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Guidelines for Oil Mist Lubrication
'rint
(ic)ael *)onsari+ !ouisiana State niversity E,R, Booser+
Ta-s. automatic lu/rication+ /earin- lu/rication
With improvements in oil formulations, oil mist lubrication systems are becoming
increasingly popular in a variety of applications where only limited oil feed supply is
required. Examples include bearings of electric motors, pumps and compressors in
many oil refineries and petrochemical plants
1
; gears, cams, chains and sliding surfaces
of machines in steel and paper mills; construction equipment and an increasing range
of other industrial applications.
2
Compact mist supply units are also available for use
with electric motors, machine tool spindles and similar local applications.
il mist systems present an attractive alternative both to grease at low!to!moderate
speeds and to circulating oil systems for high speeds and high temperatures. "roperly
installed oil mist systems offer the following advantages#
$o oil changes and reduced maintenance requirements
%educed lubricant consumption &up to '( percent compared to sump
lubrication)
*ower friction and reduced bearing temperatures
+ist delivery pressure bloc,s entrance of contaminants
*ess wear and increased life of machine elements
*ower capital costs
$ewer air-oil systems are used in steel mills as alternatives to oil mist.
.
/o minimi0e
loss of stray mist to the surrounding environment, liquid oil is in1ected from a positive
displacement pump directly into the air stream. /he oil, in1ected at time intervals, is
then propelled by the air stream along the feed line as droplets in a spiral motion to
enter a bearing as an oil spray.
Mist Supply
il mist is an aerosol mixture of very small oil droplets &one to five microns) suspended
in air with the appearance of smo,e. /his mist is generated by passing compressed air
through a venturi or vortex to siphon oil from a small central reservoir &2igure 1).
3
Figure 1. Basic Oil Mist Generators
"ressure of this inlet air is regulated to properly deliver the oil. 4roplets larger than
about five to seven microns are not easily transported by the air stream, therefore,
they are typically intercepted by a baffle for return to the reservoir.
Figure 2. Components of a Typical Oil Mist System
2igure 2 illustrates the main components of a typical oil mist system.
2
5t includes a
pressure!controlled, filtered air supply, heaters to stabili0e the air and reservoir oil
temperatures at 1.(6 to 1'(62, a mist generator and distribution piping or tubing.
/he initial dry mist generated then flows at 17 to 2( feet-second at distances up to
1,((( feet or more through pipes, tubing and hoses for delivery from headers
commonly maintained at the pressure of a 2(!inch water column &(.' psi, 7 ,"a).
8
5f
the mist stream becomes turbulent above about 23 feet-second, mist droplets stri,e
wall surfaces hard enough to stic, and prematurely drop out of the mist stream.
/he first 7( feet of a delivery header should be sloped bac, to the mist generator to
return any droplets dropping out of the mist stream. 9ny longer feed manifolds and
auxiliary headers should then be sloped either to drains or bac, to the generator to
avoid low spots where trapped oil would interfere with mist flow.
Mist Delivery
rifice fittings to meter mist supply to individual machine elements involve one of the
three types of classifiers in 2igure ..
Figure . Classifier Fittings to !gglomerate Fine
Oil "articles in Dry Mist to #arger Droplets in
Wet Mist at #u$rication "oints
9 mist fitting consists of a simple metering orifice for delivering a fine wet spray with
minimum condensation. 9s this fine spray then encounters rolling!motion elements :
such as in ball or roller bearings, gears, chain or cams : the fine oil particles are
agglomerated by the turbulence action and the larger wet droplets deposit as
lubricating films. /he mist is commonly fed into the bearing housing on one side of the
row of balls or rollers and is discharged from the opposite side &2igure 3).
Figure %. &epresentative Mist Flo' "attern for
Ball an( &oller Bearings
;pray and condensing fittings are used for sliding!motion elements. /he ma1or
difference between the two types is how long mist particles are maintained at high
velocity under turbulent flow conditions to promote agglomeration of the fine oil
particles in the dry mist feed. /o lubricate sliding surfaces, 1ournal bearings and the
li,e, the resulting wet spray then runs down ad1acent surfaces in arrangements such as
those shown in 2igure 7.
Figure ). Mist #u$rication of "lain Bearings
Oil &e*uirements
/able 1 provides a guide for the quantity of oil normally fed to various machine
elements for moderate service requirements.
3
/his information pertains to hori0ontal shafts with unidirectional load, bearings in any
position with oil retained by seals, or porous metal or other self!lubricated bearings.
2eed rates in /able 1 should be doubled for heavy!duty service, oscillating bearings,
unsealed bearings sub1ect to shoc, load with constantly shifting load 0one, preloaded
bearings and nonhori0ontal shafts.
7
;pecial considerations are needed from related
experience or supplier information for surface speeds over 8(( feet-minute.
*ube system suppliers, machinery builders and lubricant suppliers should also be
consulted for appropriate feed rates and lubricant specifications because requirements
vary for individual installations and may double for speeds, loads and temperatures
above those in conventional factory applications.
/wo examples drawn from experience under mild operating conditions illustrate the
small amount of oil sometimes needed by bearings. 9 ball bearing in a 1(!horsepower
electric motor ran satisfactorily for several wee,s at .,8(( rpm with a single drop of
;9E 1( oil. 5n another case, the <!inch 1ournal of a wic,!oiled railroad locomotive
propulsion motor ran without failure for one hour at 8(( rpm after the lubricating wic,
was removed. ;mall porous metal bushings and oil!impregnated polymer bearings are
often used for the life of appliances with no additional lubrication. 5n general, oil
volumes given in /able 1 provide suitable excess for reliable operation.
