ROYAL PURPLE NEWS

Royal Purple Lubricants
Reduce Costs & Improve Service at Houston Airports

Houston’s airports and convention center are among the busiest in the world.  Maintaining over 300 heavily used elevators, escalators and moving walkways operating 24/7 is a big challenge.  Unscheduled downtime, excessive noise and untidiness are not tolerated and result in severe penalties under City maintenance contracts.  Maintenance contractor’s performance is judged on cost of operation and downtime.
As with almost all rotating equipment, most equipment failures result from the failure of one or more lubricated components.  So when Elevator Repair Service (ERS), Inc. and Mid American/ERS Joint Venture secured the maintenance contracts from the City of Houston for the airports and convention & entertainment district, they asked Royal Purple Synthetic Lubricants to review their operational and downtime issues to make sure the best solution possible was being implemented concerning lubricant selection and lubrication practices.
The equipment evaluated were elevator gear boxes, escalator gear boxes, escalator chains and elevator door chains.  The goal was to improve equipment reliability while reducing lubricant consumption.  This would require upgrading to extended drain synthetic lubricants with greatly enhanced wear protection.  This required getting approval from the City who saw the exercise as being both potentially more cost effective and more “green” (environmentally friendly).
Escalator Gear Boxes (Kone worm gears)
Gear boxes functioned properly and had no mechanical maintenance issues.  The oil was changed from Chevron Gear Compound EP ISO 680 to Royal Purple Synfilm GT 680.   Operating temperatures were reduced from 133oF to 120oF.  OEM specifications required annual oil changes.  RP remains in the unit while periodic (twice yearly) oil analysis is conducted.  A 30-minute job of pulling an oil sample for analysis has replaced a 3-hour oil change.  After four and half years, only 16 oil changes have been required as a result of the oil sampling diagnosis where previously there were 400.  Labor savings have exceeded $80,000.
Escalator Chains / Moving Sidewalk Chains
Chain maintenance was an ongoing issue.  Chains were lubricated with Chevron Vistac ISO 46 way oil.  The oil is applied by hand sprayer.  Lint from clothing would build-up on the chains and wick the lubricant away from the chain and prevent the lubricant from reaching the chain when reapplied.  Oil would transfer to exposed rails and walkways creating a safety hazard and ruin peoples clothes. Chain support boards on the escalators experienced high wear and NOISE.  Oil drippage created puddles in the pit and offensive odors.   

The lubricant was changed to Royal Purple Escalator Chain Lube with the following results:

• Noise levels significantly reduced
• Odor eliminated
• Lint no longer a major issue
• 76% reduction in oil usage (reduced from 33 drums to 8 – using only ¼ as much oil)
• Zero novatex board replacements in 2 years vs. 6-8 per year previously at a cost of $1250.00 each plus $1360.00 labor (over $18,000 total savings).
• Greatly extended chain life