case studies - archives

client problem:

A Canadian manufacturer of automotive springs was spending a huge amount to dispose of and replace their quench oil.

CHEM-ECOL Solution:

The client contacted us; we implemented our proprietary mobile purification process to help them reclaim their “waste oil.”

result:

The client recently told CHEM-ECOL that we have saved them millions of dollars over the past few years!

client problem:

A plastic processor in the Carolinas was having a severe maintenance problem. The hydraulic pumps in his new machines were wearing out at an extremely accelerated rate. He was also having serious problems with his control valves.

CHEM-ECOL Solution:

We analyzed the oil in the client’s machines and determined that, although he was using the filters recommended by the machine manufacturer, the oil was extremely dirty. The dirt and silt quantities in the machines were up to 100 times higher than normal, although the oil looked clear and clean to the naked eye.

CHEM-ECOL established a purification schedule for the machines. Our mobile equipment was hooked up to each problem reservoir while the machines continued to operate normally. We flushed the oil through our equipment at a rate of 1,000 gallons per hour until it was clean and dry. Depleted additives were restored at the same time.

result:

Purifying cost the client 50% less than new oil. He also had no operational downtime while the purification process was carried out.

This customer is now on a preventive maintenance schedule. Every three months, we sample oil from each machine, and based on the results, we purify the oil as needed.

The client has also reported that his regular maintenance costs have since dropped from more than $10,000 to less than $1,000 per month.

client problem:

A large automotive parts manufacturer in Ontario had a very expensive, computer-operated forming press, making parts for an assembly plant 200 miles away. This operation regularly worked on an eight-hour lead time, leaving little room for error.

A mechanic accidentally dropped a rag into the 2,000-gallon oil reservoir; it was sucked into the pumps, shredding it. The rag fragments kept jamming the valves and shutting the press down.

CHEM-ECOL Solution:

Our mobile purification unit arrived three hours after the accident and hooked up to the reservoir immediately. We re-circulated the oil through our equipment at a rate of over 1,000 gallons per hour for four hours, at which point the machine was restarted.

The machine ran successfully. We remained hooked up to the reservoir for 24 hours, at which point we determined that all traces of rag fragments had been removed from the oil.

result:

This customer was so impressed with the performance of our mobile unit that they now have us purify their oil on an annual basis. They have not needed to replace the oil in this machine for more than three years now.

client problem:

A specialty steel mill in Pennsylvania discovered that their main lube oil system had suddenly and mysteriously become contaminated with more than 5% water. Sabotage was suspected, but could not be proved. The mill had to keep running.

CHEM-ECOL Solution:

We pulled a large mobile purification unit from a routine job and sent it to the steel mill, arriving within 8 hours of the client’s call. We were processing the oil in their 12,000-gallon system by midnight of the same day.

By 7 a.m. the following day, we had the water content reduced to less than 0.2%. By noon the oil was clear and bright, and within 24 hours from when processing began, the water content was below 100 parts per million.

result:

The mill was kept running, with no downtime during purification.

CHEM-ECOL now purifies this client’s oil every year. Now that the steel mill is no longer dumping and refilling with new oil, the savings are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars per year!

client problem:

An aluminum extruder in the US mid-west was using phosphate ester fire-resistant fluid in the hydraulic system of a large machine. It became contaminated when a cooling heat exchanger perforated and leaked water into the system. The oil would have cost over $15 per gallon to replace — and there were more than 6,000 gallons of contaminated oil in the machine.

CHEM-ECOL Solution:

Our mobile equipment was on-site and operating within 24 hours of the call.

result:

Within 24 hours, we had reduced the water level in the system to less than 200 PPM. Savings to the client were more than $80,000, with no production downtime.

client problem:

A small plastic extruder in Pennsylvania was using about 20 drums of oil per year. When he changed the oil in his machines, he just disposed of the used oil.

CHEM-ECOL Solution:

This client found out about our purification service and got in touch with us. Now, about once per year, we stop at his plant and purify whatever oil he has accumulated in drums.

result:

The client now has no disposal costs, and saves more than 60% of the cost of new oil.

client problem:

A steel wire mill in Ontario experienced catastrophic failure of some water seals in its main mill lube system. The mill started shutting down as a result of low-flow indications in lubrication system. The unscheduled shutdowns were causing major problems.

CHEM-ECOL Solution:

We pulled a large unit off a job in North Carolina and sent in one of our smaller units to get started on the cleanup. The large unit arrived after 16 hours; the small unit had been processing for 10 hours by this time.

The seals on the mill lube bearings were leaking 60 gallons per hour of water into the oil; our equipment was removing water at the same rate.

result:

Our mobile equipment remained hooked up to the client’s system until their next scheduled shutdown, when the faulty seals were replaced. No unplanned downtime was necessary.

client problem:

A large plastic injection molder in Michigan found that 20 of their 30 machines had particle counts well in excess of normal levels.

CHEM-ECOL Solution:

We were contacted by the client to provide purification services. All 20 contaminated machines were cleaned, the oil additives restored and the purified oil certified for use.

Each machine held between 500 and 1,000 gallons of oil.

result:

The work was finished within 48 hours. Not only was the job completed quickly, with no downtime, but the client saved on new oil and disposal costs.