Oil analysis is widely recognized as one of the most potent tools in precision lubrication and reliability engineering. Yet, despite decades of industry experience, many organizations unknowingly undermine their effectiveness before the first sample is even taken. A...
Articles
How Strategic Oil Analysis Reduces Risk and Extends Equipment Life
The reliability and availability of industrial assets are critical factors for the competitiveness of modern organizations. In this context, maintenance has evolved from a predominantly corrective model to preventive, predictive, and more recently, proactive...
Standby Generators Need Proactive Fluid Analysis to Stay Reliable
In industrial and manufacturing facilities, lubrication and condition-monitoring programs focus on equipment that runs every day, such as compressors, gearboxes, pumps, turbines, and hydraulic systems that keep production moving. These critical assets are often...
When “Right Oil, Wrong Practice” Still Fails Assets
Sometimes we can spend hours poring over technical data sheets, comparing oil performances, and finally selecting the “right” oil which aligns with the needs of our equipment. Then, within 2 months, the oil degrades, our machines shut down, and we have a bunch of...
How Lubricant Consolidation Reduces Misapplication and Downtime Risk
What's the Right Number of Lubricants for Your Plant? Over the years, I have been to sites with either too many or too few lubricant types. Both scenarios are potentially costly. On the one hand, too many types of lubricant are costly in terms of purchase price and...
How to Interpret RPVOT Regions for Better Lubricant Decisions
It is very likely that you have encountered the RPVOT (Rotating Pressure Vessel Oxidation Test), a laboratory test developed in the 1960s and later standardized by ASTM D2272. It measures the antioxidant stability of lubricating oils by accelerating oxidation in a...
ICML Announces New Board Members With Global Industry Expertise
The International Council for Machinery Lubrication (ICML) today announced the election of three new members to its Board of Directors: Kelley Evans, Matthew G. Collins, and Mike Ramsey. Their appointments became effective January 23, 2026. The election of Evans,...
From Oil Samples to Algorithms: Leveraging AI and Automations
Maintenance teams are entering a new era, one where data-driven insights enable automation and transform how equipment health is monitored and maintained. For years, the industry has been moving from preventive maintenance to predictive maintenance, but what’s next?...
How EGR Failures Destroy Engines – and How Oil Analysis Detects Them
The EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system recirculates a fraction of the exhaust gases into the intake manifold to lower combustion temperature, reduce NOx emissions, and, in some cases, improve fuel consumption in both diesel and gasoline engines. This recirculation...
Compressor Oil: Types, Applications, and Performance Drivers
Compressors are integral to many of our operations. They are used to compress gas, increasing its pressure, and to power tools. They can also be used as vacuum pumps or blowers, but each application is different. As such, they require various types of lubrication,...














