In meeting the challenges faced by mining operators, Shell has developed a range of lubricants, fuels and associated services, ranging from on-site fuel and lubrication analysis through to assisting customers with long-term fuel buying strategies. Shell’s lubricants are all specifically designed to keep machines running for longer and with less maintenance. For example, Shell Tellus Arctic was developed in Siberia to enable hydraulic systems to operate at temperatures of -30oC, while the Shell Albida range of industrial greases is designed to operate under extreme pressures in particularly high temperature environments. In addition, Shell has developed Shell Rimula R3 MV, an advanced diesel engine oil specially formulated to meet the ever more demanding needs of the high performance diesel engines found in mining equipment.
Lubricants used in mining obviously help to keep critical equipment parts and components moving smoothly. Applications can range from heavy-duty diesel engines and vehicle drive trains to hydraulic systems and open gears. Each piece of equipment can operate in a number of ways and under varying loads, placing different demands on lubricant performance. Typically, the benefits of using the right, fit-for-purpose lubricants can include reduced maintenance and costs, longer equipment life, better equipment performance and improved efficiency.
One of Shell’s key objectives is to always get the right product to the right application at the right time. To do this, Shell has developed a variety of services to meet the needs of its mining customers. At the beginning of any customer relationship, Shell would expect to survey the mine site to complete a detailed report, which includes recommendations on the best lubricants to suit specific operational needs and conditions. Shell also identifies opportunities to rationalise the number and type of lubricants used. This technical support is provided by its Shell LubeAdvisor service.
In addition, Shell offers a high level of technical support via its Shell LubeExpert service. This is delivered by Shell’s field-based technical experts and/or product application specialists, and provides trouble-shooting for operational failures. For example, if equipment is overheating, customers often blame the lubricant. Shell’s specialists visit the site, assess the situation and make their recommendations. In one recent case of overheating, Shell’s experts identified that engine oil had been used in a hydraulic system – a familiar occurrence on mine sites – and replaced it with a correctly specified hydraulic lubricant. The overheating stopped immediately.
Technically advanced and synthetic lubricants can cost more than their mineral counterparts and lower-performance products. In the current economic climate, this can deter mine site operators from purchasing high-performance lubricants as they look to reduce short-term operational costs. However, increasingly Shell is seeing mining operators move away from a view that lubricants are a commodity and towards a realisation that they can add significant value to their business. Lubricant spend equates to a small proportion of a mining customer’s overall costs (typically only 1-2%), but can have a significant effect on efficiency, with an initial higher outlay on high performance lubricants producing substantial long-term savings that benefit the bottom line.
For example, a major mining customer in Australia switched from a competitor grease to Shell Malleus Grease GL 500 and in doing so, increased bearing life from 37,000 hours to 60,000 hours – the life of the excavator. This resulted in 930 hours of increased production time and a 50% reduction in grease usage. Shell calculated the savings as equating to an estimated A$2.2 million, over the life of eight machines. Shell also helped a haul truck fleet in an open cast mine in Australia by replacing a previous supply of competitor lubricants with Shell Rimula R3 MV, a best-in-class premium diesel engine oil. This increased oil drain intervals, from 250 hours to 500 hours, resulted in significant annual savings. This was achieved through using a smaller quantity of a more expensive, technically-advanced lubricant.
At a mine in Peru, one of Shell’s customers wanted to reduce operational costs and plant stoppages by increasing the life of bearings. Shell’s experts identified that premature wear, caused by irregular re-greasing, was making the application unreliable. This resulted in unscheduled stoppages due to belt bearing failures. Once Shell’s technical team had assessed bearing size and speed, Shell recommended an automatic re-greasing system, Shell Tactic EMV, pre-filled with Shell Stamina EP2 grease. In this case the customer was able to decrease manual lubrication time and eliminate premature lubricant-related bearing failures, achieving a considerable annual saving.
Shell also works closely with many engine and component OEMs when designing new products and its Research and Development (R&D) teams around the world are continuously testing and developing new technologies. Shell has established working relationships with most of the leading players in mining and, in some cases, has dedicated R&D relationships with customers and manufacturers to develop ‘next generation’ lubricants with them. This commitment to product development and collaborative approach helps OEMs to realise improvements in their machinery, such as providing a new oil to support advances in their engine design and ensuring that Shell’s advanced fuels are formulated to maintain OEM machinery in peak condition. This enables both the OEM and Shell to offer a combined solution, which optimises the performance benefits for the customer.
Shell’s structure has changed considerably in recent years to help their mining customers develop and maintain a competitive edge. Like some of Shell’s competitors, it used to operate through individual offices worldwide, where product ranges could differ depending on the location. Shell now offers a standard product range globally so that mining organisations with operations in several regions throughout the world can optimise the lubricant and fuel performance of their equipment at every site.
Shell offers real advantages to customers in the mining industry. Its international footprint covers more than 100 countries and all of the major mining regions. It has regional and global collaborations with many of the world’s leading mining companies and also offers technically-advanced, high quality products as well as on-the-ground expert support. This approach will continue to further its knowledge and understanding of the mining industry and help to add-value to customers now and in the future.