Book Bits

Here's an excerpt from Jim Fitch's booklet "How to Establish a Win-Win Relationship with Your Oil Analysis Lab."

Don't Let Price Drive the Lab Selection Decision

In the process of selecting a commercial oil analysis lab and negotiating price it is best to leave nothing to chance. The task description helps ensure that what the end-user thinks he is buying dovetails with what the laboratory thinks he is quoting. Once the task description is in place, a meaningful discussion of cost can begin.

Large corporate users should avoid the temptation of buying oil analysis services by going out on bid and buying from the lowest bidder. What message is this sending the lab about the value assigned to quality and service? A company should be focused on cost savings springing from the value that a quality oil analysis program creates, such as the reduction of operating costs and maximizes machine reliability.

It is never wise to push a laboratory on price to the realm of unprofitability. This takes the lab out of the comfort zone as the service provider and puts stress in the business relationship. The concept that "you always get what you pay for" rest in the minds of those locked into such low-margin contracts. And when it comes to oil analysis, end-users should take the view that no data is preferred to unreliable or untimely data. It is a very basic principle that the lab must be in a profitable relationship to be motivated and stay viable as a value-producing business entity.

You can download "How to Establish a Win-Win Relationship with Your Oil Analysis Lab" and other e-files from: http://www.noria.com/secure/ebooks.asp

Today's Tip

• When repacking grease guns from a pressure line, wipe down the fitting and the pressure line to prevent contamination. When repacking with tubes, move to an environmentally controlled area, such as a control room, to replace the tube.

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Q & A

"I've heard that the addition of by-pass filters offer advantages over just full-flow filters on diesel engines. What are these advantages?"

Some solid contaminants (dirt, wear particles, etc.) lead to abrasion and wear (rings, liners, cam, bearings, etc). Other contaminants (soot, sludge, oxide insolubles, glycolic compounds, etc.) can contribute to deposition formation in the combustion zone (crown land, ring lands, skirt) and valve area (valve seats/guides) of the engine. These deposits can also contribute to wear and combustion efficiency problems with engines.

Recent studies on the contaminant sensitivity of engines have found all of these solid contaminants to be important to engine reliability and efficient operation (relating to emissions, fuel economy, oil consumption, etc.). These contaminants are typically suspended in crankcase lubricants in sizes ranging from submicron to more than 100 microns.

Typically the very best full-flow filters exhibit a capture efficiency of 50 percent at particle sizes 10-microns and above. Smaller soot suspension and polar insolubles that can also cause wear and deposits are not controlled by these full flow filters effectively. For this reason, compressed cellulose depth media used as by-pass filters can offer benefits in removing fine organic and inorganic particles. In combination with full- flow filters the benefits can be lower wear, lower oil consumption, higher combustion efficiency, and longer oil life. There are a variety of by-pass filters on the market including centrifugal separators.

Things to consider when buying a by-pass filter include pressure vs. flow (P-Q), Beta or capture efficiency at say 3 microns, 6 microns and 15 microns, and dirt-holding capacity. If the filter supplier has tested its by-pass filter to standard procedures such as SAE J1858, ISO 4548 or ISO 16889 this information would be available.

By-pass filters also increase the total volume of oil used by the engine. This means that more oil additives are available as well as fluid volume to dilute the concentration of contaminants.

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Lube-Tips is published by Noria Corporation. Oil Analysis and Lubrication Experts