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Understanding the Differences in Base Oil Groups
Almost every lubricant used in plants today started off as just a base oil. The American Petroleum Institute (API) has categorized base oils into five categories (API 1509, Appendix E). The first three...
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Hazards of Changing Lubricant Brands
It goes without saying that lubricants aren’t indiscriminately interchangeable, even if they are in the same product class. This is especially true with industrial lubricants, and there are very few...
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Advice for Using Water-in-Oil Emulsions
When oil is used as the main fluid and 40-percent water is added (emulsified) into the oil, it is described as a water-in-oil emulsion. These types of fire-resistant hydraulic fluids are often referred...
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Understanding the Re-refining Process
"Our organization has been offered the opportunity to purchase re-refined oil at a significant discount. Can you explain the re-refining process and whether re-refined oil is as good as virgin base...
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How Temperature Affects Lubricants
The primary physical characteristics of lubricants that are affected by temperature include viscosity, viscosity index, pour point and the base oil. Let's deal with these individually. Viscosity The...
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Controlling Contamination with Fuel System Filtration: A Case Study
Since installation of the microfiltration system in the loading shovel’s diesel tank, its condition and operation have met all expectations. When a mining company in Peru performed a field inspection...
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Can Oil be Overfiltered?
"We are having a discussion as to whether way lube can be overfiltered. We use 220 way oil on our mechanical presses, and the question was whether we could clean the oil too much. What is the standard...
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Best Methods for Purifying Engine Oil
"What is the preferred method for minimizing the content of unwanted debris in lube oil? We are talking about diesel engines with up to 2,000 liters of oil in the sump. The oil is monitored regularly...
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Using Labyrinth Seals to Control Contaminant Ingression
During my travels to various facilities across the United States, I am often asked about the best way to keep contaminants out of a machine. I usually explain that it begins when the lubricants are...
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Strategies for Controlling Contamination in Dusty Environments
"If the environment is laden with dust like in coal-handling plants, and dust ingression is unavoidable, what type of grease or oil should be used for bearings and gearboxes? What can be a remedy for...
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Controlling Costs with Proper Lubrication
"What percentage of total life-cycle costs do lubricants account for in a pump, motor, conveyor or blower/fan?" When estimating the life-cycle costs of machinery, you must take into account several...
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Effects of Lubricants Mixing in a Machine
"What would be the effect of different lubricants mixing together in a machine, e.g., hydraulic oil mixing with gear oil or oil and grease mixing?" Mixing lubricants of the same type but different...
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Keeping Your Oil Analysis Program Up to Date
Over time, any oil analysis program can become stagnant if few or no improvements are made. This can cause the program to lose value, as it may not fully support the plant’s improvement initiatives,...
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Understanding the Rights of Oil Analysis
It has been said that oil is the lifeblood of a machine. By monitoring contaminants and additive health, you can keep this “blood” healthy and minimize the risk of a failure. But what are the...
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A Practical Approach for Evaluating Oil Analysis Results with Limit Values
The evaluation of oil or grease analysis results is often a tough job for a diagnostician, demanding experience in mechanical engineering and chemistry. However, modern tools and statistical...
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2014 Salary Survey: Lubrication Professionals Seeking Options to Increase Pay
After several years of encouraging numbers and growth, the results of Machinery Lubrication’s 2014 salary survey reveal a slight downturn in income levels for lubrication professionals in the United...
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Eli Lilly Spreads Award-winning Lubrication Program Around the World
Since winning the 2008 John R. Battle award for excellence in machinery lubrication, Eli Lilly and Co. has continued to develop its lubrication program not only in the United States but around the...
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How to Select the Right Oil Analysis Tests
Oil analysis is an excellent tool that can be used to direct maintenance decisions. However, if you have not chosen the proper test slate, it is wasted time and money. Therefore, one of the first...
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Develop a Corporate Education Master Plan
Reliability and lubrication excellence are behavioral sciences. Bearings don’t just die; they’re murdered by people. What can change behavior? It requires awareness and know-how. Imagine two fishermen...
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How to Measure Lubrication Program Success
Many companies thrive on financial performance metrics. Share price, earnings per share and return on net assets are taught religiously in every business school. This information is used to assess an...
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