Ball mill used in a mining operation for ore processing.

Extended lubrication oil lifetime on ball mills

Four ball mill lubrication oil systems at a gold mine in Africa were exposed to heavy contamination. Installing CJC® Offline Oil Filters stabilised oil cleanliness, extended oil lifetime, and delivered annual savings of €394,000 with a payback period of two months.

Application Snapshot

Industry

Mining

Country

Africa

Oil droplet icon representing the type of oil.

Oil type

Lubrication oil

Executive Summary

Four ball mill lubrication oil systems at a gold mine in Africa required improved oil cleanliness to reduce wear, maintenance costs, and oil consumption. CJC® Offline Oil Filters were installed on all four ball mill lubrication systems. After installation, consistently low oil cleanliness levels became the new operating standard. As a result, oil lifetime was extended, maintenance costs were reduced, and annual savings of €394,000 were achieved. The investment delivered a payback period of two months and significant environmental benefits over the lifetime of the mills.

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Consistently low oil contamination

Oil cleanliness improved from ISO 22-23/20-21/17-18 to baseline levels as low as ISO 12/10/6 across all ball mills.

Dollar symbol icon representing significant cost savings achieved through extended oil lifetime.

Substantial annual cost reduction

Annual savings of €394,000 were achieved across four ball mill lubrication systems, with a payback period of two months.

Improved protection of critical mill components

Stable oil cleanliness reduced wear on bearings and gears in both fixed-end and float-end lubrication systems.

Leaf icon representing environmental benefits from extended lubrication oil lifetime.

Lower environmental footprint from extended oil life

Extending oil lifetime delivered significant environmental savings, equivalent to 222 passenger-car trips around the world or the annual electricity consumption of 401 homes.

Engineers inspecting an oil filtration unit at a mining facility.

Client brief

The customer operates four ball mills at a gold mine in Africa. The mills are equipped with both fixed-end and float-end lubrication oil systems operating under heavy load conditions.

Sample of heavily contaminated lubrication oil with visible sludge deposits.

Challenge

High contamination levels in the lubrication oil led to increased wear, higher maintenance costs, and frequent oil replacement across multiple ball mill systems.

CJC® Offline Oil Filter installed on a ball mill lubrication system.

Solution

CJC® Offline Oil Filters were installed on all four ball mill lubrication oil systems to continuously remove contamination and stabilise oil cleanliness during operation.

Technician servicing filter inserts in an offline oil filtration system for a ball mill lubrication circuit.

Stabilising oil cleanliness in ball mill lubrication systems

Before filtration, average oil cleanliness levels across the ball mills ranged between ISO 22-23/20-21/17-18, indicating high contamination levels. After installation of the CJC® Offline Oil Filters, baseline cleanliness levels improved significantly.

Cleanliness was stabilised at ISO levels as low as 12/10/6 on float-end systems and 13-14/11-12/6-8 on fixed-end systems. This stable oil condition reduced wear and extended oil service life across all mills.

Measurable results and environmental impact

The extended oil lifetime resulted in annual savings of €394,000 across the four ball mills, with a payback period of two months.

In addition to financial benefits, extending oil life delivered significant environmental savings over the lifetime of the mills. These savings correspond to 222 trips around the world in a passenger car or the annual electricity consumption of 401 homes.

Oil filtration system in a lubrication room at a mining facility.

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