Effective oil analysis is fundamental in effective machinery maintenance. The issue of oil contamination, wear and overall condition is a key concern in gearbox, engine and hydraulic applications across all heavy industries ranging from marine to power generation. Best practice maintenance often includes visual oil inspections, but thanks to the latest generation of real-time oil condition monitoring technologies, owners and operators now have access to fast, accurate and reliable monitoring, however despite this, a recent survey suggests around 70% of lubrication professionals still perform daily visual inspections on oil within their plant, so the question is, are visual oil inspections still relevant?
Visual inspections should not be considered a substitute for oil analysis, but can still contribute towards a comprehensive maintenance schedule. Although you may not be able to determine the actual condition, changes in oil quality such as milky discolouration, layering, water contamination and excessive wear debris, would all be visible to the well-trained eye.
The term ‘clear and bright’ is widely used; the darker the oil, the higher the contamination. In many cases dark discolouration is a reliable indicator of deterioration (in one study, 90% of lubricants considered ‘dark’ were also found by laboratory analysis to be contaminated). However, research also suggests there are a variety of reasons that oils change colour as they age, and sometimes discolouration will occur very early in the lifetime of the oil. Similarly, for Group 1 based mineral oils, changes in colour and darkness often occur due to differences in base stock, any residual oil left behind after a change will also affect the colour of the current oil. In addition to this the particles which will cause the most damage to equipment are generally smaller than can be seen with the naked eye, and lube oils can contain up to 0.1 percent water and still be ‘clear and bright’, yet at 0.1% water, 75% of a bearing’s operational life may have already been lost. Therefore, simply using the ‘clear and bright’ standard is intrinsically flawed.
Implementing the Oil Quality Sensor (OQSx) from Tan Delta removes any ambiguity in oil analysis. Tan Delta technology provides Full Spectrum Holistic (FSH) monitoring of oil in any industrial application in real-time. FSH monitoring ensures that any change in the oil is instantly detected, accurately measured and reported before the change in oil quality becomes noticeable under visual inspection. This unique capability ensures that oil condition is optimally managed and that nothing is missed.
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