Synthetic vs Mineral

Should I use a synthetic oil in my equipment or just stick to mineral?

Check with your OEM first.

There are some OEMs that require a synthetic to be used but others that prefer mineral oils.

Typically, a synthetic oil (in industrial applications) tends to have longer operating hours compared to that of a mineral oil.

As such, lots of companies prefer to use synthetic oils as it leads to cost savings in the long term.

However, there are times when mineral oils are more cost effective.

For instance, if the component has to undergo maintenance (where the oil has to be drained) every 500 hours then it would not make sense to have a more expensive oil that lasts for 2000hours.

Before choosing whether mineral or synthetic, we need to do a cost benefit analysis of using both and then make an informed decision. If we can see savings by switching to a synthetic (such as energy, fuel or manpower savings) then this is definitely the way to go.

Industrial / Strategic Tips

Mixing viscosities

Can I mix different viscosities of oils to get the viscosity that I want?

It can be done but this is not an ideal situation.

There are times when the only available viscosity is an ISO 46 (on a rig) but the equipment requires an ISO 68 and the new stock will not be delivered in time to avoid shutdown. Can the ISO 46 be used instead?

An ISO 46 oil is lighter in viscosity than an ISO 68 however, for most oils, there is a chart that depicts the viscosity of the oil at operating temperature. In these cases, one can consult this chart and determine if the viscosity at operating temperature will still fall within operating limits.

If we mix an ISO 46 with an ISO 68 oil we cannot be certain of where the new viscosity will fall especially if we do not know the ratios that are being used. There is a viscosity calculator that can help guide this decision available at: https://www.widman.biz/English/Calculators/Mixtures.html

This can be used as a guide and the actual values of the oil should be verified via oil analysis.

While this situation is not ideal, we need to remember that compatibility is also key.

As such, we should stick with the same line of lubricants that we being used. Typically, lubricant suppliers have the same formulation but change the viscosities for lubricants of the same line.

Industrial / Strategic Tips

Stop production?

I can’t shut down the equipment but I know the oil has degraded significantly. What can I do?

Tough decisions!!!

There are times when production cannot be stopped such as when an order has to be fulfilled in a manufacturing facility. Before a decision is made, we need to understand the risks of not stopping production.

Can prolonged production cause a reduction in the overall quality of the final product or will it damage the equipment from working outside of its stipulated hours?

If we absolutely cannot shut down the equipment but the quality of oil has degraded, we need to firstly understand why the oil is degrading (especially if this is outside of its regular working hours).

Next, we need to identify which property of the oil has degraded, is it that the viscosity has increased / decreased, or the antioxidant levels have depleted significantly? By identifying the property that has degraded, we can choose the best way of replenishing this property.

Methods

There are a few methods that can be employed when trying to get the lubricant back to a healthy state however, as indicated above it is dependent on the property that has been degraded.

Cleanliness – if the ISO 4406 value has been increasing significantly this can hamper the performance of the lubricant. The clearances that the lubricant has to pass through can become blocked or the surfaces can experience an increased rate of wear.

One simple method of improving the cleanliness is through a kidney loop filtration system. This is an external system where the oil can be filtered through a filter cart and returned to the system.

Usually, this is a very effective method but one should investigate why the cleanliness values have become so high. Is it that the lubricant is being contaminated by the system, a process within the system or external factors?

Antioxidant levels – usually in turbines, this value decreases quickly especially if there is the presence of oxidation. Some users try to add antioxidants to their lubricant to increase the values. This is NOT recommended!!!

The composition of most turbine oils is 1% additive, 99% base oil. By adding any additive directly to the lubricant, we will be throwing the lubricant off balance and may induce other issues such as coagulation (clogged clearances) if the additive did not react well to the initial additives in the lubricant.

One of the easier ways of increasing the antioxidant levels without shutting down the machine is referred to as sweetening.

This process involves removing a percentage of the used oil (lubricant in the system) and then refilling the sump with new lubricant. The ratios can vary depending on the desired change in the antioxidant levels. It is important to note that the same lubricant should be used to ensure compatibility of the lubricants during the sweetening process.

Additionally, lab tests should be done frequently to monitor the changes in the antioxidant levels. The frequency of lab tests is highly dependent on the result turnaround time and budget available.

Automotive / Strategic Tips

TBN decrease

The TBN has dropped significantly, can I still use the oil?

The TBN (Total Base Number) is usually seen in diesel engines. Most modern (smaller) diesel engines have TBNs within the range of 9-15 (especially if they are using ULSD).

The TBN gets depleted when the acids in the oil start to increase.

Typically, higher sulphur levels in the fuel produce more acids. As such, as the sulphur level increases, so does the TBN level.

