How to Implement Oil Analysis for a mixed fleet

Now that we understand the value that oil analysis can bring, we need to be able to implement it, especially in mixed fleets. It is critical to clearly define the objectives of this program to ensure that we can monitor the value that oil analysis brings to our operations.

Ideally, the main objective of this program is to be able to monitor the health of the assets and prevent or reduce the possibility of a major failure or unplanned downtime. While it would be great to monitor the health of all the assets, this may not be entirely necessary.

Assets can be broken down into three main categories: critical, semi-critical and non-critical. The critical assets are the pieces of equipment which if they fail, can negatively impact the business. Semi-critical assets are those which if they fail, may have some impact on the business while non-critical assets are those whose failure do not impact on the business.

Implementing Oil Analysis for a mixed fleet

Depending on the nature of the business or the operations / projects which are ongoing at any point in time, your critical assets can switch in terms of priority to become semi-critical or a non-critical asset. For instance, if there was a job which required the use of a crane, then this would be our critical asset. However, if there was a job which did not require the use of a crane, then this asset becomes non-critical.

If we were dealing with the manufacturing industry where there are stationary pieces of equipment and a standard procedure, then the criticality of assets will not change as compared to a mixed fleet operation where contractors may have different jobs and require varying pieces of equipment.

Now that we’ve identified the critical assets / pieces of equipment, the sampling frequency must be determined. For critical assets, these may require some specialty tests as we want to ensure that we are alerted at the earliest possible time about an impending failure.

(Bureau Veritas, 2020) provides some guidelines for oil sampling as per figure 4 below. However, the OEM guidelines should be adhered to once they exist. Even though the sampling intervals state 250 or 500 hours, these must be in accordance with the OEMs guidelines regarding maintenance as well.

Figure 5. Guidelines for sampling as per Bureau Veritas, 2020

Typically, some OEMs may require an oil change at around 500 or 1000 hours (depending on the unit). If we only take the oil sample at the end of the life of the oil, then we are monitoring and trending how the oil ages at this point in time. However, if we’re trying to extend the oil drain interval of a component, then we would need to develop shorter intervals to monitor how the health of the oil is progressing and if it can indeed last for a longer time. If we’re attempting to extend the oil drain interval, then this should be done at increments of about a quarter of the usual interval.

Find out more in the full article, "Oil Analysis - A Hidden Tool in your Utility belt" featured in Equipment Today Magazine by Sanya Mathura, CEO & Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd.

Used Oil Analysis

How to read an Oil Analysis report

While oil analysis can help our teams identify more information about the condition of the oil, we still need to ensure that they can read the oil analysis report and put measures in place to deal with the issues which may arise. In the example below, we will look through a typical diesel engine report as provided by ALS Tribology lab featured in STLE’s TLT magazine as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. First page of Diesel Engine oil report adapted from Rensselar, 2016

Most labs try to make it very easy for the report readers to assess the health of the oil, at a first glance. They usually implement a traffic light system where the status of the oil is highlighted. In this case, this oil has a normal rating indicating that the oil is still in good health and there isn’t anything to be concerned about yet as shown in Figure 2.

However, one of the main premises of oil analysis is the ability to spot trends over time and from this report, we can see that the oil may not have always been in a good condition as shown in figure 3. Each column represents an oil sample from a different date, so at a quick glance we can see that for two of the results, the oil was not in a good state whereas for the other results they remained in the normal region.

Figure 3: Changing condition of the oil

Figure 2: Current condition of the oil

One question that often gets asked is, “What is the normal region?”. Most oil analysis labs have collected data from OEMs which explicitly state the alarm limits for their pieces of equipment. As such, for each component, a lab should have matching data for alarm limits for the oil in that component. If none exists, then the lab may use a general industry guideline for these limits.

Therefore, if the actual value of the oil either exceeds or is below the limit, then this value will be flagged and the user notified. As seen in the report, there are basic sections into which these values are broken up, namely; metals, contaminants, additives and physical tests. Depending on the OEM, there will be different limits for these values.

However, our teams need to be able to identify what the presence or absence of the elements mean for different components.(Bureau Veritas, 2020) compiled a listing to help report readers understand this better as seen below.

