Achieving proactive maintenance involves three key steps: setting cleanliness targets, implementing specific actions to meet those targets, and frequently measuring contaminant levels. This article focuses on the second step—specifically, how to choose the most...
Articles
Mixing Wind Turbine Gear Oils? Lab Results Say Proceed with Caution
The question of lubricant miscibility usually arises in the context of a product change or the need for a refill. The very asking of it demonstrates operational awareness and knowledge. However, the key to success is the right question and a precise and reliable...
How to Eliminate Water from Oil and Extend Equipment Lifespan
Ugly. Torturous. Scourge. Devastating. Catastrophic. Insidious. These are just a few of the words used in papers and presentations to describe the effects of water in oil. You get the picture. For good reason, water has been called the second most destructive...
Engine Oil Types and How to Choose the Right One
Engine oil is a lubricating fluid designed to reduce friction and wear between moving parts inside an internal combustion engine, while also cooling, cleaning, and protecting components from corrosion and deposits. While we may think that there are numerous car...
How to Protect Pumps and Gearboxes by Removing Water from Oil
Why Water in Oil Is So Dangerous From an early age, we learn that oil and water do not mix. While that is not exactly true in the world of lubrication, it is true to say that any degree of water in a lubricant can cause irreparable harm to both the lubricated...
Lubricant Foaming: How to Diagnose and Eliminate the Problem
What is Lubricant Foaming? Lubricant foaming is a deceptively complex phenomenon often dismissed as mere surface bubbles on top of oil reservoirs. Yet seasoned lubrication engineers and tribologists understand the critical threat foaming poses to lubricant performance...
How Detecting Oxidation and Nitration Early Protects Equipment
Degradation of the lubricant circulating through your system can impact equipment performance, reliability, and lifespan. When an oil degrades, it loses its ability to properly lubricate, meaning friction increases – accelerating wear and tear on the components. This...
Turn Maintenance into a Profit Center with an EBITDA Mindset
For over 35 years, I have been at the heart of reliability, lubrication, and operational excellence. In my experience, siloed decision-making between maintenance, HSE, and procurement often results in inefficiencies, increased risks, and missed opportunities for...
Lubrication Strategies and Tips: A Must-Read for Maintenance Pros
Lubrication Strategies and Tips: How to “Kick-start” Any Lubrication Program Lubrication Strategies and Tips is a full-color practical and comprehensive quick- guide designed to help and empower lubrication, maintenance and reliability personnel to quickly navigate...
How to Turn Gearbox Contamination Control into a Competitive Advantage
At any given point, the overall contamination in a gearbox is BIG! Remember that contamination ingression is the overall amount of contaminant in the oil with: B – Built-in contamination from the unit's manufacture. I – Ingested is the “sucked in” contamination during...