Mobil Delvac 1 ESP 5W-40 helps oil sands mining company extend oil drain intervals, improving productivity and reducing oil consumption for an annual savings of CAD $100,000

Objective: Extend maintenance interval on D11 T fleet to increase equipment availability

• Caterpillar D11 T Dozers
• Kearl oil sands, Alberta, Canada

Situation

Kearl oil sands operates a fleet of nine Caterpillar D11 T dozers. Utilizing Mobil Delvac 1TM ESP 5W-40, a synthetic heavy-duty diesel engine oil, the fleet operated with engine oil change intervals every 250 hours. The majority of oil changes were made in the field, leading to challenges in both exposure to equipment and product cleanliness. In an effort to improve fleet productivity and reduce downtime for routine maintenance, the company sought an alternative maintenance solution.

Recommendation

Working with the reliability team at Kearl, technical experts from Imperial Oil recommended that the company continue to use Mobil Delvac 1 ESP 5W-40 synthetic heavy-duty diesel engine oil and extend its oil drain intervals from 250 hours to 500 hours.

In addition, after reviewing the results of used oil analsysis, the team was confident in the oil’s ability to provide enhanced protection, minimizing exposure hours, reducing oil consumption and improving productivity.

Results

After extending drain intervals to 500 hours and continuing the use of Mobil Delvac 1 ESP 5W-40, Kearl reported an increase in productivity in its dozer fleet. This increase in production, along with a reduction in oil consumption has provided the company with an estimated annual savings of more than CAD $100,000. Not only has this change saved the company money, but it has provided an environmental benefit, reducing oil consumption and used oil waste by 10,000 liters per year.