Figure 4. Identify what the presence or absence of the elements mean for different components (Bureau Veritas, 2020)

Armed with this information, our teams can make more informed decisions. If they start seeing the quantity of Chromium increasing in their engines then this could be a sign of wear on the Liners and rings, shafts, valve train, bearings, shafts and gears, seals. Therefore, some investigations can begin on these components and possible wear can be addressed before the component gets damaged to the point that it can no longer function. Similarly, if they notice particular additives decrease over time such as zinc, then this could indicate that the antiwear additive is being depleted at a faster rate. These tables can guide report readers on what is actually occurring in their oils allowing them to properly plan for maintenance activities.

Find out more in the full article, "Oil Analysis - A Hidden Tool in your Utility belt" featured in Equipment Today Magazine by Sanya Mathura, CEO & Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd.

Used Oil Analysis

What is Oil Analysis?

When we think about the various tools available to our maintenance team, we often think about physical tools such as a screwdriver, wrench or possibly even a hammer (if used in the right circumstances!). However, we don’t think about some of the methods we could employ which can make our maintenance teams more efficient or our equipment more reliable.

One such method is oil analysis and while it may not be at the forefront of our minds when thinking about increasing the reliability of the fleet, its impacts can be very significant once utilized properly. In this article, we will talk about the implementation of oil analysis for a mixed fleet of equipment, the impact of this program and the ways that the success of this method can be measured.

What Is Oil Analysis?

If you’ve ever drained the oil from the sump of a diesel engine, then you would know that it’s a messy process. Typically, when this oil is drained, the mechanic can tell you a few things about what happened on the inside of the engine without going to a lab.

For instance, some mechanics may place a magnet in a sealed bag and drop this into the drained oil. When they remove the bag, if there are metal filings stuck to the outside of the bag with the magnet, then that means there is some significant wear occurring on the inside of the engine. Similarly, if there is a tinge of a rainbow colour on the surface of the drained oil, that could mean that fuel is getting into the oil system and there may be an issue with one of the fuel injectors.

While these methods may not be able to precisely tell us how much fuel or wear (or what type of wear metal was present), they do provide some indications of what’s happening on the inside of the equipment. This is where oil analysis can be the game changer for our mechanics and our teams leading the reliability initiative.

With oil analysis, we can accurately and quantitatively trend the presence or absence of certain characteristics of the oil and what it contains. In this instance, we are able to correctly identify the wear metals present in the oil and trend whether these values increase or decrease over time. This can help our mechanics to figure out exactly where the wear is coming from as they would be able to identify the parts of the engine which are associated with the increase in the particular wear metal from the report.

Additionally, they can become more aware of other important parameters such as viscosity or TBN (Total Base Number) which they would not have been able to quantify without oil analysis. They can also get information on the decreases in additives or increases in contaminants which can allow them to identify or troubleshoot these issues in advance.

Find out more in the full article, "Oil Analysis - A Hidden Tool in your Utility belt" featured in Equipment Today Magazine by Sanya Mathura, CEO & Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd.

Storage & Handling of Lubricants

What are the Benefits of Oil Consolidation?

There are many benefits to the consolidation of lubricants, but here are a few that stand out:

Reduced Cost of Inventory

For warehouses that stock many types of lubricants, there is a cost attached to holding these high stock levels, especially when the lubricants will not be consumed as quickly. However, with a consolidated stock, these levels can deplete at a faster rate than the specialty one or two lubricants, which may be used occasionally by certain assets. This helps to reduce the overall holding cost of the stock.

Reduced Human Error

With lubricants from many different suppliers, it is very easy for someone to get confused and use the wrong lubricant in the wrong application. This can lead to unplanned downtime and a possible flush of the entire system, depending on the level of cross-contamination. However, with a consolidated stock, the risks associated with humans utilizing the wrong lubricant become minimized.

Reduced HSE Risks

When removing a drum of oil from storage, a forklift may be required (depending on the location). If there were different products from various suppliers, it may be difficult to access the ones needed or may require extra work to remove the additional drums from the other suppliers before the operators gain access to the lubricant they need. With a consolidated stock, it would be easier to access the lubricant needed, and there would be less risk associated with removing it from stock.

There are various types of handling procedures associated with the different lubricants. As such, more procedures will be involved for disposing and handling various oils. This can also increase the HSE risk if someone is not fully aware of how to handle specific lubricants. With a consolidated stock, the HSE personnel will not have as many procedures to be aware of when handling these lubricants.

