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...
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...
A critical property of turbine oil is its ability to separate from water, known as its demulsibility characteristic. This property is essential for protecting turbine components from inadvertent damage to viscosity changes or corrosion. Water and oil are immiscible...
Microdieseling is a term often associated with changes in lubricant color and the formation of harmful byproducts within lubricated systems. It occurs when microbubbles of air (smaller than 5 microns) in the lubricant transition from a low-pressure environment to a...
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...
Traditional fluid analysis relies on pre-set flagging limits to evaluate the severity of a sample. These limits, refined over time through statistical analysis, provide a baseline for assessing whether test results indicate any maintenance needs. If a sample falls...
Oil analysis is critical to any reliability program, serving as an effective predictive tool for potential equipment failures. When properly deployed, oil analysis has the power to enhance maintenance practices within industrial and fleet settings. This article will...
One of the first theoretical lessons you learn when you dive into the world of lubrication and lubricant analysis is that temperature generally harms these compounds. This is true, and many trainers in the area have at least a few slides dedicated to this point in...
As temperatures drop in the winter, the impact on equipment performance can be substantial. In extreme cases, such as remote mining operations in Alaska, where temperatures plunge to dangerous lows, equipment can experience immediate oil thickening within minutes of...
Lubricants encounter negative influences throughout their working life, including load-induced shear stress, thermal degradation, water contamination, aeration, wear metal catalyzing, and contamination from dirt, chemicals, and incompatible lubricants and fluids....