For instance, in power plants that use larger (older) diesel engines that require HSFO (High Sulphur Fuel Oil, 3.5% sulphur), the TBN of the lubricant can be as much as 50. Here are the different types of fuel and their sulphur ratings:

HFSO (High Sulphur Fuel Oil): 3.5%
LSFO (Low Sulphur Fuel Oil): 1.0%
ULSFO (Ultra Low Sulphur Fuel Oil): 0.1%

With IMO 2020, the cap has been placed on sulphur in fuel to 0.5% for marine vessels. While this cap has not yet been translated to land applications, due to the demand for HSFO declining there may be a shift to ULSFO in land based applications in the not so distant future.

Ideally, if your TBN level gets depleted by 50% then there is a cause for concern and the oil should be changed or topped up with new oil (depending on which is more convenient).

If your TBN levels get to 50% in a very short time, you may want to investigate the reasons behind the value dropping so significantly in such a short time (perhaps fuel dilution or thermal cracking?).

Always investigate the reasons behind unexpected results as these will continue to impact your lubricant in the future.

Automotive / Strategic Tips

Mixing oils

Can I mix hydraulic oils with engine oils?

Oils should never be mixed!

Every oil is designed with its application in mind. As such, they are blended with varying concentrations and types of additives. For instance, a typical engine oil has at least 30% additives while a turbine oil may have only 1% additive.

Hydraulic oils are designed for applications where power has to be transmitted through the lubricant. On the other hand, engine oils are designed to withstand varying temperatures (gasoline engines have a different temperature range compared to diesel engines. Diesel engines generally run at higher temperatures than gasoline engines).

Always pay particular attention to what the OEM recommends. Usually, the OEM will recommend that a lubricant meets a particular global standard (API SN or CK4). These standards were developed to ensure the best performance of an engine and should be adhered to when choosing lubricants.

Automotive / Strategic Tips

Multigrade vs Monograde

Why use multigrade instead of monograde oils?

A monograde oil does not provide the same level of protection on start-up as a multigrade oil.

With the multigrade oil, it is designed to reduce the time it takes to get from the bottom of the sump to the top of the engine (this is indicated by the number in front of the “w”).

However, the monograde oils have not been adapted for this type of technology. Thus, it takes longer to get to the top of the engine and to all the components compared to a multigrade oil.

Most wear occurs on start-up. Before we start the car on a morning, all of the oil is at the bottom of the sump, so it takes some time to get to the top and the other components. However, once we start the engine, all the parts will begin moving. If they are moving without any lubrication, then a significant amount of wear will occur!

Typically, when driving, we start the car, go to our destination and stop. Then come back and start the car again. During this time, the oil would have drained back to the bottom of the sump and now has to get back to the top. Before it gets to the components, these are still moving without lubrication, inducing wear! If we think of the number of times that we start and stop for the day (or for the month!), we will realize the amount of wear that we put our engines through.

Hence, this is one of the main reasons, that we choose multigrades over monogrades.

Automotive / Strategic Tips

Recommended oil – Automotive

What type of oil should I use in my car?

Always follow what the OEM recommends! A quick google search can help you find the required lubricant if you don’t have the owner’s manual.

Most modern vehicles use lighter weight oils compared to older vehicles. Let’s think about cars back in 1950. They were larger, with big engines. With a big engine, it would mean that the lines carrying the oil would be larger. Thus, a heavier oil (50 weight) would be the most appropriate.

Now, fast forward to cars today. The engines are smaller, (albeit with a lot more horsepower as well!). If the size of the engine has changed, then the size of the lines carrying the lubricant will change as well. These lines will get smaller. If the lines are smaller, then the liquid that has to flow through them, should be lighter (thinner).

We can use an analogy of a straw trying to pull up molasses.

With a large straw, we could pull up the molasses faster than with a thinner straw. This is similar to the older cars, they would have thicker “straws” (lines) that would have allowed them to adequately pump the lubricant.

In the newer cars, the straw has gotten thinner, so it can’t pull up the molasses anymore. If we tried to pull up water instead, it would definitely flow faster than the molasses and not have as much strain on the person pulling up the water (pump in the engine). Hence, lighter oils are used in modern cars.

Most recommendations can be found by contacting the OEM or even doing a bit of Google searching with the year of manufacture for the car and of course the model.

Lubricant Degradation / Reliability / Storage & Handling of Lubricants

ICML 55 – the revolution in the lubrication sector

What is ICML 55?

ICML 55 is revolutionizing the lubrication industry! It is so exciting to be around at this time when it has started its implementation. For those who aren’t aware of ICML 55, here are a couple of notes on it.

ICML 55 was born out of ISO 55000 which speaks to Asset Management. From this standard, 3 standards were developed to guide the lubrication industry since no previous standards existed within the lubrication industry.