Reduced Operational Costs

Personnel would no longer be required to handle all the invoicing and payments of several lubricant suppliers for the various brands. This will reduce the hours the accounting department spends on the necessary paperwork and bank transactions for several vendors. Additionally, warehouse personnel will not be tasked with receiving products several times a day from the various suppliers and producing the accompanying paperwork. This can reduce the overall operational costs.

There are many benefits to the consolidation of lubricants, especially in our facilities, but it begins with understanding if we are using them in the correct application or if we’re using an over-specified lubricant in a lower-tiered application. Auditing your facility will assist in making this process easier, as noted above. We all have our role to play in consolidating lubricants to ensure that we have a safer, more efficient plant.

References

ASQ. (2024, October 19). What are the Five S’s (5S) of Lean. Retrieved from American Society for Quality: https://asq.org/quality-resources/lean/five-s-tutorial

Find out more in the full article, "Oil Consolidation Reimagined: The 5S Method for Smarter Lubrication Practices" featured in Precision Lubrication Magazine by Sanya Mathura, CEO & Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd.

Storage & Handling of Lubricants

What are the Other S Factors: The 5S Methodology?

The remaining 4 S factors can also be included in our journey to improve the overall quality of our approach to machinery lubrication. Once we have “Sorted” our lubricants by making sure we have what is necessary, we can move on to “Set these in order.”

In this step, we can ensure that all the types of lubricants are stored in a clean, dry, cool place away from water, direct sunlight, or drastic temperature changes. We can also observe the “FIFO” rules, where the first lubricant that enters the warehouse is also the first to leave and be used in the equipment. Additionally, we can have lists stating the assets in which the assigned oils are to be used and place matching tags on the equipment and dispensing containers to reduce mix-ups of the wrong lubricant being used.

The third “S” talks about “Shine,” which relates to keeping the work area clean. We can also apply this to our oils with the dispensing equipment, making sure we use clean, dedicated dispensing bottles, not the fancy, galvanized, open-top containers where someone showed off their welding skills. Those galvanized containers are huge sources of contamination, which will degrade our lubricants at a faster rate.

With the fourth “S”, the process of “Standardizing” is used. This was incorporated in the first “S” during our sorting session, where we grouped similar lubricants and standardized them for various applications.

The last “S” is to “Sustain” or make the 5S process a habit. This would involve performing audits every year to ascertain if any new lubricants entered the facility and if they, in turn, should be consolidated with others that perform the same function.

Find out more in the full article, "Oil Consolidation Reimagined: The 5S Method for Smarter Lubrication Practices" featured in Precision Lubrication Magazine by Sanya Mathura, CEO & Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd.

Storage & Handling of Lubricants

Let’s “Sort’ This Out: The 5S Methodology

When walking into many facilities, there are usually a lot of oil drums, buckets, or items used for lubrication scattered all over the facility. However, some facilities are fully equipped, nicely stocked, and have dedicated lube rooms. The first step in our process is determining what is needed and what is not.

In this case, the best place to start is with an inventory list developed by physically identifying the items on the plant. If this is the first time this exercise is being conducted, then it is critical to perform this check in person rather than rely on the information entered into the CMMS (if one exists). Sometimes, not all the information may have been captured in the CMMS when it was entered initially.

Let’s “Sort’ This Out The 5S Methodology

A good idea would be to divide the plant into various sections and perform your audit one section at a time. It would be ideal to note the following during your audit:

Name of the lubricant (for example, Turbo S4GX)
OEM (for example, Shell)
Viscosity grade (ISO 46)
Expiry date (use this opportunity to find out if you have expired lubricants in stock)
Quantity (use this opportunity to find out if the inventory levels are accurately reflected in your CMMS).

Armed with this information, we can correlate this to the equipment needing the associated lubricant. In this instance, we can compile an asset listing and assign which lubricants are used for the respective assets. With the asset listing, we should also identify the oil requirements for the specified component. This way, we can develop a table similar to Table 2 below.

Table 2: Sample table to compile asset and lubricant information

With the information collected in Table 2, we can easily sort through the lubricants we have in use and match them back to the requirements of the assets. This is where we can identify if we have duplicated products or products that serve the same function but are represented by different brands. This is the beginning of the consolidation process.

If you enter this information electronically, it will be easy to sort. You can group similar applications together and then compare the application’s requirements to the current lubricant. This will help you determine if you are using a highly specialized lubricant for an ordinary application or if the incorrect lubricant was used from inception!

