Fluid condition monitoring of lubricating oil
Preventive maintenance through particle analysis
Author Sandra Suresh PAMAS Partikelmess- und Analysesysteme GmbH
Lubricating oil systems are relying on clean operating fluids, and they are subject to failures due to contamination. Particles in lubricating oil systems might lead to system failures or machine down times. The sources for such contaminations are various, as particles can enter the system either from outside or can originate from the system itself. The sources for such contaminations are various, as particles can enter the system either from outside or can originate from the system itself. Contaminants may enter the system from outside through badly covered patches (e.g. particles of environmental air or sediments on piston rods). Incorporate dirt particles derive from the manufacturing process, and stay in the system unless they are accurately removed (e.g. casting sand of core manufacturing, scales, rust, welding sputter or textile fibre). Finally, metallic or non-metallic pieces of abrasion may enter the liquid during machine operation due to aging processes (e.g. wear material or abrasive particles). All these contaminants may cause severe problems for the lubricating oil system. It is therefore essential to continuously monitor the condition and cleanliness of the operating fluid.
Automatic particle counting helps to prevent contamination- related damage. With the aid of an online particle counter,
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the operating fluid can be permanently monitored. The fluid particle counter detects particle number and the size of each individual particle via an optical measuring technique. As soon as a pre-defined limit is exceeded, the online particle counter instantaneously raises an alarm. In case of an extraordinary number of large particles, it is likely that wear and abrasion have occurred. Abrasive particles often derive from defective components; these parts must be exchanged or repaired to prevent machine failures or complete down times. Large abrasive particles however can be detected only with specially equipped monitoring instruments. Unlike standard contamination monitoring devices, the integrated sensor of an automatic particle counter is equipped with more than 3 size channels. With at least eight integrated size channels, a particle counter provides much more detailed information on the particle size distribution than a contamination monitor could do. Larger particle sizes > 70 µm(c) can be distinguished from smaller or medium particle sizes.
The following application example from real life shows that the knowledge on larger particle sizes and their size distribution is of paramount importance in lubricating oil systems. A particle population of larger particles above average casted light on abrasion.
LUBE MAGAZINE NO.136 DECEMBER 2016
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