Reducing the cost of production is a common goal for mine operators. Choosing the cheapest lubricants may be tempting to reduce short-term costs, but if you compromise on quality, they can be detrimental to your equipment.

A higher-quality lubricant or grease that comes directly from an oil manufacturer provides greater performance, leading to more uptime and reduced maintenance costs. In other words, choosing a lubricant that can help you reduce operational expenses over the long-term via extended drain or extended re-greasing intervals is more cost-efficient than choosing a low-quality, cheaper option.

Petro-Canada Lubricants products are developed and manufactured with ultra-pure base oils and advanced additives which provide a quality and consistency that you can trust.

Here are some of Petro-Canada Lubricants’ most relevant and top performer products to consider:

Transmission Drive Train Oil (TDTO)

When it comes to TDTO, we let people know about PRODURO™ TO-4⁺ UHP. PRODURO TO-4⁺ UHP is a multi-purpose synthetic all-season transmission, hydraulic and driveline fluid developed to improve the performance of mining equipment operating in extreme conditions and stemmed from a specific customer collaboration. By maximizing durability and equipment protection at elevated system temperatures and in severe operating conditions, PRODURO TO-4⁺ UHP increases equipment productivity and decreases operating costs.

Heavy-Duty Engine Oil

An SAE 15W-40 grade oil is the most commonly used heavy-duty diesel engine oil in the mining sector.

Our DURON™ SHP 15W-40 is a durable, synthetic blend engine oil and is specially formulated to bring outstanding shear stability combined with superior wear protection so it can keep equipment moving.

If you are looking for a high-quality lubricant to use in both high and low temperature extremes, we recommend DURON UHP 5W-40.

Even under the toughest conditions, DURON provides long-lasting protection to vital engine parts, which can reduce maintenance costs and downtime, even down to -30°C/-22°F.

While both of these products are used very successfully in mines today, it is always best to confirm with the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to ensure you are using the correct product and grade for your application.

Grease

Our PEERLESS™ family of greases are premium performance, multi-application greases formulated to reduce operating costs and provides extended protection in extremely high temperatures or wet operating conditions, making them well-suited for smooth, year-round mining operations.

Our PRECISION™ greases are long-life, multi-application greases formulated to reduce operating costs and provide long-service protection over a wide range of operating temperatures.They have strong water washout resistance and EP protection that allows them to stand up to heavy loads and tough working conditions.

Additionally, our VULTREX™ line of greases delivers outstanding equipment protection over a wide temperature range, with various heavy-duty uses in off-highway equipment that operates in extreme temperatures.

Open Gear Lubricants

VULTREX™ OGL Synthetic is a product line of a state-of-the-art open gear lubricants that provide extended service life, product consolidation and longer equipment protection across a wide range of temperatures.

Petro-Canada Lubricants has a full line of mining lubricants and greases. Contact us at any time for more information.

It’s tough to keep dirt out when you’re working in the challenging conditions of a mine.

Many Operations Managers may not realize that neglecting oil maintenance can lead to excessive amounts of dirt. These particulates flowing through a hydraulic pump for example could equate to hundreds of pounds being circulated in the system each year.

Such a large, accumulated amount of dirt will reduce efficiency and over time, damage the hydraulic pumps entirely. The single greatest opportunity for increasing component life and lowering operating costs is to effectively manage fluid cleanliness.

There are two primary ways that particulates can get into a system:

• The contaminant is generated within the system as a result of equipment wear. As these wear particles may be microscopic, used oil analysis is beneficial to flag any issue.
• The contaminant is introduced externally, such as airborne dirt and debris, as well as moisture. 

All lubricants need to be kept cool, clean and dry. Some other tips include starting with clean tanks, using proper filtration, high-efficiency breathers, proper labelling and oil-safe containers.

By keeping a system clean, you can:

• optimize the life of the oil
• reduce the time and costs associated with oil change-outs
• increase the efficiency and longevity of your equipment.

There is a lot to consider when selecting a lubricant for your equipment needs. Mixed fleets are common within the mining sector and when managing both surface and underground operations, it often means that the fleet has equipment from several different OEMs. This can pose a challenge when selecting a lubricant as it often means that multiple products are needed to align with the OEM’s recommendations.

By involving a lubricant technical expert in this process, the needs of all equipment can be taken into consideration, but there are some key things to keep in mind, including:

• seasonality demand
• drain intervals
• machinery model/make
• consolidation opportunities

At Petro-Canada Lubricants, we do the legwork with our customers to provide you with the proper fluid recommendations and best practices for every product we manufacture. Petro-Canada Lubricants products are designed and formulated to not only meet but exceed the stringent standards set by OEMs for their various application requirements. Our experts draw on a wealth of experience and insight to select the most appropriate lubricant based on the OEM recommendations and operational environment. 

The key to reducing seasonal change-outs is selecting a lubricant that can be used all year. All season lubricants can help save money by avoiding unnecessary downtime while providing start-up performance in the winter and wear protection from higher temperatures in the summer. Synthetic and synthetic blend oils are also worth considering for winter preparation, offering better stability and performance across diverse weather conditions, often enhanced with performance additives.

A lot of mines use HYDREX™ XV year-round and find that they benefit from maximum performance. Operations Managers don’t worry about seasonal change-outs because the product allows systems to start at temperatures as low as -34°C/-29°F and to run as high as 90°C/194°F. Its suitability across a very wide temperature range also enables inventory consolidation. Purchasing just one fluid results in operational efficiencies, including reduced costs, less chance of misapplication and cross-contamination.

DURON™ UHP 5W-40 is another example of a Petro-Canada Lubricants product that delivers all-weather performance. This ultra high performance full synthetic diesel engine oil is formulated to deliver optimal durability and protection to your engine during cold start-up, even down to -30°C/-22°F. It is specially formulated to maximize reliability and minimize wear, particularly in extreme cold temperature conditions. In extremely high temperatures, Operation Managers can rely on DURON's advanced shear stability formulation to maintain its stay-in-grade performance throughout extended operations, providing continued protection of engines.

Petro-Canada Lubricants VULTREX™ G-124 grease provides long service life and wear protection for mining equipment in a wide range of temperatures. It’s red and tacky and can be counted on to last the entire day.

Shock-loaded equipment takes a lot of pounding so quality grease is necessary to reduce wear on those components. A reliable solution like VULTREX is especially good in these circumstances as well as in high temperatures. It has adequate pumpability while also being able to stay in place throughout its performance. Lower-quality greases are more likely to run and drip, leaving equipment unprotected.

While selecting the correct lubricant is important, it is equally important to apply it correctly. In many cases, incorrect lubricant usage causes damage to the equipment over time, which can be detrimental to the mine's overall operation. Maintenance teams at mining sites should be given proper training on the correct usage of lubricants and lubrication practices. Petro-Canada Lubricants provides this training as part of our post-sales support, adding more value to our offer than just providing a great product. Proper training can avoid serious mistakes in lubricant application and usage, which can save operators significant amounts of money by reducing downtime and keeping equipment working on the job site.