New Industrial Gear Oil Range from Shell

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Shell lubricants companies have launched a revitalized range of mineral and synthetic industrial gear oils for the U.S. market. Shell Omala, Shell Omala HD, and Shell Tivela S gear oils have been specially formulated to help prolong gear life and reduce unscheduled downtime, which can help industrial companies reduce their overall operating costs.

The revitalized range of Shell gear oils has been developed to meet the challenges placed on modern gear systems, which are becoming increasingly sophisticated, smaller, and designed to run longer. In a recent survey conducted by Shell of U.S. industrial companies, 50 percent of respondents said that industrial gearboxes were one of their most critical components, while 30 percent said that they had experienced a lubricant-related gearbox failure within the last 12 months.

Darren Cross, Shell’s Industrial Lubricants Sector marketing manager, says that "Today’s industrial environment is more demanding than ever, with trends toward smaller equipment and commercial pressures to raise throughput. The result is that equipment needs to be able to run at higher operating temperatures, handle increased loads, and cope with exposure to water and other contaminants. In these tough conditions, operators need a gear oil that is designed to tackle the problems that can affect operational efficiency. Shell has invested heavily in lubricants R&D to ensure that we can provide a revitalized range of gear oils for the U.S. that meets these new challenges."

New Shell Omala, which has been reformulated for the U.S. market, is a mineral-based gear oil suitable for highly loaded gearboxes operating under normal temperatures. Approved by key OEMs, and with excellent gearbox protection properties, Shell Omala addresses the needs of industrial applications in normal operating environments. It has been designed to help extend component and oil life and has excellent water separation properties, which is critical for operations in wet environments such as steel, mining, and paper mills.

Shell Omala HD has been reformulated to offer even better performance for increasingly harsh industrial environments. It is a high performance synthetic oil based on poly-alpha-olefin (PAO) and specially selected additives. Shell Omala HD has improved thermal and oxidative stability, which minimizes sludge formation and viscosity increases, to help increase oil life and reduce maintenance costs, while its excellent anti-wear performance offers longer gearbox life in steel-on-steel applications. Designed to provide excellent low friction properties, it reduces power losses and lowers operating temperatures, contributing to energy and cost saving benefits compared to gear oils manufactured from mineral base oils.

Shell Tivela S is a high performance synthetic gear fluid based on polyalkelene-glycol (PAG) technology and specially selected additives, designed for use in enclosed, sealed-for-life, or worm-helical gear units operating at higher temperatures. Used successfully overseas and approved by many leading European OEMs, Shell Tivela S is now available in the United States. "The development of Shell Tivela S focused on helping operators reduce operating costs while maintaining high levels of performance," Cross says. "Shell Tivela S has a very low friction co-efficient, which leads to reduced power losses and lower energy consumption when compared to mineral oils, while improving mechanical efficiency and reducing operating temperatures. Its excellent thermal and oxidative stability inhibits sludge formation and viscosity variations to help provide longer service life and reduce maintenance requirements." Used in the field, a Tivela S customer documented lower energy costs after switching to Shell Tivela S.

The new Shell industrial gear oil range is available in a wide variety of packaging and viscosities and is supplemented by an extensive choice of support services, including oil analysis. As a global leader in finished lubricants, Shell has over 60 years of expertise in the gear oil market. With ongoing liaison, testing, and research in close association with world-leading gear OEMs–and in compliance with all major international quality standards, including AGMA and U.S. Steel–the Shell industrial gear oil range will continue to "keep gears in motion" for many years to come.

To learn more call Patricia Singer, Shell Media Relations, SOPUS Products, at (713) 546-4833.