CASE STUDY

Offline Lube Oil Filtration Unlocks Potential Savings of ~$60,000 per Rig Over 3 Year Contract Period

Background

Industry Segment

Oil and Gas

Arm Solution

Offline filtration system in kidney-loop configuration

Equipment

Caterpillar make diesel engines

CHALLENGE

  • High cost of new lube oil due to frequent oil changes on 5 CAT diesel engines onboard an offshore rig
  • Long response time (typically 8-10 weeks) for lab reports on oil samples, and the data by then is outdated
  • Based on their previous experience, the rig team was manually extending the oil change interval from the OEM
    recommended 1000 hours to 2000 hours. However this was not a data-backed decision and lube oil contamination was
    frequent.
  • The team regretted the lack of real-time visibility of the oil quality.
  • ~USD 80,000 was being spent on new oil over the 3 years contract period.

SOLUTION

  • Neptunus has been a preferred partner to this customer for engine maintenance across their multiple rigs
  • The Customer deployed Neptunus’ offline filtration system in a kidney-loop configuration on one rig.
  • This filter with a high beta Ratio of 929 had an effective capability to filter upto 3 micron contaminants along with the moisture and soot. This system is part of Neptunus’ Asset Reliability Management solution.
  • This solution helped the customer make a confident decision backed by real-time data to extend the oil change interval by a factor of up to 4500 hours while enhancing the reliability of engines. This was 4.5 times of the standard OEM interval, and 2.25 times of the existing practices.

BENEFITS

  • Cleaner lube oil leads to fewer breakdowns or failures. Lube oil related issues cause 54% of machine failures. (Ref: Noria Corporation)
  • Cleaner components lead to extended MTBO (Mean Time Between Overhauls), less spare part consumption. According to the ISO Cleanliness Code, cleaning lube oil from 20/17 to 17/14 increases diesel engine component life by 2x.
  • Actual savings on lube oil changes and inline filter changes on 1 engine over 1 year period ~$4000
  • Projected savings for one rig if deployed on all 5 engines over a 3 year contract ~$60,000
  • Saving logistical hassles of disposing dirty oil, while being environmentally responsible.