This exercise will be fundamental in gauging your lubrication requirements and then allow you to consolidate some of the lubricants in use. For instance, if there are five different applications of gear oil and many types of oil, we would need to determine if all the listed lubricants are entirely necessary. See Table 3 below and determine if we need these five types of gear oil.

Table 3: Listing of various gear oils and their assets

We can begin with the types of oils listed; some have varying viscosities, while others are food grade, and the rest are not. We can include this in a summary table, as seen in Table 4:

Table 4: List of gear lubricants and their descriptions

Table 4 shows that GB 1005, GB-4005 & GB-4008 all require the same type of oil, a food-grade ISO 220 mineral gear oil. Then why do we have three different types of oils that match the exact description? We can consolidate this oil into just one food-grade ISO 220 mineral gear oil brand. Ideally, the choice will be based on the supplier relationship, the availability of the product, and other cost factors, including delivery to the site.

We can also see that GB-2009 and GB-3003 require a non-food grade ISO 460 oil; however, one is synthetic, and the other is mineral. In this case, we can review our asset specifications and determine if a synthetic was required or if a mineral oil is preferred for these applications.

In this case, we could be using a higher-specification product and paying a lot more when the asset does not require it. This decision could have occurred in the past when synthetic oil was the only available grade of oil for that component, and it was ordered from the supplier to keep the plant running. However, if we consolidate these two, then we could go with a regular mineral non-food grade ISO 460 oil for both applications.

By understanding our applications and where we’re using these oils, we’ve just cut down our list of 5 gear lubricants to 2 gear lubricants! These will be much easier to manage in our inventory than keeping track and ordering from 5 different suppliers.

Additionally, your staff will have less to worry about as they know which specific oil is for the ISO 220 grades and which one is for the ISO 460 grades, making it less complicated and reducing some human errors.

Find out more in the full article, "Oil Consolidation Reimagined: The 5S Method for Smarter Lubrication Practices" featured in Precision Lubrication Magazine by Sanya Mathura, CEO & Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd.

Used Oil Analysis

The Hybrid approach – Sensors & Labs

By Sanya Mathura (Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd) & Neil Conway (Spectrolytic)

The above offers some advantages of using these inline sensors but what really sets the FluidInspectIR apart?

Historical inline sensors have employed dielectric or impedance-based sensing. Impedance based sensing is slightly more advanced than dielectric sensing but still only measures a few electrical parameters such as oil resistance, capacitance and inductance which assist in detecting the polar molecules in the oil.

However, complex algorithms are usually used to convert the electrical data into a meaningful value such as TBN or develop a trend based on a dimensionless value. Laboratories use MIR Spectroscopy which is the same technology utilized by FluidInspectIR. As such, the data / results are given in the same units and accuracy as labs.

The FluidInspectIR technology analyses the spectra in the wavelength ranges which have a chemical meaning for the application in which the sensor is being used, such as turbine oils, EALs, gear oils, engine oils etc. This specificity in the MIR spectrum, coupled with several mechanical and electrical design features allow lab accuracy in the field.

Figure 4: Market validation and asset examples

The Hybrid approach

While the FluidInspectIR Inline sensors can provide actionable data required for preventive maintenance strategies, there are some parameters where a lab analysis would certainly be advisable. These are more specialized tests such as Air separation / Demulsibility or FZG loading tests which require some fairly complexed processes in which the oil has to stand for some time during the procedure or different loads have to be added until a particular characteristic is met.

With that being said, inline OCM technology has made significant advancements and the FluidInspectIR is currently considered state of the art providing lab equivalent data in real time. In addition, it is also capable of measuring nonstandard properties, such as oxidation by-products which can relate to varnish by-products or the potential to form varnish as well as monitor the quantity of antioxidants. The monitoring of these parameters could not have been done a decade ago as the technology simply wasn’t available.

The future of oil analysis will certainly be a hybrid approach where inline sensors continuously monitor the fundamental parameters and when limits are reached (either below or above), or the trending analysis shows a peculiar behavior, then specialized additional testing can be pursued using the lab infrastructure and expertise.

In this way, resources are conserved when the oil appears to be within its limits and functioning as it should. However, when these limits are reached and the component could be in danger, specialized resources will be deployed to ensure that the component does not suffer a fatality. The way forward for oil analysis is definitely a hybrid approach mixing the traditional with some of the cutting-edge technologies.

Bio:

Neil Conway – Applications Manager, Spectrolytic

Neil is the Applications manager for Spectrolytic where he develops and manages new and current measurement applications for all the product lines. Neil is also extensively involved in sensor characterisation, product development, customer training, and technical marketing.

