While auditing our packaging areas, I noticed that the lubricant top-up container spouts were left in the "open" position. Airborne contaminants are not able to enter the oil directly because of the spout design. However, when in the open position, the end of the spout allowed cardboard dust to accumulate inside the lip. The oil film inside the lip would act as a magnet for the dust as well. The dust transfered to the equipment during filling or topping-off.

Using a paint pen, I marked "open" and "closed" on the respective positions on the spout. I also painted the round "stop" that indicates which position the spout is in.This serves as a reminder to the operators to close the spout when they are done using the container. (John Hyser, Lubrication Specialist, Coors Brewing Co.)

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From the book "Facility Manager's Maintenance Handbook":

While vibration monitoring is certainly the most widely used tool for determining rotating machinery condition, oil analysis will, in many situations, provide an earlier indication that abnormal or premature wear is in progress. Oil monitoring and analysis is especially appropriate for slow-speed machines, reciprocating machines and gearboxes, as they usually show developing faults earlier using oil versus vibration analysis.

As internal machine components wear, they leave the wear particles in the lubricating oil. Identifying the existence, size, shape and elements of the wear particles leads to identifying the particular component experiencing the wear. This valuable information can then be used to aid in determining the ability of the machine to continue operating, planning for repairs, ordering necessary parts, and preventing unnecessary, unplanned downtime.

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"We are using an on-site viscometer to measure viscosity at 40 degrees C. At the same time, our lube supplier is testing samples from the same system regularly. However, our viscosity numbers are often up to 10 percent different from the lube suppliers. What are we doing wrong?"

Because the viscosity of an oil is probably its single most important property, it makes sense to measure viscosity frequently, using on-site test equipment. However, like with all onsite equipment, it’s important to understand how these instruments work and their relative strengths and weaknesses. When it comes to viscosity, there are two determinable parameters, absolute and kinematic viscosity. Kinematic viscosity measures the resistance of an oil to flow and shear under gravity, such as oil flowing through a funnel. Absolute viscosity, on the other hand, determines an oil’s internal resistance to flow and shear. To visualize absolute viscosity, imagine the force needed to stir an oil using a metal rod.

The viscosity reported by your lube supplier and oil analysis lab is likely the kinematic viscosity, as determined by ASTM D445. There are two main reasons why your on-site measurements may not correlate directly with the lab data.

First, most on-site test equipment actually measures absolute viscosity, but calculates the kinematic viscosity by dividing absolute viscosity by density. Because the onsite viscometers don’t actually measure density but rather estimate it from the oil’s spec sheets, an error can occur when translating absolute viscosity into kinematic viscosity. The measure of the absolute viscosity is correct, but because the density of the oil is only estimated, the conversion to kinematic viscosity can become overstated. Contamination and oxidation, among other things, can cause an increase in the density of used oil.

Second, if your on-site instrument does not heat the oil to 40 degrees C, and most do not, you are likely determining the oil's viscosity at the temperature of the on-site lab (typically in the 20 degrees C to 25 degrees C range), and extrapolating, again using a software algorithm to determine the viscosity at 40 degrees C. This extrapolation can also introduce errors into the reported measurement due to changes in viscosity index of the used oil.

Despite these limitations (which are actually not negatives), when used properly, on-site viscometers make valuable additions to any on-site test program. As a general rule, always baseline your new oils using your own on-site viscometer to determine nonconforming used oil viscosities quickly and simply.

Mark Barnes, Noria Corporation

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