One of the world’s largest global diversified natural resource companies has standardised on FUCHS’ RENOLIT CSX ULTRA across all its heavy mobile equipment, following extensive testing. The calcium sulphonate complex grease is now being blended locally by FUCHS LUBRICANTS SOUTH AFRICA for its extensive mining customer base, reveals Dave Gons, Mining Export Technical Export.

“RENOLIT CSX ULTRA rom FUCHS is a grease capable of meeting and exceeding all major mining OEM grease performance criteria at a sustainable cost,” says Gons. It is in line with changing maintenance practices as mining operations push to reduce the number of products used on-site.

A simple lithium grease has a typical dropping point of about 190°C, which is the temperature at which it transitions from a semi-solid to a liquid. However, a lithium complex grease can withstand even higher temperatures, with a dropping point of up to 260°C.

“Calcium sulphonate greases have superior high-temperature performance,” notes Gons. Their dropping point and high-temperature life are superior to that of lithium greases, allowing them to operate at elevated temperatures.

They also perform better than lithium grease in terms of oxidation resistance, making them much more stable under challenging conditions. Another benefit is higher mechanical stability compared to lithium greases.

Thus, they are less prone to leakage and runout during operation. They also act as a natural rust inhibitor, whereas lithium complex greases often require additional rust-inhibiting additives. The ongoing shortage of lithium also makes them much more expensive to produce.

“RENOLIT CSX ULTRA from FUCHS offers several advantages, particularly in the context of sustainability and rising lithium prices,” notes Gons. It performs well even at elevated temperatures, making it idea for arduous applications such as mining.

It maintains its consistency even in the presence of water, which is crucial for mining equipment that is often exposed to chemically treated water or other process fluids. In addition, RENOLIT CSX ULTRA resists breakdown or shear and retains its consistency under operating conditions with high water contamination.

It provides robust protection against wear and extreme pressure for enhanced equipment longevity. The optimised base oil viscosity ensures a thicker lubricant film to protect against shock loading, heavy loads, and boundary lubrication. It also guards against corrosion, especially in harsh environments.

“In mining applications in particular, RENOLIT CSX ULTRA provides excellent extreme pressure protection by forming a durable lubricating film. It reduces wear and extends the life of critical components such as pins, bushes, slew gears, and slew bearings,” explains Gons.

Other applications are heavily loaded roller bearings and plain bearings in rotating, oscillating, and sliding contact pins on excavators, rope shovels, loaders, dozers, and haul trucks – all which require a multipurpose grease, whether in mining or construction, which means a single product can be used effectively to cover an entire fleet.