Rapid water removal in SAG mill lubrication system
A sudden water ingress caused high water content in the trunnion lubrication system of a SAG mill. Using a CJC® Desorber D30, the oil was cleaned rapidly, reducing water content by 83% within 24 hours and fully restoring oil condition within 48 hours, avoiding costly production losses.
Application Snapshot
Industry:
Mining
Country:
Kyrgyzstan
Oil type:
Chevron Meropa 320 lubrication oil
Executive summary
A sudden water ingress resulted in a high water content in the trunnion lubrication system of a SAG mill. Water contamination posed a serious risk to bearings and could have led to extended shutdowns and costly overhauls.
CJC® Desorber D30 was installed to rapidly remove water from the oil. Within 24 hours, the water content was reduced by 83%, and after 48 hours a total of 6 litres of water had been removed, restoring the oil to 0 ppm water content.
By restoring oil condition quickly, the mine avoided oil replacement, waste oil handling, labour costs, and significant lost production associated with extended shutdowns.
Rapid water removal from lubrication oil
Water content was reduced from approximately 3,000 ppm to below 100 ppm within 24 hours and restored to 0 ppm after 48 hours.
Avoided production losses
Total annual avoided costs reached approximately USD 490,040 by preventing oil change, waste handling, labour and production shutdown.
Protected critical SAG mill bearings
Fast removal of water prevented damage to trunnion bearings and avoided major overhauls.
Oil kept in service instead of replacement
The existing oil was restored and reused, avoiding disposal of contaminated oil and reducing environmental impact.
Emergency dehydration of SAG mill lubrication oil
Before treatment, the oil contained approximately 3,000 ppm water. Such levels posed a serious risk to bearing surfaces and lubrication performance.
After installing the CJC® Desorber D30, water content was reduced by 83% within the first 24 hours. After 48 hours, a total of 6 litres of water had been removed and the oil condition was fully restored.
This rapid intervention eliminated the need for oil replacement and prevented an extended mill shutdown.
Measurable results and avoided costs
By restoring the oil condition instead of replacing the oil, the operation avoided several major cost elements, including oil purchase costs of USD 8,000, waste oil management costs of USD 600, and labour costs of USD 1,440 for seeing out an oil change.
Most significantly, the rapid removal of water prevented production shutdowns that would have resulted in lost production valued at USD 480,000. In total, the annual avoided costs amounted to USD 490,040, clearly demonstrating the financial impact of fast and effective water removal in critical milling equipment.
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