Previously Neil has held Process Engineering positions in semiconductors with Motorola and Atmel and operated as Wafer Fabrication Manager with IR Sensor company Pyreos where he developed and commercialised the first thin film PZT IR sensor manufacturing line.

Neil is a chartered Engineer (CEng) and Scientist (CSci) and corporate member of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (MIChemE) and holds a BEng (Hons) in Chemical & Process Engineering from Strathclyde University.

Bio:

Sanya Mathura, REng, MLE

Founder, Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd

Sanya Mathura is a highly accomplished professional in the field of engineering and reliability, with a proven track record of success in providing solutions to complex problems in various industries. She is currently the Managing Director of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd, a leading consulting firm that specializes in helping clients improve their asset reliability and maintenance practices.

Sanya holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering as well as a Masters in Engineering Asset Management from The University of the West Indies and has over 15 years of experience in the industry. She has worked with several well-known companies and has been recognized for her exceptional work in the field of reliability and lubrication engineering. Her expertise in developing and implementing asset management strategies, risk assessments, and root cause analysis has earned her a reputation as a subject matter expert.

As the head of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd, Sanya leads a team of highly skilled professionals who provide a wide range of services to clients across various industries, including oil and gas, manufacturing, and transportation. Under her leadership, the company has expanded its services and is now recognized as a leading provider of reliability engineering services in the industry across the globe.

In addition to her work at Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd, Sanya is an active member of several professional organizations, including the International Council for Machinery Lubrication and writes technical papers for several organizations. She is also a sought-after speaker and has presented at various conferences and seminars on the topics of reliability engineering and lubrication. She is also an avid advocate for women in STEM.

Find out more in the full article, "Revolutionizing oil analysis: Traditional vs Cutting edge Technology" featured in Engineering Maintenance Solutions Magazine by Sanya Mathura, CEO & Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd & Neil Conway (Spectrolytic).

Used Oil Analysis

Emerging technology – FluidInspectIR®

By Sanya Mathura (Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd) & Neil Conway (Spectrolytic)

Spectrolytic’s FluidInspectIR-Inline is a comprehensive fluid monitoring system that uses an array of sensors (MIR, OPC, wear, viscometer, conductivity) to provide real time data on oil and fluid degradation parameters. At the heart of the system is a novel mid-infrared (MIR) sensor that measures the chemical composition of the fluid with parameters such as; TAN, TBN, ipH, oxidation, sulphation, nitration, water, glycol, soot, fuel dilution and additives. These can be measured, as a first in the field, with the same accuracy and in the same units as conventional labs.

There are a couple of areas where the FluidInspectIR can offer advantages as compared to traditional oil analysis. Here are a few of them:

Real Time Monitoring and Faster Results – with these online monitoring devices, users can readily get data throughout the day without waiting for the sample to be taken, shipped to a laboratory and then tested there. This significantly reduces the time between making decisions which could negatively impact the equipment’s performance. Within our industry, this time is absolutely critical as the cost of unplanned downtime for the affected assets can be millions of dollars.

Cost-Effectiveness – every time a sample is taken, there is a cost involved. The sample taking process is usually quite lengthy as often permissions have to be obtained since more organisations are trying to reduce potential health & safety risks by minimizing human-machine interactions.
Once a sample has been obtained it needs to be shipped to a laboratory. This not only has costs attached to it, but many couriers are now making it very difficult to ship oil samples. In addition, each shipment of a sample carries also an implied CO₂ footprint.

Figure 1: Comparison of different routes of oil sampling

As shown in figure 1 the resulting cost savings from utilizing real time inline sensors compared to other methods can be summarized as follows:

Human assets can be utilized more effectively without allocating time for them to take oil samples
Trend analysis based on real time; laboratory equivalent data allows the end customer to move from a time-based maintenance process to a data driven maintenance process
Early failures can be spotted very easily and unplanned down time, the nightmare of every asset manager, can be minimized
Oil drain intervals can be extended in a safe and controlled manner which can result in significant operational efficiency gains and reduced CO₂ footprint

Accuracy and Reliability – getting an accurate representative sample using conventional oil sampling methods can be challenging at times. If the sample is taken at the wrong point (right after the filter or at a dead leg), it might not be representative of what is happening on the inside of the equipment. As such, it can completely derail the trend being established for that component and allow the users to believe that something is terribly wrong with that component.

