Over the past two decades, while conducting numerous Lubrication Benchmark Assessment audits across a wide range of industries—from Oil and Gas, refineries, petrochemical plants, and power generation facilities, I have witnessed one of the most neglected areas of...
Solid Particle Cleanliness In my previous articles, I have discussed how to achieve cleanliness within gearboxes and pumps, examining the entire aspect of solid particulate contamination ingress. However, I was recently asked by an engineer following the above...
Condition monitoring tools such as vibration analysis, ultrasound, oil analysis, and thermography are mainstays of a condition-based maintenance strategy, each providing a unique perspective on the health of critical rotating and reciprocating assets. Vibration...
When it comes to hydraulic systems, oil contamination is one of the most insidious and persistent enemies. It is estimated that about 80% of failures in these systems are directly related to fluid contamination. The issue goes beyond simply cleaning the oil; It...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Contamination within lubricants circulating through equipment can range from air, water, or, the most damaging, particles. The most common cause of equipment failure is particle contamination in the lubricant, and, specifically, 80% of hydraulic system failures can be...
