Dubbed the Energy Innovations for Mining Operations Forum, gas technology and energy leader Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. brought together local and multinational players as well as key mining industry stakeholders in highlighting the benefits of current product innovations relevant to their needs.  

With the forum, Shell underscores the increasing importance of high-quality fuel and lubricant products to address business needs and challenges in the mining industry—helping operators keep heavy equipment more efficient, last longer and produce less carbon dioxide emission, ultimately saving fuel and money.

“We want you to know what Shell has done to answer your specific business needs,” Shell Commercial Fuels Country Business Manager Ramon Vergel de Dios told mining executives attending the event held recently at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel.

The forum saw Shell experts from the Philippines and other countries present the advantages of diesel fuel, engine oil and lubrication products specially developed by Shell scientists for consumers, namely the Shell FuelSave Diesel, Shell FuelOil Plus, Shell RIMULA Heavy Duty Diesel Engine Oil, Shell TELLUS Hydraulic Oil, Shell GADUS Grease and Shell TACTIC EMV Automatic Single Point Lubricator. Actual product demonstrations were also held in different breakout sessions during the day-long forum.

Shell developed the products in partnership with miners throughout the world and forum participants can also collaborate with Shell to do the same, according to Sendy Soeriaatmadja, Shell’s global mining sector manager for lubricants and fuel, who spoke on Shell’s technology leadership in the industry.

“Who knows, one of these days, you, as our partners can be part of the development of our products directly,” said Soeriaatmadja.

Meanwhile, Shell global technology advisor Foong Sook Peng spoke on the advantages of Shell FuelSave Diesel, Shell’s premium grade automotive diesel fuel suitable for heavy duty vehicles. “Shell FuelSave Diesel helps you improve your fuel economy and ultimately bring down your overall operating cost,” she said, claiming recorded fuel savings of up to three percent.

Foong detailed the merits of Shell FuelSave Diesel’s unique formulation which enhances detergency, and keeps injector nozzles clean for optimum fuel combustion and improved engine power. It has anti-corrosion additive that minimizes rust formation in a vehicle’s fuel system. It also separates moisture in the diesel formed by weather and temperature changes, to prevent rust and growth of microorganisms inside the fuel tank. It contains a form inhibitor which can help to reduce foaming, allowing faster refilling, more fuel in the tank and less risk of spillage.

Foong also presented the Shell FuelOil Plus, a premium grade industrial fuel for boilers, furnace and stationary power engines that helps promote fuel efficiency and reduce black smoke emissions.

Ian Martin, competence manager for Shell engineers, explained during the breakout session on greases that the bearing of a 700-ton excavator lasts only 35,000 hours or half the life of the entire machine and replacing it will cost around $250,000. He said the bearing performance can be extended to the life of the machine using Shell Gadus grease, one of Shell’s 3,000 lubricants for the automotive, heavy duty transport, mining, power generation and general engineering sectors.

“You don’t have to stop the machine for its whole life and it saves the customer some serious money,” illustrated Martin.

In the same session, Shell product application specialist Brett Hearn and Shell partner Shalin Patel of Perma Technologies presented the Shell Tactic EMV lubricant technology for conveyor pulleys, pumps, fans, electric motors.

“The challenges of manual lubrication are you have to be there on time to regrease, make sure you don’t over-lubricate or under-lubricate, and make sure you’re using the right type of grease. Shell Tactic EMV eliminates all these risks. It will work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It never stops on a holiday, is never sick, sits in a single lubrication point and will deliver fresh grease everyday for a set period of time,” boasted Patel.

Patel added that the automatic lubricator is better than using a grease gun because the grease is not exposed to dust and dirt, contaminants which cause bearing failure. It is also safer than manual lubrication when the lubrication point in the mining plant is inaccessible or dangerous to workers. Hearn added that the battery-powered Shell Tactic EMV is better than its gas-powered counterparts, whose function and grease component are affected by temperature changes.