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The stunningly impressive Falkirk Wheel, which joins the Union and Forth & Clyde canals on the Scottish waterways system, is now using biodegradable Shell Naturelle HF-E 46 fluid to ease the motion of this giant boat lift.
The Falkirk Wheel is the centrepiece of the 125 million Euro ‘Millennium Link’, the UK’s largest canal restoration project developed by British Waterways to reconnect the Union Canal with the Forth & Clyde Canal, re-establishing east to west coast access for boats.
The Wheel is run by British Waterways which has resolved toensure that it does what it can to minimise pollution.The use of ShellNaturelle means that any accidental spillages are now rapidly brokendown by natural processes, without the Wheel having to compromise on performance.
In addition to providing hydraulic lubricants for the 1,500 ton, 35m high dual-boat lift, the three-year contract between Shell Lubricants and British Waterways will also see the Agency use ShellNaturelle HF-E 46 in its own contracted machinery and vehicles working in environmentally sensitive situations.
Shell won the business competing against a number of specialist lubricant suppliers and othermajor oil companies. The process was technically detailed and rigorous, with Shell Naturelle HF-E 46 having to meet and exceed multiple biodegradability tests.
Shell Naturelle HF-E is an advanced biodegradable hydraulic fluid for use in power transmission and hydraulic systemsworking in environmentally sensitive areas. Synthetic esters blendedwith a specially tailored additive system provide it with a balance ofbiodegradability, lubrication performance and compatibility with theenvironment.
“Shell Naturelle proved it can work well under stringent testing conditions and has demonstrated that an environmentally considerate oil can perform in the field, as well as meeting a company’ssustainability objectives,” said Robert Jackson, British Waterways M& E Engineer for the Falkirk Wheel, who has been closely associated with the Falkirk Wheel since it was commissioned in June 2003, and who also praised the partnership approach adopted by Shell Oil Products.
This collaborative approach of working with business partners is nothing new for Shell Lubricants as UK B2B Marketing Manager, Shell Lubricants, Andrew Gibson explained: “It would be easy for us to think ourjob was over once we had sold our products, but we realise that by working with our customers, we can ensure that they have the right lubricant for the right situation and their machinery runs at maximum efficiency with the protection needed.”
British Waterways operates in many sensitive areas such as forests and watercourses and any hydraulic machines now operated in places such as these will be using Shell Naturelle biodegradable lubricants.
The key requirements for an environmentally sensitive oil in these situations are high biodegradability,low ecotoxicity to plants and animals, and an excellent technical performance. The ideal biodegradable lubricant provides all the performance characteristics of its mineral oil equivalent. The Shell Naturelle range successfully solves these technical problems for most normal uses.
The fluids are broken down in soil or water by naturally-occurring microorganisms, fungi and bacteria to release energy, producing theultimate end-product of water, carbon dioxide, new microbial biomassand a small residue of indigestible substances.
“Spillages of anylubricant should always be actively prevented, however British Waterways now has the reassurance that the Falkirk Wheel, which receives over250,000 visitors a year, will keep turning smoothly, without once giving tourists anything but a graceful and picturesque ride,” added Mr.Gibson.
The Shell Naturelle range of fluids is created from a variety of base oils, for example vegetable oils and synthetic esters, whereas non-biodegradable fluids are usually made entirely from mineral oils. The range includes hydraulic oils, gear oils and greases.
As well as passing key biodegradability and ecotoxicity tests, the technical performance of Shell Naturelle has been established by recent trialscarried out in severe applications, such as wheel loaders. Shell Naturelle HF-E 46 meets the requirements of Swedish Standard SS 15 54 34 for ‘environmentally acceptable’ hydraulic fluids. After thousands of running hours the oils showed excellent performance in terms of protecting the hydraulic system and preventing pump wear.
Wheel Facts& Figures
•The Falkirk Wheel is 35m high, 35m wide and 30m long.
•Each gondola is 1.65m deep and always carries 300 tonnes, of water when empty, making a total weight of 400 tonnes. As a boat moves in, the equivalent weight of water moves out. This means that both gondolas are always perfectly balanced. It only needs two of the ten 7kw motors to turn the axle. Another two are needed to bring it to a gentlestop.
•There is room for up to four boats on each gondola, so it'spossible to move eight at once.
•The gondolas can accommodate thermal and solar movements, boats crashing into the gates, and even contain the ice if the water ever freezes solid.
•It replaces the 11 locks that linked the Forth & Clyde Canal to the Union Canal until 1933. It used to take boats eight hours to navigate the 11 locks used witha 45m height difference and 2km between the canals
•The boat lifttakes around 20 minutes to turn the half-turn needed to move a boat from one canal to the other. There is one lock from the Forth and Clydecanal up to the wheel, and two were built at the top to enter the Union Canal, so in effect only removing nine.
•The first wheel-based boat lift was proposed by a German engineer at the beginning of the century, though it was never built.
•The Falkirk Wheel is the world’sfirst rotating boat lift and the first boat lift to be built in Britain since Anderton Boat Lift in Cheshire (1875).
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