We’re almost at the end of the year. That usually means performance reviews are starting to trickle in. Or perhaps someone is reminding you of your KPIs, and you’re trying to work out whether they are still realistic.
Many of us track operational plant KPIs. These include lower downtime, fewer emergency repairs or having the right stock on hand. At the same time, we manage our condition monitoring and lubrication programs, to name just a few.
Plant KPIs and lubrication metrics may seem to live in separate worlds. However, they can come together in the asset performance review.
What the Review Panel Never Hears
In these reviews, you’ll usually hear about vibration reports and downtime. You’ll also hear whether the machine is producing the required output. Lubrication rarely comes up. When it does, the topic is often an upcoming oil change or a major breakdown that stopped the equipment.
What doesn’t make it into the meeting? The many times oil analysis warned the maintenance team about a coming problem. Or the times it flagged a contamination issue that could have delayed production.
These items should be at the forefront of these meetings rather than sidelined.
Why Lubrication Stays Invisible
Quite often, people see lubrication as just another maintenance task. In reality, it is part of a larger ecosystem that keeps the equipment running.
Also, lubrication tasks often sit with teams who don’t own the asset performance review. As a result, lubrication becomes an outside factor. In some cases, the two teams never meet at all. Their only contact is a CMMS dashboard with a few notes about the lubrication route.
Where the Oil Analysis Data Hides
For many companies, oil analysis reports live in an external dashboard, usually the laboratory’s. That dashboard doesn’t connect to the company’s own reports. So the data stays in a silo, and it may never reach the performance review because nobody else knows it exists.
Even companies with a linked dashboard may pull out only the report highlights, not the details. Consequently, they miss the steady rise in viscosity or acid number that later led to varnish and a shutdown.
The lubrication team may have pushed for an investigation into those changes in the oil. Yet instead of getting credit, they may get the blame for not scheduling an earlier oil change.
The warning signs were in the oil analysis reports. They just never reached the room.
Making Lubrication More Visible
Vibration analysis gets more attention in these reviews because its findings link easily to risk. For example, the results can show whether a bearing is failing or a shaft is misaligned. Oil analysis data, on the other hand, needs some interpretation before the risks become clear.
The tests below can help. Include them in your asset performance reviews to connect oil analysis results with real risks. In turn, this gives lubrication a more visible metric.
Six Oil Analysis Tests Worth Reporting
| Test | Purpose | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Viscosity at 40°C / 100°C | Identifies whether the lubricant is degrading (by either increasing or decreasing viscosity) or whether an incorrect viscosity grade or fluid was used. This can also identify cross-contamination. | Changes in viscosity can affect the performance of the equipment. If the viscosity gets too thick, there is a risk of lubricant channeling, a potential lag as more energy is required for the component to move, and the equipment can run hotter than expected. If the viscosity gets too thin, the surfaces inside the equipment can touch each other and wear away. |
| Water content (Karl Fischer / crackle test) | Detects the presence of water (crackle test) or the quantity of water (Karl Fischer). Its presence can indicate seal failure or condensation, or highlight storage and handling issues. Water can act as a catalyst to speed up degradation of the fluid or even leach out additives. | The presence of water can affect the viscosity of the oil, which can render the lubricant incapable of performing its functions. It can also promote corrosion and cause the lubricant to lose its ability to protect surfaces by depleting the additives. Water also greatly accelerates lubricant degradation, shortening component life. |
| Acid number | A rise in acid number indicates that acids are building up in the oil. This can be the result of oxidation occurring in the oil or the ingress of acidic process chemicals. | The acid number increases as the oil begins to degrade due to oxidation. This is accompanied by high MPC (membrane patch colorimetry) values and the occurrence of varnish, which can cause components to overheat, become misaligned and stick, leading to equipment malfunction. |
| Particle count (ISO 4406) | Components have many small clearances that can easily be clogged by larger particles. These larger particles can also indicate the presence of contaminants in the oil, which can act as catalysts and/or abrasives. | Contaminants in the oil can accelerate oil degradation or act as catalysts for chemical wear or abrasives for physical wear. Larger wear debris particles can also indicate that components are nearing the end of their life. |
| Ferrous density / elemental wear metals | Identifies which metals are present in the oil and whether they are increasing over time. | Depending on the trend of certain metals, one can determine whether a particular component is wearing or experiencing significant damage. |
| RULER® (Remaining Useful Life Evaluation Routine) | Measures the remaining antioxidants in the oil. This gives the earliest indication of oxidation occurring in the oil. | If antioxidant levels get too low (below 25%), the base oil begins to degrade, which can lead to varnish. By trending antioxidant levels and acting accordingly, one can prevent a shutdown of critical equipment and avoid emergency maintenance or unplanned downtime. |
Table 1: Oil analysis tests and associated risks
Put These Results in the Review
As Table 1 shows, these test results are key to understanding the health of the asset. In fact, many of them belong to the monthly set of basic tests on critical equipment.
