Keeping cool comes at a cost – specifically, the cost of electricity. In most cases, industrial refrigeration systems represent the largest single consumer of electricity within their respective facilities. Take, for example, cold-storage warehousing refrigeration systems. These can account for as much as 85% to 90% of overall facility energy requirements.
But there’s good news. Small changes, even the simple act of changing compressor oil, can contribute significantly to overall facility cost reduction. Customers who upgrade facilities to Summit’s R-Series see energy savings of greater than 5% as compared with commonly used, traditional mineral oils.
For example, a single ammonia screw compressor with a 410-brake horsepower requirement for a fixed-speed, fully loaded operation running year-round will cost about $195,000/annually – assuming the use of a 450 HP, 460/3/60 motor at a rate of $0.08/kWh. For the purpose of this example, we’ll use a low-end savings estimate of 5%. A 5% savings equates to roughly $9,750/year savings on just one compressor when you switch to the R-Series.
Bottom line: The lubricant pays for itself within just a few months!
R-Series lubricants are fully synthetic, PAO-based lubricants suited for both rotary screw and reciprocating compressors. They offer the following energy and cost savings benefits:
- Increased chemical stability: Polyalfaolefin (PAO) based synthetic lubricants provide greater chemical stability than mineral oils. This means longer product life, less sludge formation, and a cleaner and more efficient system.
- High thermal stability: High viscosity index (VI) values (greater than 135 across the entire R-series) ensures maximum product life, provides proper lubricant film strength across a wide temperature range, and extends the life of the equipment.
- Low vapor pressure means less oil carryover and reduction of labor and material cost due to extended oil drain and top-off intervals.
What’s even better: The R-Series is compatible with mineral oils, alkylbenzene-based oils, other PAO-based products, and all commonly used elastomers so you don’t have to fully drain the existing lubricant from the system.
Plus, it’s an NSF H1-registered, ISO 21469 food grade product that’s Kosher-approved and Halal certified.
Do you want to invest in cleaner, longer lasting, more energy-efficient refrigeration systems today? Reach out to Justin Daily, Refrigeration market manager, at justin.daily@us.kluber.com for a free energy analysis and ROI study. You’ll see what the Summit R-Series can do for your facility.