Hot Oil Flushing – Hire, Purchase or On-Site Service
Clean the system — not just the oil.
Clean Oil Services designed and manufactures the FLUSHMASTER range of mobile hot oil flushing equipment for industrial oil and lubrication systems. Our FLUSHMASTER units are engineered to circulate heated oil at high flow rates, creating the turbulence needed to dislodge contamination from internal surfaces, pipework and lubrication circuits. Combined with high-efficiency filtration and specialised vacuum dehydration, the process helps remove contamination that conventional oil filtration alone cannot address.Primarily developed for gas pipeline compressor flushing, FLUSHMASTER equipment is also suitable for a range of other industrial flushing applications, including hydraulic systems, large lubrication systems, mining equipment and marine applications.
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Clean Oil Services offers three options:
- On-site flushing service: Our experienced technicians can undertake the flushing programme at your facility.
- Equipment hire: Hire a FLUSHMASTER unit for your own project.
- Equipment purchase: Purchase a FLUSHMASTER unit for your ongoing industrial flushing requirements.
The FLUSHMASTER Hot Oil Flushing System
FLUSHMASTER Units are Clean Oil Services’ specialised mobile hot oil flushing range, developed and tested for demanding industrial applications. The equipment combines high-volume oil circulation, controlled heating, filtration and vacuum dehydration in an integrated mobile unit.
The FLUSHMASTER range comprises two different models. Actual configuration and operating specifications depend on the selected model and application.
Key Capabilities
How Does Hot Oil Flushing Work?
Hot oil flushing is a controlled cleaning process used to remove contamination from the internal surfaces of industrial oil and lubrication systems.
Unlike conventional filtration, which primarily removes particles suspended in circulating oil, hot oil flushing is designed to dislodge contamination that has settled or adhered to internal surfaces.
The process combines three important factors:
Heating reduces oil viscosity and helps establish the required flow characteristics through the system.
High-volume circulation creates the flow velocity and turbulence required to dislodge contamination from pipework, internal surfaces and lubrication circuits.
As contamination is released, the circulating oil passes through filtration equipment to remove particulate matter. Vacuum dehydration can also remove water and unwanted gases from the oil.
The objective is to progressively clean the entire system and verify that the required oil cleanliness has been achieved before commissioning.
Maintaining the Conditions for Effective Flushing
Effective hot oil flushing requires more than simply circulating oil through a filter.
Flow velocity, oil viscosity, pipe dimensions and system configuration all influence the effectiveness of the flushing process.
Reynolds number is used to describe the flow characteristics within a pipe. For the applications for which the FLUSHMASTER was developed, the target Reynolds number is generally in the range of 4,000–7,000.
The FLUSHMASTER is designed to provide the high flow rates and heated oil conditions needed to establish the required flushing conditions. Actual Reynolds numbers will depend on the system design, pipe dimensions, oil viscosity, temperature and operating flow rate
High-flow Hot Oil Flushing for Demanding Systems
The FLUSHMASTER 770 is Clean Oil Services’ flagship hot oil flushing unit, primarily designed for flushing compressors and associated lubrication systems used in the gas pipeline industry.
The FLUSHMASTER 770 is designed to establish the high-flow, heated conditions required for effective system flushing.
The unit can be deployed directly alongside the equipment being flushed, allowing the oil to be continuously circulated, heated, filtered and conditioned throughout the flushing process.
Specialised Vacuum Dehydration and Degassing
An important feature of the FLUSHMASTER is its integration of Clean Oil Services’ Lubemaster vacuum dehydration technology.
Water contamination and dissolved gases can affect lubricant performance and the reliability of compressor lubrication systems.
The vacuum dehydration process helps remove water and unwanted gases from the circulating oil during the flushing programme.
This is particularly beneficial in gas pipeline applications where compressor oils may require both contamination removal and oil conditioning
Meeting ISO 4406 Cleanliness Requirements
Oil cleanliness is critical in compressors, hydraulic systems and other precision lubrication applications.
ISO 4406 is the international standard used to report the level of particulate contamination in lubricating oil. It expresses particle counts at three size thresholds: ≥4 µm(c), ≥6 µm(c) and ≥14 µm(c).
Results are presented as a three-number cleanliness code, for example:
ISO 4406 — 13/11/7
The lower the numbers, the fewer particles are present and therefore the cleaner the oil.
However, effective hot oil flushing is about cleaning the entire system, not simply achieving a cleaner oil sample.
Clean Oil Services can assist with oil sampling and particle-count analysis during the flushing process to monitor progress and establish whether the required cleanliness target has been achieved.
Cleanliness should be demonstrated — not assumed.
Documented particle-count results provide evidence of oil condition at the completion of flushing and can form part of the equipment commissioning records.
This documentation can help demonstrate that specified cleanliness requirements have been met as part of the commissioning process.
[Ask Clean Oil Services about your required ISO 4406 target]
The Flushmaster Trials
In 2014, trials were conducted to prove the effectiveness of the FLUSHMASTER 770 in cleaning compressor lubrication oils and removing contamination associated with new pipeline commissioning.
The trials demonstrated how high-flow circulation, heating and filtration could progressively reduce contamination within the lubrication system.
Since those initial trials, FLUSHMASTER equipment has been hired for a range of industrial flushing applications.
This experience has helped establish the FLUSHMASTER as a specialised solution for demanding industrial oil flushing requirements.
Typical Applications
- Gas pipeline compressors
- Compressor lubrication systems
- Industrial Hydraulic systems
- Large industrial lubrication systems
- Mining equipment and processing plants
- Marine vessels and associated machinery
- New equipment commissioning
- Systems requiring post-shutdown contamination removal
- Systems following major overhaul or maintenance
Hot oil flushing is particularly important in systems containing complex hydraulic and lubrication circuits, where even small amounts of abrasive contamination can cause significant wear and premature component failure.
Preparing the system properly before commissioning helps protect critical equipment and supports long-term operating reliability.
Cleanliness is Something You Verify
The goal of hot oil flushing is not simply to run the equipment for a certain number of hours.
The endpoint should be based on cleanliness.
Oil samples can be taken during the flushing process and analysed to determine whether particle levels are continuing to fall and whether the required cleanliness target has been reached.
This provides a measurable endpoint rather than relying solely on flushing time.
Flush → Sample → Measure → Verify → Commission
Clean Oil Services offers flexible solutions to suit your project requirements.
Whether you need a specialist contractor to undertake the complete flushing programme, want to hire a FLUSHMASTER unit or are looking to purchase your own equipment, our team can help.
We can discuss your system configuration, flow requirements, flushing objectives and oil cleanliness specifications.
Contact Clean Oil Services for a hot oil flushing assessment or quotation.