So they belong in the asset performance review, next to the other condition monitoring results. After all, the risks they reveal affect how the whole plant runs.
If a test can predict a shutdown, its result belongs in the review.
Bridging the Gap from the Shop Floor to the Review Panel
There are a few ways to get lubrication results from the shop floor into the asset performance review. First, build a culture that treats lubrication as part of the analysis behind preventive decisions. Then, place oil analysis alongside the other condition monitoring methods that guide maintenance on critical equipment.
Three habits make the biggest difference.
Showcase the Trends, Not Just the Data Points
Like blood tests, oil analysis results only tell a story when you see the trend. However, the review panel may be looking at the latest oil analysis report alone. In that case, they never see how the oil has changed over time, and the trend never reaches the final review.
Now imagine the panel sees the full trend. For example, operators noticed viscosity rising over time. They then acted on it by checking for cross-contamination or oxidation. That trend and response can then form part of the review.
Meanwhile, vibration analysis checks certain health signs on a critical component. Oil analysis can then support the choice of the next planned maintenance task. Ideally, teams use both methods together to guide maintenance decisions, rather than in isolation.
Translate Numbers into Consequences
Many people don’t know what a number on a blood test means. Similarly, oil analysis results are just numbers to an untrained reader. For instance, reviewers may not grasp what a RULER value of 25% means.
So when you share results or a snapshot of machine health, include what each number means for the asset. For example: “A RULER value of 25% indicates that the oil is almost at the end of its life and will begin oxidizing soon, which can lead to varnish and potential downtime of the asset.” This breaks down into:
- A RULER value of 25% (test and result)
- indicates that the oil is almost at the end of its life (what the result means, in plain terms)
- and will begin oxidizing soon (what the result means, in technical terms)
- which can lead to varnish and potential downtime of the asset (its impact on the asset)
Avoid Silos
Many oil analysis databases sit outside the company’s connected systems. Because of this, people can overlook or forget the results.
So whoever builds the asset health overview for the review should gather all the condition monitoring data in one place. That includes oil analysis, vibration, ultrasound and infrared. Together, these methods give an accurate picture of the machine’s health. They also show when it is time to step in.
Show the trend, explain the number and keep every result in one place.
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Give lubrication a seat at the review table
Your oil analysis trends shouldn’t live in a lab portal nobody opens. Spartakus APM brings preventive and predictive maintenance together in one cloud platform. Oil analysis, vibration, ultrasound and thermography findings sit side by side in a single Asset Health view of every machine.
When the review panel sees a rising acid number next to a rising vibration trend on the same asset, the decision makes itself.
Give Lubrication Its Seat at the Table
Lubrication belongs in the asset performance review. It helps you understand the health of the machine and plan the right preventive maintenance.
After all, most machines are lubricated. If you ignore their lubrication, operations can literally grind to a halt.
Make sure lubrication and its associated monitoring get their seat at the asset performance review table.
Related Reading
- Why Condition Monitoring Demands More Than Vibration Alone Today
- Justifying Your Oil Analysis Program: A Financial Perspective
- The Bottom Line of Reliability: Fluid Analysis Cuts Maintenance Costs
- How to Interpret Industrial Oil Analysis Data Like A Pro
- What is Condition Monitoring: The Ultimate Guide
