Lubricants: Best Storage Practices to Follow?

Lubricants: Best Storage Practices to Follow?

Many facilities are unaware of the dangers that improper lubricant storage and handling practices pose, as well as the unavoidable consequences for equipment reliability and lifecycles. Proper lubrication entails not only applying

the correct amount at the correct time and in the correct location, but also keeping lubricants clean, cool, and properly identified. Most lubricants can be stored for an extended period of time without harm, but they won’t last forever.

Even in ideal conditions, storing a lubricant for an extended period of time can cause it to lose performance capabilities and eventually become useless.

Buying lubricants in the right package size for your needs can also help: Lubricant containers that have not been opened for partial dispensing can be stored for a longer period of time than those that have been opened for partial dispensing. This problem can be alleviated by rotating inventory on a first-in, first-out basis. Here are some guidelines for storing lubricants.

1. Lube room design and requirements: A properly designed lube room must be functional, safe, and expandable, as well as meet all of the facility’s storage and handling needs. Lube room layouts should maximize storage capacity while minimizing bulk oil and grease storage. Limiting the amount of bulk oil and grease storage will allow the stored oils to be used more quickly.

2. Bulk oil storage: Once the consumption rate and storage capacity have been determined, the type of storage containers to be used must be determined. The appropriate size storage container reflects the consumption rate and storage capacity. A large bulk storage tank may yield the best results if a high consumption rate is determined 3. New oil receiving: Inadequate receiving techniques frequently increase the risk of contamination ingression, lubricant mixing, and other issues. To ensure the highest level of consistency and cleanliness, proper written receiving procedures should be in place. Filtration of incoming oils should be part of proper receiving techniques.

4. Quality control: Quality control of lubricants delivered by lube suppliers must be verified to ensure that the correct product is delivered and that the cleanliness of the delivered lubricant meets current target particle and moisture cleanliness levels.

5. Presence of mixed or contaminated lubricants: Oil analysis results, as well as other quality assurance variables like damaged

containers, rusted containers, and any other quality issue, should be thoroughly documented and cataloged.

6. Proper top-up container and grease gun storage: Another important step is to store top-up containers, grease guns, rags, and other items to prevent contaminants from entering the lubricants as a result of poor housekeeping. For easy access and organization, these tools should have their own dedicated fire-proof storage cabinets.

Texol is one of the most reliable oil manufacturers in the UAE. To build a long-term commitment with their customers, they have a selection of industrial and transformer oil designed to meet the unique requirements of different industries and operations. If you are looking for lubricant oil companies in Sharjah, give them a call to discuss your need.