Oil talks, but do you listen?

As modern machinery has evolved so has the lubrication of these systems. Today, an increasing demand is put upon lubricants in terms of operating temperatures, loads and performance. The oil film for components is only a few micron thick making it invisible to the naked eye therefore it is essential to control contamination effectively.

Contamination control is defined as the planning, organising, managing and implementing of oil activities to determine, achieve and maintain specified contamination goals.  When these goals are not met corrective action needs to be taken.  For the machine owner and operator lower contamination levels means longer lifetime – not only for the lubricant but also the components it serves and protects.  By definition contaminants are anything in the oil, however, there are three basic types of contaminants:

•   Solid particles – dirt, silicon, iron, copper etc.

•   Moisture

•   Soft particles – caused by heat, air, moisture (varnish)

With the basic understanding of contaminant types and their source it becomes possible to set up an effective contamination control programme.

Monitor cleanliness

An effective contamination control programme should be introduced to regularly monitor the oil’s condition and this will also offer an insight into the component and machine condition. Oil monitoring can be accomplished on site, however, an experienced accredited laboratory is recommended. Oil sampling procedures should be carried out by trained personnel to ensure representative samples during machinery operation are consistent and a machine history can then be started. Further samples can then be structured into a sampling regime set by all parties. The results should then be collated and reports issued to the customer.

Reaching targets

Achieving any type of goal requires that we take action. Firstly reduce contaminant ingression, follow good housekeeping practice in storage, handling and disposing of lubricants.  Ensure they are maintained clean and dry and avoid cross contamination. Use filtration systems to clean and dispense oil to machinery. If possible, the correct breathers should be fitted to machinery. If systems prove to be contaminated, fit an improved filtration oil purifier to achieve desired cleanliness.

Benefits

The benefits of improving oil cleanliness include:

•   Increased machine and bearing lifetime

•   Longer oil life service

•   Reduced lubricant consumption

•   Reduced waste

•   Improved environmental impact

Oil Contamination Control is an essential part of an effective machine maintenance programme.  It provides what is perhaps the single greatest opportunity for gains in terms of reliability and life extension. Significant savings are achieved through longer oil and component lifetime.  The relationship between lubrication quality and maintenance costs is universally proportional.  It has been proved time after time that financial gains are made when oil quality and cleanliness levels are improved. Given the damage contamination can cause to machinery, controlling it is well worth the effort.