Many gearboxes are often in inaccessible or in unsafe locations that make finding leaks hard or nearly impossible. This tip may help you to find the source of the oil dripping from the machine. If available, use an infrared camera to look for leaking seals, breathers or plugs. These thermal images will show hot oil or grease oozing from the source. (Clint Del Valle, Reliability Leader, Honeywell)

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Book Bits: When to Use a Synthetic Grease

From the book "Lubrication Excellence 2005 Conference Proceedings"

From the section: How to Select the Right Grease

Most greases are formulated using Group II mineral base stocks and these are appropriate for most applications. There are, however, applications that may benefit from the use of a synthetic base oil. Such applications might include high or low operating temperatures, a wide ambient temperature range or any application where extended relubrication intervals are desired.

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Question: How does oxidized oil affect machine reliability?

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"What is the best way to control bacterial growth in a circulating oil tank?"

Bacteria require water and a comfortable temperature to thrive. Because water has such a strong negative effect on a variety of oil properties, it is useful to begin by identifying the source of water and eliminating the source, or removing it through dehydration.

At the same time, bacteria grow most rapidly at sustained temperatures between 80 and 120°F, with the ideal growth condition 85°F. While some strains are more heat tolerant, and can still grow at temperatures up to 120°F, bringing the sump baseline temperature up to temperatures slightly above 120°F should help combat the problem.

Your lubricant supplier may also be able to provide biocides (poison for the bacteria) that can be used under controlled conditions to kill whatever colonies remain following the other corrections. Industrial lubricants (intended to protect machine components) are not routinely supplied with biocides because this is not recognized as a significant problem for most applications. Likewise, oil analysis labs do not routinely test for microbial growth in used oils.

Mike Johnson, Noria Corporation

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