A government in Southeast Asia launched a comprehensive program to automate all water gates in the country, a crucial step in modernizing its water management infrastructure. With over 1,000 water gates essential for regulating water levels and ensuring public safety, the initiative aimed to enhance operational efficiency. Following a presentation on the benefits of automatic lubrication and its potential integration into the future SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system, the government decided to include lubrication automation as part of this modernization effort.
MEMOLUB EPS
Automating lubrication for water gate infrastructure.
CONTEXT
PROBLEM
The scale of the water gate infrastructure posed significant challenges. With more than 100,000 lubrication points distributed across 17 sectors, managing lubrication manually was both impractical and unsustainable. Workforce shortages made it difficult to find, train, and supervise personnel to perform this critical task. Many water gates were located in remote areas, requiring long travel and walking distances for maintenance teams. The absence of proper oversight led to a lack of control over lubrication operations, contributing to frequent bearing failures, costly shutdowns, and, most critically, risks to public safety. Proper functioning of the water gates is vital to regulate water levels and prevent flooding, and the current system left too much room for error.
SOLUTION
The installation of Memolub EPS 240cc automatic lubricators provided a reliable and efficient solution. These systems were connected to the SCADA PLC system, allowing for centralized monitoring and seamless integration with the automated water gate operations. Divider blocks capable of serving 4 to 8 lubrication points ensured precise and equal delivery of lubricant to all critical components. The automatic lubricators were programmed to perform one expulsion of lubricant every hour during active water gate operation, maintaining consistent and optimal bearing performance. To ensure durability and reliability, additional protective enclosures were installed to shield the electrical wiring from environmental factors and outdoor exposure.
RESULT
After a year-long trial on selected water gate applications, the government confirmed the exceptional reliability of the Memolub systems. No failures were reported in either the lubricators or their applications during the trial period. The consistency and effectiveness of the solution demonstrated clear advantages, including improved operational efficiency and reduced maintenance challenges. Based on these results, the government decided to deploy Memolub systems across all water gates in the country. This decision ensures reliable and regular lubrication, significantly lowers maintenance costs, reduces downtime, and enhances public safety by guaranteeing the proper functioning of the water gate infrastructure.