With the FluidinspectIR online monitoring system, the sample delivery to the sensor is automated and standardized ensuring that the sample is delivered to the sensor in the correct way every time. Therefore, the users can rest assured of getting the sample taken at the right location (ensuring a proper representation of the system), at the same location (ensuring an accurate trend of the data) and with the same technique (which completely avoids any variation from human operators).

As the FluidInspectIR uses mid-infrared spectroscopy which is identical to the technique used by laboratories (FTIR), the data provided by the FluidInspectIR system has, at least, the same accuracy as those produced by a laboratory as shown in figure 2 below.

Figure 2: Comparison of the FluidInspectIR technology to periodic oil checks using a laboratory (red circles)

Actionable data and improved maintenance – with real time data, failures can be prevented and major unplanned downtime eliminated. With the online monitoring system, it is easier to trend an increase in wear metals, change in viscosity, water ingress or any other parameter changes which would warrant some form of maintenance intervention. This provides users with the information they need at the right time without any further delays due to shipping of samples or an inaccurate sample being sent off as shown in the case study in figure 3 where a diesel engine on a dredging vessel saw spiked concentrations of water that coincided with the vessel being moored in harbour. With the quick action of the inline sensors, they were able to save £115k over 9 months.

Figure 3: Case Study for Diesel engine customer

Data Integration and Remote Monitoring – traditionally, oil analysis results lived in databases which could be accessed electronically, or they were emailed and stored in a filing system. But these results are only available after a sample has been taken and sent off to the lab. This is how FluidInspectIR takes it a step further where assets can also be monitored remotely, in real time.

Imagine being able to monitor the conditions of a particular component while being offsite or multiple components for various sites. This can be particularly useful when trying to troubleshoot an issue related to a system process, especially across sites. This is one area that traditional oil analysis would not be able to mimic as the sample may not be taken at the exact same time as the ongoing system process therefore not allowing a correlation.

Of particular importance is the ability to trend data across multiple assets. This can be critical if there is a significant environmental factor influencing the condition of the oil which may affect many of the components in the fleet. Being able to easily and quickly detect this can be the difference between a productive day and one that has gone into unplanned downtime.

Find out more in the full article, "Revolutionizing oil analysis: Traditional vs Cutting edge Technology" featured in Engineering Maintenance Solutions Magazine by Sanya Mathura, CEO & Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd & Neil Conway (Spectrolytic).

Used Oil Analysis

Revolutionizing oil analysis: Traditional vs Cutting edge technology

By Sanya Mathura (Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd) & Neil Conway (Spectrolytic)

In our last article we focused on the question of whether oil analysis was still relevant today? While this is an age-old process, the benefits of oil analysis still continue to live on today although the methods involved have significantly evolved since its inception. In this article, we will do a deeper dive into the traditional methods of oil analysis versus some of the new cutting-edge technologies which exist today and whether we may see a replacement of one method over the other or a union moving forward.

If you’ve ever performed an oil analysis you know that this process follows certain standards which are listed in the report. These standards govern the world of oil analysis and form the basis of how these tests are executed. There are committees dedicated to revising these standards to ensure that they are still relevant to the applications of today, one such committee falls under the ASTM body (American Society for testing and Materials).

Revolutionizing oil analysis Traditional vs Cutting edge technology

Equipment has changed over time where oil sumps have become smaller but now produce more power. Oils are under more stress as they are expected to perform at higher temperatures under elevated environmental conditions and still protect the equipment. Global oil manufacturers work together with OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) to ensure that the oils developed can work with their components in these increasingly harsher conditions. But what constitutes an oil “working properly”?

This is where oil analysis / sample testing plays a crucial role. Oil analysis tests have been standardized through authorized committees to ensure that the same test can be performed in different parts of the globe using the same procedures. This ensures that there can be a fair comparison of the results of these tests across the globe. These tests should also be repeatable (or get the same results every time they are performed).

Typically, these tests are usually carried out in a laboratory environment, using state of the art equipment to achieve / maintain the required standards. However, sample taking, sample shipping and other human factors often result in misleading and / or extremely delayed reporting of the results. This is where emergent technology can alleviate some of these challenges.

Find out more in the full article, "Revolutionizing oil analysis: Traditional vs Cutting edge Technology" featured in Engineering Maintenance Solutions Magazine by Sanya Mathura, CEO & Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd & Neil Conway (Spectrolytic)

Storage & Handling of Lubricants

How Do We Prevent Contamination?

