Contamination increases machine wear, but some plants rarely apply this knowledge in practice.The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how oil analysis, in conjunction with the proper breather and filter equipment, can improve plant conditions and reliability.
How to Begin Contaminant Control
Oil analysis is your most important tool for understanding and measuring contamination.Several techniques can increase the usefulness of oil analysis efforts. The most important step is target setting. Before you start your Oil Analysis Program, set clear goals and targets to avoid getting lost in a mountain of work and deliverables. Targets give you clarity on what activities to prioritize. Set your target for particle contamination before starting with proper lubricant storage, handling, and application procedures, and selecting the appropriate contamination control system for your assets.
Particle Contamination
Contaminants are much easier to identify than to manage. Simply setting contamination control as a goal and monitoring levels will not extend equipment lifespan you must take action to reduce them. You can create a cost-effective, practical contamination management strategy by combining proper training with the right equipment. Your machines may include a variety of components. Improved filters and better headspace breathers are two of the most common and successful options.
How to Pick the Right Desiccant Breather for Your Needs?
Desiccant breathers are great contamination control accessories for machines that would otherwise be breathing in dirty, wet air. These devices clean and dry the air that enters the machine, helping control the amount of water in the oil. You should also consider the environment in which the machine operates, as well as the volumetric flow rate. In severe environments with water spray and heavy dirt, choose a desiccant breather that can handle the expected contamination. It is better to provide extra protection than to skimp on quality to save money.
New oil does not always signify that it is clean
Because new oil is often unclean when it arrives, it is a common source of particle contamination. In many plants, workers frequently contaminate new oil when they dispense it into a dirty container, transfer it with unclean equipment, and pour it into the machine through a soiled funnel. Even non-filtered systems may frequently retain an acceptable degree of cleanliness by properly storing, filtering, and applying fresh lubricants.
Choosing the Right Filter
While oil contamination can take various forms, the three categories below address the vast majority of industrial issues:
- Dirt -The system is contaminated by dirt and solid contaminants that enter the system. Conceivable pollutants include metal chips; rust and wear products from seals, bearings, and gears; core sand from castings; weld spatter from welding; paint flakes from painted surfaces; and soot from diesel engines.
- Water – Condensation, cooler leaks, gland leakage, and seal leakage are the most bothersome sources of water.
- Sludge – This is formed mostly as the result of the oil itself oxidizing, particularly at high temperatures. Fine particles can accumulate and clog clearance areas, causing unpredictable functioning and sticking of hydraulic system valves and variable flow pumps.
Before choosing a suitable filter, consider the following:
1. Oil viscosity at working temperature, oil feed rate, and allowed pressure drop are all demands imposed by machinery components.
2. Expected Contaminant Size, Type, and Level – the rate at which environmental dust, metal chips, fly ash, wear particles, water, and/or other pollutants infiltrate and develop.
Many oil filtering devices use small cartridges with a flow capacity of three to five liters per minute (gpm). Designers add a set of smaller cartridges to a filtering unit to increase the permissible flow rates. The following characteristics might help you choose between these filter units and other options. These solutions can help you control and identify lubricant contaminants. For more help, you can contact our machinery lubrication consultants here.
Fine Filters–Oil Filtration Solutions
Offline oil filtering systems with integrated circulating pumps are available in the market for your filtration needs. Industry professionals widely recognize filters as highly effective systems for purifying hydraulic oil, lubricating oil, gear oil, quenching oil, phosphate esters, and other fluids. Manufacturers build and scale modular filter units to match client specifications, whether the required capacity is 2 liters or 200,000 liters.
CRE’s Lubrication Program Development
Building your Contamination Control Program can be challenging as it touches on the different practices in the plant. If you want to build your program and maximize returns, CRE Philippines can help. CRE Philippines follows Noria’s proven lubrication program development process. This approach provides a clear, structured plan that addresses all lubrication-related tasks and procedures. As a result, you can develop and implement a world-class lubrication program in weeks or months instead of years.
CRE’s Machinery Lubrication Training
Of course, in any program you want sustainability and longevity to reap the rewards and recover your investment. Training and educating your personnel will help ensure that they are equipped to perform lubrication activities the right way. Learn best practices for applying, managing, and implementing lubrication in your facility from Noria’s resource speaker in the Philippines. Complete this training and be an ICML certified Machine Lubricant Analyst Level I.