an increase in packing life from an average of 60 hours to an average of 400 hours over the course of a year. They have also seen a dramatic decrease in time spent refilling and maintaining lube systems. Please feel free to contact our office with any questions or to discuss the system in more detail. We look forward to hearing from you.

Written by: Steven Logan