CASE STUDY

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

Oil and Gas

Offline filtration system in kidney-loop configuration

Caterpillar make diesel engines

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Long response time (typically 8-10 weeks) for lab reports on oil samples, and the data by then is outdated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.

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.

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.