A water leak caused the recent contamination of 150 gallons of lube oil in a sump. We were able to remove the water from the lube unit using a shop vac. The oil normally runs at 120°F and evaporates the water from the oil which condensates on the inside lid of the tank and drips back into the oil. Attaching the vacuum to the fill port and pulling air into the tank through a desiccant breather removed the condensation, and in 36 hours the oil tested dry. Further analysis showed no damage to the oil or additives. We were able to not only keep the unit running but also save 150 gallons of oil. (Submitted by David Lander, Maintenance Supervisor, Clarion Boards, Inc.)

Editors Note: This is a classic rainmaker condition. The same thing could also be accomplished by using a regular filter (not a desiccator) as a breather, or introduce instrument air into the headspace. The procedure is basically a headspace purge. It works well, but could be accomplished a number of different ways. Using the shop vac creates a slight negative pressure (less than one atmosphere) which lowers the effective relative humidity in the headspace. This in turn accelerates the diffusion of the water out of the oil toward the headspace, before being purged to the environment. It goes without saying, the drier the headspace the drier the oil. A slight vacuum (shop vac) plus air purge can accomplish this nicely. More reading about headspace management.

Attend Jim Fitch's 3-day training course: Effective Contamination Control for Maintenance and Lubrication Professionals. Detroit, MI Aug 23-25

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Book Bits: Considerations for Oil Storage

From "Lubrication Fundamentals"

An oil house should be located as centrally as possible with respect to the lubrication service activity. A study of service requirements based on total travel of lubrication service personnel to their work from the oil house can help to determine the most economical and efficient location for the oil house. Travel distances from the warehouse, unloading dock or other storage facilities should also be taken into account. In multibuilding plants, it may be advantageous to build a separate oil house in a central location within the plant area. In such cases, an oil warehouse and the oil house may be combined in one building, with consequent savings in handling and storage costs.

More information about the book "Lubrication Fundamentals"

Test your knowledge and prepare for ICML lubrication and oil analysis certification.

QUESTION: If an oil is dark and has an unusual pungent odor, what might be the problem? What confirming tests are advised?

Get the answer.

"Do you have any rough estimations of oil analysis costs if performed on-site? I'm trying to compare the costs of on-site versus sending to an outside lab."

The question of the cost to analyze samples on-site versus off-site is a good one. Too many people are motivated to test samples in-house and completely dispense with off-site analysis based simply on cost.

The perception is that oil analysis costs can be significantly lowered by testing on-site. This is a somewhat misguided approach because by the time you buy the right equipment, maintain and calibrate it, maintain the lab, pay and train the staff to use the equipment (it typically takes a dedicated resource or full-time equivalent to run an on-site lab) and buy any consumables, the costs may be similar to, or perhaps slightly higher to test onsite.

The value of on-site analysis is immediate feedback, the ability to retest on the spot and the message this sends to the organization as a whole. However, without considerable investment in instruments and people - equivalent to staffing a full-scale commercial lab - there will always be tests and expertise that are missing which need to be addressed through off-site analysis.

From my experience, the best programs include on-site analysis (right-sized to the organization's goals, expectations and budget) supplemented by an off-site program through a quality commercial lab.

Mark Barnes, Noria Corporation

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