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In This Issue:

• Case Studies, Lessons Learned and Best Practices

• Book Bits: Maintaining Hydraulic Fluids

• Today's Tip: Idle Machinery Care
  

• Q & A: H20 Lugging Synthetics
  

Up Front

Case Studies, Lessons Learned and Best Practices

We're all ears. In our recent survey, we asked you how we can improve Lube-Tips. You spoke up. Overwhelmingly you said that you want more case studies, lessons learned and to find out what best practices others have implemented with success. Great! We're all over it.

Actually, that's where we need your help. We want to publish your nuggets of wisdom, your brushes with disaster, your invaluable experiences and your cost-saving ideas. Share with us and we'll gladly share with you. $50 that is. We're happy to shell out the cash if your story makes it into Lube-Tips.

Haven't started hacking out an e-mail yet? Here are some ideas to get you past your writer's block:

Any recent "saves" on critical equipment? Perhaps you've successfully implemented something you learned in Lube-Tips or a training course. Maybe you've documented lubrication-related cost-savings or reliability improvements. Take some pictures of your lube storage room and tell us how you've improved it. You've got to be doing something right - share it with other Lube-Tips subscribers.

Spectacular or not, start writing. Just a paragraph or two will do. Feel like writing a novel? Go for it. I look forward to hearing from you.

Mike Ramsey
mramsey@noria.com

Book Bits

Maintaining Hydraulic Fluids

From "The Practical Handbook of Machinery Lubrication":

• Keep hydraulic fluids cool. (The bulk oil temperature at the exterior of the reservoir should never exceed 60°C).

• Keep hydraulic fluids clean. (There is general agreement among hydraulic experts that 75 - 80 percent of hydraulic failures are caused by fluid contaminated with dirt, wear particles and other foreign material. In today's high-pressure systems, clearances between wear surfaces are very small, making contamination control critical).

• Keep hydraulic fluids dry. (Water and condensation content should never exceed a maximum of 1000 ppm, depending on the system design).

• Immediately repair fluid leaks. If oil can escape, dirt and dust can re-enter the system. (A fluid leak of one drop per second is equal to 400 gallons in a 12-month period.)

Click here for more information about "The Practical Handbook of Machinery Lubrication".

Today's Tip

• If electric motors are to be stored for a period of time, the vibrations created by the plant could cause false brinelling of the bearings. False brinelling occurs when the protective film of a lubricant is worn away by vibration and there is metal to metal contact between the edge of the rolling element and the bearing race. To prevent false brinelling, turn the shaft of the stored motor with your fingers a minimum of once a month. The same principle applies to idle machinery. The idle machine needs to be "bumped" to ensure that there is a film of the lubricant between the rolling element and the race. (Tip submitted by Rodger Shaffer, Manufacturing Engineer, Timken Latrobe Steel)

Each tip published will earn the sender $25. Click here to submit your tip.

Q & A

H20 Lugging Synthetics

"The "Book Bits" in the April 24 Lube-Tips says 'The saturation level for a synthetic fluid is generally much higher than for a mineral base fluid.' This contradicts everything else I have read, and my experience. PAO synthetic oils have a higher aniline point and will not hold as much water, additive, or practically anything else as a mineral oil."

In general, you are correct - PAO base oils will dissolve very little water and have good water shedding characteristics. However, the issue has some additional considerations. First, other synthetics, such as phosphate ester, polyol ester and di-basic acid ester fluids will dissolve more water than mineral oils or PAOs. The ethylene oxide version of polyglycol synthetics are completely water soluble.

Also, due to the high aniline point of PAO base oils (and many hydrocracked Group III base oils too), the lubricant may be formulated with as much as 20 percent polyol and/or di-basic acid ester or even a mineral oil. In part, these co-basestocks help counteract seal shrinkage caused by the PAO, but it is also required to solubilize the additive package in the oil.

We hear about the great detergency properties of PAO, this is largely due to the presence of the ester component and additives. So, you are quite correct - a pure PAO base oil will shed water and has a very low saturation point. But esters that are commonly used as lubricants or as an additive in the PAO respond very differently.

Drew Troyer, Noria Corporation

Copyright © 2002, Noria Corporation. All rights reserved. If you would like to reproduce a Lube-Tip on your Web site, you must use the entire issue (without sponsorship messages and the training calendar). All links must work. For an example of how you can include Lube-Tips content on your Web site, go to: http://www.lube-tips.com/example.asp. The presence of advertising in Lube-Tips does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services in such ads. Further, because results will vary widely based on a number of factors, Noria Corporation cannot warrant the results, the accuracy or the completeness of any material published herein.

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