LUBRICATING OIL PLANT

A lubricating oil plant is a facility in which base oils are blended with additives in defined ratios to produce engine, gear, hydraulic and industrial oils. The lubricating oil it produces forms a film between two solid surfaces, reducing friction and wear.

What Does Lubricating Oil Do?

However precisely machine parts are made, their surfaces have peaks and valleys called asperities that can only be seen under a microscope. When two solid surfaces come into contact, this roughness resists movement; this resistance is called friction. The main task of a lubricant is to form a film between the surfaces in contact, keeping them apart, reducing friction and wear and allowing the parts to move easily. The effectiveness of a lubricant is judged by how low it keeps the coefficient of friction.

How Does a Lubricating Oil Production Plant Work?

Mineral base oils, the raw material of lubricating oil, are obtained by further processing of streams from crude oil refining, while synthetic base oils are produced by chemical synthesis. In a lubricating oil production plant, base oils of different viscosities are mixed with additives chosen for the intended use to make the finished product. The correct formulation is critical for the oil to suit its application.

A typical lubricating oil plant consists of the following sections:

• Base oil and additive storage tanks with a tanker unloading station
• Additive dosing by weighing or flow meter
• Agitated blending tanks with heating jackets or coils
• Filtration and product transfer pumps
• Finished product storage tanks
• Filling lines for drums, IBCs and small packs

Lubricating Oil Plant Installation with Makfen

When installing a lubricating oil plant tailored to your requirements, Makfen does not only take on the plant design; it also includes environmental impact in the design parameters. Bunds against leaks and spills, closed transfer lines and energy-efficient heating solutions are addressed at the project stage.

The Makfen team delivers turnkey plant installation covering every stage: engineering, manufacturing, assembly, instrumentation, piping, insulation, electrical installation, performance testing and commissioning.

Plant Features

• Tank, piping and pump systems engineered for the required capacity and product range
• Carbon steel or stainless steel storage and blending tanks
• Agitator selection matched to viscosity, with controlled heating by jacket or coil
• Recipe-based additive dosing by precision weighing or flow meter
• Line layout that reduces cross-contamination between products, with pigged transfer lines
• PLC-based automation, recipe management and thermal insulation
• Certified materials, pressure and leak tests, and complete operating and maintenance documentation

To request information and a quotation for a lubricating oil production plant, contact Makfen; our other plant installations are listed on the Services page.