There isn't another job like a job in lubrication. It's the most exciting and dynamic intersection of science and industry. And new graduates couldn't give a toss. Why?
Because as an industry, we kinda suck at marketing. Not just products and solutions, but our industry as a whole as a great place to work.
I graduated in 2009 with an Aerospace Engineering degree. Faced with a global recession I ended up in the oil & gas game working as a Drilling Engineer. It was fast-paced, hard work, rewarding and required alot of skill to work in some really challenging environments. It was the intersection of project management, engineering design, mechanical engineering, fluid dynamics, geology and chemistry. I couldn't have asked for a better career - and among the oil and gas jobs it was among the most coveted.
But now having spent 8 years in the lubricants industry, Drilling seems positively boring.
We get to live out our own version of Mike Rowe's "Dirty Jobs", every day. One day you're working at a mine site, the next a dairy, then off to a theme park, recycling facility, wind farm, nuclear power plant, followed by a track day.
For any engineer straight out of university - bright-eyed and wanting to solve the world's problems - there's genuinely no better place to cut your teeth.
If only they knew it...
49 - 7
Looking for some feedback here from the brains trust that is the YouTube lubrication community.
I'm looking to run a 1-day mining lubrication fundamentals workshop. I'd lean heavily into greases, understanding greases, grease analysis and regreasing strategies (which the ICML courses don't cover so much). Plus gear oils, engine oils, hydraulic oils and contamination control will feature heavily too.
Beyond that, do you think there is anything else essential you would want to see as part of a single-day workshop? Or even an expanded 2-day version?
28 - 4
As long as the PM is done though right?
It feels like maybe a quarter of sites I go to are "doing" oil analysis, but in the most superficial way possible. It's being done as a compliance exercise only, and in no way informing maintenance or reliability activity.
At that point you've really got two choices - stop doing oil analysis altogether, and save yourself the cost of sample bottles and the time taken to sample oil, or upgrade to something more meaningful that can improve the performance and reliability of your assets.
I know which pill I'd take.
32 - 1
“But a few hundred ppm of water is nothing!!”
Even residual quantities of water 💧 are causing your assets ⚙️ to fail.
I see plenty of sub-par storage conditions in my travels, and there’s a prevailing opinion that water entering oil via the environment (rain, humidity, wash downs) aren’t significant enough to cause issues.
In which case I usually ask them whether they would consider drinking from one of their oil dispensing containers?
If you wouldn’t put residual oils into your body, don’t put residual water into your machine.
Aside from that we know that water in oil causes:
❌ Corrosion
❌ Rust
❌ Acid formation
❌ Oxidation
❌ Viscosity alterations
❌ Loss of film thickness
❌ Water washing
❌ Additive consumption
So take some simple steps to prevent water ingress:
✅ Store oil undercover
✅ Ensure lids are on containers
✅ Use desiccant breathers
Any more tips you’d give?
And what’s the most effective way you have found to explain to site the importance of contamination control?
18 - 11
To under-grease or over-grease? That seems to be the question. Whether 'tis nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of bearing failures... you get the point.
Overgreasing seems to have become a much more prominent failure cause lately. Here in Australia, I've speculated that it could be because so much of our workforce is trained in best practice by the mining industry, where large greasing volumes are often used to flush contaminants.
But many technicians are simply unaware of the risks of overgreasing. Grease is good, so more grease should be more good - right?
Do you tend to see lack of grease, or too much grease in your area?
34 - 7
After making more than 200 YouTube videos I figured I’d use the same techniques to build out training courses. If you’ve ever watched the Lubrication Explained channel and though “hey, I like the way this guy teaches stuff!” then there’s a great chance you’ll enjoy these!
And yes, there are more courses coming soon 😊
25 - 2
Are you going to be at the Lubricant Expo and Bearing Show in Detroit next week? It's free to attend! If you're there, make sure you come and say hi!
And if you're around, I'm hosting drinks at a bar after Day 1 of the show :) Come find me for details.
21 - 2
Article drop! PAGs in industrial applications...
lubrication.expert/pags-the-good-and-the-bad-of-us…
11 - 3
Hi team, later this week I'm doing a live webinar with the team at Redlist on the basics of oil analysis interpretation. By attending, you'll learn how to read a basic oil analysis report, key metrics to understand oil and machine health, and easy methods for spotting trends in data. Best of all, it's absolutely free!
Register here: redlist.me/41NOF9x
28 - 8
"23% (119 EJ) of the world’s total energy consumption originates from tribological contacts. Of that 20% (103 EJ) is used to overcome friction and 3% (16 EJ) is used to remanufacture worn parts and spare equipment due to wear and wear-related failures." - Holmberg, K & Erdermir, A. (2017).
Lubricants are often viewed as an afterthought in the commercial sector, when they are in fact an essential part of how we tackle maintenance, reliability and energy efficiency. Here at Lubrication Explained we help companies better understand how lubricants can help their business by increasing uptime, reduce failures, and minimize environmental footprint.
22 April 2020