'
Mac+ine
,lement
-fitting type.
Oil Mist
cu$ic feet/minute

=all and roller
bearings
&spray and
mist)
4%-3(
4>shaft diameter, inches;
%>number of rows of balls
or rollers
"lain bearings
&condensing
and
spray)
*4-1((
*>axial length, inches;
4>shaft diameter, inches
?ears &spray)
;pur
@orm
2&41A42A4n)-18(
2&41A(.742)-B(
2>face width, inches;
41>pitch
diameter of small gear or
worm gear,
inches; 42>pitch diameter
of large gear,
inches; 4n>pitch diameter
of additional
gears, inches
Cams &spray) 24-3((
2>face width, inches;
4>max. diameter of cam,
inches
Chain &spray)
"ower
;ilent
Conveyor
"4%;
(.7
-.1,(((
@4;
(.7
-8((,(((
@&4A(.(..*)-1'(
">pitch of chain or
sproc,et, inches;
4>pitch diameter of small
sproc,et or
drive sproc,et, inches;
%>number of rows
of chain rollers; @>chain
width, inches;
;>rpm of small sproc,et;
*>chain length,
inches
;lides and gibs
&condensing)
9-B((
9>max. contact area,
square inches
@ays
&condensing)
9-3(( 9>max. contact area,
square inches
2or mist feed with a standard density of about (.3 in
.
of oil per
hour-cubic feet of air per minute.
Ta$le 1. Oil Mist &e*uirements for
Mo(erate Operating Con(itions
il selection is normally made to satisfy lubrication requirements of the most
demanding machine elements. @hile 5; viscosity grades up to 1,((( and higher can
be used, many mist systems employ a mineral gear oil in the 5; C?8B to C?38(
viscosity range &8B to 38( c;t at 3(6C) with anticorrosion, antiwear, and extreme
pressure properties.
"ast problems with wax and additive separation from mist oils are now avoided by
using naphthenic base stoc,s, and by not using oil additives that might be deposited
upon encountering water contamination.

+ist oils also contain special additives to improve atomi0ation, promote condensation
on rotating surfaces, and to reduce fogging and stray mist in the surroundings. /hese
mist formulations typically provide 2( to .( percent more usable oil delivery than
normal mineral oils. 9utomotive engine oils should not be used because their
mistability varies widely.
@ith their lower lubrication needs, ball bearings in electric motors and related pumps
commonly employ a bearing oil of 1(( to 17( c;t &at 3(6C) for summer use and .2 c;t
for colder months. +inimum cubic feet-minute of mist to be fed to each bearing is
specified by D.;. +otors as 4 &inches shaft diameter) x % &rows of balls)-2( using mist
of approximately (.3 to (.87 cubic inches of oil-hour-standard cubic feet per minute
&scfm) of air flow.
#imitations
@hile mist systems have dramatically reduced maintenance and operating problems,
establishing flow rates in a system has proved troublesome and the following details
commonly need attention#
/he air stream in feed lines must be ,ept laminar, below approximately 23
feet-second, because turbulence causes oil particles to impact the pipe wall and
be removed from the air stream before reaching delivery points. 9t abnormally
low velocities, on the other hand, oil droplets may also settle out prematurely.
"erformance is sensitive to temperature. Even when not required by viscosity
considerations, heaters are often employed to stabili0e the oil-air ratio under
widely varying ambient temperatures. @hen used, air heaters are usually
accompanied by oil reservoir heaters.
;pray mist involves environmental ha0ards. Cent lines are needed at lubrication
points for collecting stray mist which has not been classified. ;E9
requirements state that in an eight!hour period, a person can be exposed to no
more than five milligrams of oil per cubic meter of air.
&eferences
0, Ehlert, 4. Fil +ist *ubrication in the Eydrocarbon "rocessing 5ndustry.G
Machinery Lubrication, +ay!Hune 2((3.
1, =loch, E. and ;hamim, 9. Oil Mist Lubrication: Practical Applications. 2airmont
"ress, 5nc., *ilburn, ?eorgia. 1<<B.
2, ;chrama, %. Fil +ist vs. 9ir!il for Consumable *ubrication ;ystems.G
Lubrication Engineering, Col. 3<, p. <!1'. 1<<..
3, %eiber, ;. Fil +ist *ubrication.G CRC Tribology Data Handboo. E. =ooser
&editor), C%C "ress **C. 1<<'.
4, 9lemite Corporation. Oil Mist Application Manual. Charlotte, $orth Carolina.
2((3.
5, /owne, C. F"ractical Experience with il +ist *ubrication.G Lubrication
Engineering, Col. .<, p. 3<8!7(2. 1<B..
6, Ihonsari, +. and =ooser, E. Applied Tribology ! "earing Design and Lubrication.
@iley J ;ons, $ew Kor,. 2((1.
&elate( &ea(ing0
Ihonsari, +. and =ooser, E. F+atching *ube il ;ystems to +achinery %equirements.G
Machinery Lubrication, $ovember!4ecember 2((3.
(ac)inery !u/rication 78&1994:
About the Author
Michael Khonsari
,,, Read (ore
About the Author
E.R. Booser
,,, Read (ore
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