ICML 55.1 - Requirements for the Optimized Lubrication of Mechanical Physical Assets
ICML 55.2 - Guideline for the Optimized Lubrication of Mechanical Physical Assets
ICML 55.3 - Auditors' Standard Practice and Policies Manual

ICML 55.1 has already been completed, while 55.2 should be done at the end of this year and 55.3 scheduled for 2020.

These are exciting times!

Here’s the official press release:

https://info.lubecouncil.org/2019/04/04/icml-introduces-icml-55-asset-management-standards-mle-engineer-certification/

While ICML 55.1 was only launched in April of this year (2019), it is a standard that the lubrication industry has been in need of for several years. It addresses the “Requirements for the Optimized Lubrication of Mechanical Physical Assets”.

What exactly are the assets covered? Here they are:

Rotating & Reciprocating Machines, Powertrains, Hydraulic Systems and lubricated subcomponents
Assets with lubricants that reduce friction, wear, corrosion, heat generation or facilitate transfer of energy
Finished products from API categories I-V
Non Machinery support assets (Personnel, policies, procedures, storage facilities and management)

There are also fluids and assets which are NOT covered:

Fuels, coolants, metal-working fluids, pastes, fogging agents, preservative fluids, coating materials, heat-transfer fluids, brake fluids, cosmetic lubricants
Solid lubricants (e.g., powders and surface treatments used as coating rather than to reduce friction between surfaces in motion)
Additives independent of the finished lubricant
Electrical transformer oils and anti-seize compounds
Fluids and materials derived from a petroleum or petroleum-like base
Fluids that do not serve a lubrication function

Photo Credit: https://info.lubecouncil.org/icml-55-standards/

ICML 55.1 speaks to the “Requirements for the Optimized Lubrication of Mechanical Physical Assets” it also describes and defines 12 interrelated areas that can be incorporated in a lubrication program. This has never been officially documented before, nor has any standard been published as a guideline for lubrication programs.

The 12 areas are outlined below:

SKILLS: Job Task, Training, and Competency
MACHINE: Machine Lubrication and Condition Monitoring Readiness
LUBRICANT: Lubricant System Design and Selection
LUBRICATION: Planned and Corrective Maintenance Tasks
TOOLS: Lubrication Support Facilities and Tools
INSPECTION: Machine and Lubricant Inspection
LUBRICANT ANALYSIS: Condition Monitoring and Lubrication Analysis
TROUBLESHOOT: Fault/Failure Troubleshooting and RCA
WASTE: Lubricant Waste Handling and Management
ENERGY: Energy Conservation and Environmental Impact
RECLAIM: Oil Reclamation and System Decontamination
MANAGEMENT: Program Management and Metrics

As per ICML's website, here's a list of people that the new standard can benefit:

Photo Credit: https://info.lubecouncil.org/icml-55-standards/

Check out the ICML 55 standards today and apply it to your organization!

Lubricant Degradation / Storage & Handling of Lubricants

Lubricant Deterioration Identifications

What the difference between Shelf Life and Service Life?

There’s a major difference between Shelf life and Service life especially when it concerns lubricants!

No one wants to put expired lubricants into their equipment! This can cause unexpected failures which can lead to unplanned downtime which can continue to spiral down the costly path of unproductivity!

Shelf Life

The Shelf life is usually what is stamped by the Manufacturer indicating the length of time the product can remain in its current packaging before being deemed unsuitable for use. These can typically be found on the packaging.

Service Life

The Service life however is determined by the application and conditions under which the lubricant is being used. Usually, estimated running hours / mileage are given by the equipment manufacturer in the maintenance section of the manual. (Condition monitoring can also be used to determine appropriate service intervals.)

However, how will someone know if the product has deteriorated while still in its original packaging? What should someone typically look for?

Above are some tips for identification of deterioration in lubricants. Take a note of these for the next time you are unsure of the integrity of your lubricants.

Lubricant Degradation

Thermal Degradation vs Oxidation

What’s the difference between Thermal Degradation and Oxidation of a lubricant?

The two major differences are the contributory factors and the by products that are produced.

For oxidation, both oxygen and temperature are critical to the degradation of the lubricant however, in thermal degradation, the temperature of the lubricant exceeds its thermal stability (usually in excess of 200°C).

Oxidation usually occurs through the release of free radicals which deplete the antioxidants however, Thermal Degradation consists of polymerization of the lubricant.

Oxidation produces aldehydes, ketones, hydroperoxides, carboxylic acids varnish and sludge. On the other hand, Thermal Degradation produces coke as the final deposit.

Tagged: lubricants

What is ICML 55?

What the difference between Shelf Life and Service Life?

Shelf Life

Service Life

What’s the difference between Thermal Degradation and Oxidation of a lubricant?