Do centralized oil lubrication systems need oil cooling?

The purpose of installing a centralized lubrication system is that the lubricating oil is stored in a common reservoir and it is sent to various parts of the same equipment OR various equipment’s, with the primary objective of :

• Lubricating
• Heat removal
• To remove the debris that has got generated because of mechanical wear & tear

Therefore it is imperative that centralized oil lubrication systems supply cooled, filtered oil so as to efficiently lubricate & cool various bearings, bushes, gears & other rotating parts in the plant. If we are going to send out hot oil from the centralized oil lubrication system, it will not be able cool the part, plus as the oil temperature rises its viscosity drops, as a result the ability to lubricate reduces. Reduced viscosity also means reduced buoyancy, which compromises the ability of the oil to carry away the debris. The oil will not be able to perform its function effectively. Resulting in lower efficiency of the equipment. Which in turn will lead to premature failures resulting in replacement & downtime costs. An inefficient centralized lubrication system is a silent killer, in the sense that if the lubrication is not adequate, the equipment will start drawing more power. Resulting in inflated power bills, causing losses to the organization day on day, week on week, month on month. Installing a good, adequately sized oil lubrication system with an efficient oil cooler will pay many times over in the future by cutting down costs.