| 1.
Another Variation on the Crackle Test
2. Oil Loss Control
3. Name That Antifoam Agent
4. Oxidation Stability Testing
| Today's
Tip: Another Variation on the Crackle Test |
|
I'd like to share the method I use for performing the crackle
test water in oil.
This process takes about five minutes or less. I use a small
portable electric oven burner, and I place one ounce (roughly) of the contaminated
oil sample in a glass bottle on the burner. Note that the bottle is not capped.
As the water-contaminated oil sample is heated, the water will heat, bubble
and then begin to evaporate. If the oil is contaminated only with water,
the oil will look like new oil after all of the water is evaporated. This has
been a great test for me to use because it easily confirms water presence.
Safety: As with all heat-related tests, when performing this
test, one should use all personal protective equipment including face, hand
and body protection. (Submitted by Cyril Ontai,
Predictive Maintenance Specialist,
Hawaiian Electric Company. Thanks Cyril.)
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your tip.
|
| Lubrication
Consolidation from Molykote®:
The Smart Way to Save
With thousands of lube points and ever-greater pressures to save, it's a challenge
for any maintenance professional to manage complicated schedules, multiple suppliers
and to keep operations running efficiently. Molykote's lubrication consolidation
program is designed specifically to address this monumental task. It simplifies
your entire program - which saves you time, extends the life of your equipment
and ultimately saves you money. Learn more about the benefits of lubrication
consolidation from the smart minds at Molykote.
|
| Book
Bits: Oil Loss Control |
|
From "The Lubrication Engineers Manual"
This is a comparatively recent addition to the Plant Lubrication
Program, representing the collective efforts of several groups within the plant.
For example, it covers the housekeeping and maintenance practices of department
maintenance people, the efforts of operating personnel to police damage to
oil and grease piping mill wrecks and the responsibility of engineering departments
and environmental engineers for designing and installing oily waste collection
and disposal systems that comply with federal, state and local regulations.
It also involves the Lubrication Specialist because oil loss, though troubling,
is not inevitable; but the hidden costs of oil loss, including the costs of
collection and disposal, are often overlooked.
Here, the Lubrication Specialist
plays a consultant’s role, contributing significantly to controlling loss of
oil. He is the authority on oil and grease consumption at every point throughout
the plant, and he can suggest techniques that may reduce consumption: for example,
a different kind of application system; changing from oil to grease; guarding
or relocating exposed piping; improving seal design. The Lubrication Engineer
can do much to minimize these problems and reduce plant costs at the same time.
More
information about the book "The Lubrication Engineers Manual"
|
Effective
Contamination Control
for Maintenance and Lubrication Professionals
It could be the biggest cost-reduction
prospect at your facility. Systematically reducing
lubricant contamination levels extends machine and lubricant
life by up to 10X!
By implementing just a few of the
techniques you learn in this three-day course, you could
easily double or even triple oil and machine life at
your
facilities.
Instructor: Jim Fitch, Noria Corporation
Location: Birmingham, AL - January 25-26
Effective
Contamination Control - a Three-Day Training Course
|
| Lube
Trivia: Name That Antifoam Agent |
Test
your knowledge and prepare for ICML lubrication
and oil analysis certification.
QUESTION: Name a common polymer used as an
antifoam agent.
Get
the answer.
|
| Q & A:
Oxidation Stability Testing |
"We recently had a number of our lubricants tested for oxidation stability (RPVOT
- ASTM D2272). The results indicate that the mineral-based turbine oils are all
within limits, all greater than 50 percent remaining life. However, the mineral-based
hydraulic fluids are in the caution zone (between 25 and 50 percent remaining
life). All other oil analysis parameters for these oils are within specification.
My question: is the oxidation stability test (ASTM
D2272) applicable to mineral-based hydraulic fluids or is it
limited
to turbine oils?"
You are right; the rotating pressure vessel oxidation test (RPVOT)
was originally developed for turbine oils. However, the stressing
conditions used to determine oxidation stability are suitable for
many other similar lubricants including mineral-based hydraulic
fluids, R&O oils, compressor lubricants and many gear oils.
Passenger car and
heavy-duty diesel motor oils can best be tested using the thin film oxidation
uptake test (TFOUT) (ASTM D4742) which employs stressing conditions and catalyts
more typical of those found in engine crankcases.
In general, the need for
oxidation stability testing of lubricants relates to the need
to extend oil drain intervals
or simply to perform condition-based oil changes. Oxidation stability is
one of several important conditions that help define end of useful
life.
Other
similar tests for oxidation stability include cyclic voltametry,
differential scanning
calorimetry and interfacial tension.
Jim
Fitch, Noria Corporation
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