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Oil Contamination:
How to Reduce Lubrication and Maintenance Costs
Modern Lubrication Strategies for Industrial Reliability
With today’s ever increasing operating costs and escalating environmental pressures, it is becoming imperative that we change outmoded lubrication practices.
Fortunately, you can extend the working life of lubrication oils by many fold, often indefinitely – simply by implementing a proper maintenance program. In fact, oil is no different to any other part of machinery; if you service it regularly, it will last longer. Furthermore, maintaining your oil in a pristine condition directly benefits your machine life by drastically reducing component wear.
Three Key Steps to Optimise Lubricant Life:
To get the most out of your industrial fluids, you must take a systematic approach. Specifically, there are three critical steps to optimization.
- Implement a routine oil analysis program
- Identify the specific type and source of contamination affecting your oil
- Eliminate or reduce contamination through improved site housekeeping
- Filter your oil as required to remove all types of wear debris and moisture
Step 1: Implement an Oil Analysis Program
Your very first step in lubrication management is to implement a quality oil analysis program. Consequently,this allows you to determine the exact types and severity of contamination affecting your equipment. Once you are aware of what is contaminating your oil, you can then easily identify the source of the contamination and eliminate or reduce it to manageable levels. Often, a few simple adjustments in storage, dispensing and daily operations can make an enormous impact on contamination – particularly regarding dust and water. Therefore, it can be highly beneficial to have an expert consultant inspect your site to help optimise your on-site systems and housekeeping functions.
Step 2: Use Data to Guide Your Maintenance Schedule
The test results of your oil sample analysis will clearly indicate whether the lubricant you are using remains suitable for the application. Naturally, If you want to extend your oil life indefinitely, you must start with a high quality oil that is proven to withstand your specific operational environment.
As a result, you can completely forget about changing out your oil on a strict, pre-determined calendar schedule. Instead you simply take an oil sample at the appointed time. The analysis report will then inform you whether the oil is suitable for continued use. If the oil is found to be heavily contaminated, targeted filtration will be recommended.
Step 3: Choose the Right Oil Purification System
There are many things to consider when choosing an oil purification system to best suit your requirements. However, if your primary goal is to reduce your overall lubrication and maintenance spend, the most economical style of filtration is an oil centrifuge/vacuum dehydration system. The centrifuge has been an industry standard for decades because it is well proven, highly efficient, and requires absolutely no replacement filter elements. Instead, you just remove the contamination that collects in the bowl, re-assemble the unit, and continue using. Simultaneously, the vacuum function degasses the oil and removes all 3 forms of water contamination to the lowest levels achievable.
Benefits of Centrifuge/ Vacuum Dehydration filtration:
- Continuous Operation: They can operate on a dialysis basis while your machinery remains fully operational
- Versatility: They clean diesel and all grades of oil from light hydraulic fluid to heavy gear oils, at full flow rates
- Precision: They efficiently remove wear particles down to sub-micron sizes
- Moisture Control: They target all types of water including free, emulsified & homogenised
- Superior Cleaning: They clean systems to much higher standards than a standard oil change
- Portability: The units are fully portable for on-site deployment
Partner with Clean Oil Services
If you are interested in learning more about how to save on your lubrication expenditure while increasing machinery reliability, we can help.
Contact Clean Oil Services today to speak with our technical team about optimising your fluid life and reducing your environmental impact.
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