Contamination exists all around us, but we must prevent its intrusion into our lubrication systems to help keep our machines alive for a longer period. Some simple steps can be performed to help reduce levels of contamination. Also, lab tests can identify the presence of contaminants.

Storage & Handling

Unfortunately, this is the area in which many of the contaminants enter the lubricant. There is no discrimination in this area because all solids, liquids and gases can easily contaminate the lubricant.

Some best practices to follow are to first ensure that all lubricants are properly labeled and that everyone on the team knows the different uses for each lubricant. While this may seem simple, some people think that “oil is oil,” and any oil can work. Educating them on the differences and their effects of being mixed is critical to ensuring that they don’t get mixed up (or used as a contaminant to another lubricant).

Typically, with construction equipment, a lot of smaller sumps do not require a full pail of oil or may require an odd volume of oil. This often means that new unused oil either remains in the original packaging or is transferred to a holding container. If the new oil remains in the original packaging the user should ensure that the packaging remains sealed after use; is airtight (not to allow any other particles in); and stored in a cool, dry place.

If it is decanted into another container, this container needs to be:

Clean (not previously used for another oil, not “cleaned” using fuel or some other substance)
Properly capped (to prevent any contaminants from entering)
Kept in a cool, dry place

Filtration

While this may seem trivial, lots of users assume that their new lubricants meet the required cleanliness standards for their machines. This is not true. New lubricants can be dirty and should be filtered before use. The filtration specification will vary depending on the cleanliness required for your machine.

For instance, the cleanliness specification for a hydraulic machine will be different from that of the engine oil specifications because hydraulics have closer clearances. Although many machines contain system filters which will also catch some of the contaminants, it is always a best practice to filter all lubricants before placing them in your system.

Oil Analysis

Oil analysis is not a likely method to prevent contamination, but it can inform end users of the presence of contaminants. Because of this benefit, it should be used to monitor the level of contaminants in a lubricant and trend their increase or decrease over time. This can spot whether a leak in the system, if a correlation between wear and contaminants exists or an anomaly is present in the system.

The tests that should be used to identify the presence of contaminants include:

Viscosity (to determine if there is change in this value)
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
Elemental (to identify wear metals, additives and contaminants)
Karl Fischer or crackle for the presence of water or fuel

Elemental analysis can easily help identify the presence of wear metals or contaminants, but it can also identify the presence of additives that are not representative of the oil in use. This is a good way of identifying the presence of an incorrect lubricant or solution that may have been used during a top up for that component.

Example

A mixed fleet operator began noticing that the jobs allocated to the excavation crew were taking twice as long as usual, and the costs associated with those jobs for materials also increased. He decided to tag along with the site manager for one of these projects to understand the escalation of the hours and costs.

At the site, the project began smoothly and ran as it should for the first two weeks. Afterwards, he noticed that the equipment began experiencing some downtime on the site. Typically, this occurred on the day after the site maintenance crew carried out their lubricant top ups.

The lubricants were being stored in the elements close to a makeshift shed that held some other necessary tools. The maintenance crew did not have smaller containers to decant the oils for the hydraulic equipment, so they used their disposed soda bottles to “help.” Any lubricant that remained in the bottle was left open to the atmosphere, and then this was topped up by the new lubricant.

Unknowingly, these users were contaminating their oil before placing it in the machines. This led to the unplanned downtime and extra resources, such as more oil, filters and hours for the mechanic. Immediately, proper storage and decanting containers were purchased. The onsite staff was trained in using these containers, which were also color coded to avoid the mixing of different lubricants.

The allocated time for these jobs returned to normal. In addition, the costs associated with the materials decreased because they no longer had to purchase extra oil to make those oil changes when the equipment shutdown.

Contamination can have a significant impact on the downtime of your equipment but can be easily prevented by using proper storage and handling techniques and monitoring the presence/absence of particles through oil analysis.

References

SKF, (June 6, 2024). Solutions for Contamination. Retrieved from SKF: https://www.skf.com/group/industries/mining-mineral-processing-cement/insights/solutions-for-contamination.

Find out more in the full article, "Is oil Contamination Affecting the Performance of your Equipment" featured in Equipment Today Magazine by Sanya Mathura, CEO & Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd.

Tagged: engineering

What Is Oil Analysis?

References

The Hybrid approach

Storage & Handling

Filtration

Oil Analysis

Example

References