PAPER TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL - Rethinking strategy rotating equipment in pulp and paper. Ringo van Voorst, Marketing Manager North West Europe & Africa, SKF - Paper Technology International 2026 - Book - Page 62

PAPER TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL - Rethinking strategy rotating equipment in pulp and paper. Ringo van Voorst, Marketing Manager North West Europe & Africa, SKF

PAPERTECHNOLOGYINTERNATIONAL
Image 4: CoMo solutions.
Lubrication as a performance system
Lubrication problems remain one of the dominant causes
of premature bearing damage. Modern mills increasingly rely on
automated systems to improve reliability while cutting the time and
labour cost devoted to lubrication tasks. Lubrication schemes for
a paper plant typically involve a combination of oil lubrication for
rollers and certain other critical bearings, and grease lubrication for
the rest of the plant.
Automated grease systems meter de昀椀ned quantities to each
lubrication point at programmed intervals. On large machines this
may involve hundreds or even thousands of points. Automation
prevents over-greasing, limits contamination risk and reduces waste
volumes. Self-monitoring capability is equally important. Blockages
or supply interruptions can be 昀氀agged early, preventing silent failure
progression.
Oil systems represent both a technical and environmental
challenge. Reservoirs may hold thousands of litres, tying up capital
and generating signi昀椀cant waste during periodic oil changes.
Advanced oil lubrication systems include several features designed
to prolong the longevity and minimize the consumption of lubricating
oil. These include air driven desiccant dryers to limit water
absorption and automated mechanisms to settle and remove free
water from tanks.
Image 5: In昀椀nium bearing.
The SKF Flowline oil supply system uses a centrifugal
design that accelerates the settling of water and contaminants. By
reducing the time required for contaminants to separate before oil
re-enters the lubrication circuit, reservoir size can be reduced by up
to 50 percent. This translates directly into lower oil volumes, reduced
cost, and lower environmental impact.
SKF RecondOil Double Separation Technology (DST) aims
to eliminate the cost and time burden of oil changes altogether.
RecondOil systems uses a patented combination of chemical and
mechanical 昀椀ltration that removes nanometre-scale particles without
damaging oils or their additives.
This approach can extend oil life almost inde昀椀nitely, reducing
lubricant consumption by 90 to 95 percent and eliminating the
need for periodic oil changes. In one recent application at a midsized paper mill, implementing RecondOil technology in the wet
end lubrication system generated annual cost savings of around
£50,000, while reducing associated annual carbon emissions by
20,000 kg.
Condition monitoring: from detection to decision support
Unplanned stoppages remain among the most expensive
events in pulp and paper operations. Condition monitoring provides
structured early warning through vibration, temperature and lubricant
analysis. However, the real differentiator lies not in data collection
but in interpretation.
Effective data management and analysis
are facilitated through the use of a common
platform such as SKF’s @ptitude Observer
software suite, which can integrate data from
mobile, 昀椀xed and connected measurement
systems, along with of昀氀ine information such
as lubricant analysis results and installation
and maintenance records. This enables trend
recognition and cross-correlation rather than
isolated signal review.
With expert interpretation, monitoring
moves beyond fault detection.
Image 6: Fan at UPM Schongau.
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