A diffuser fitted to the return line of the tank can reduce foaming and thus reduce oxidation and aeration, as well as reducing the risk of cavitation. It can also reduce the potential for varnishing, erratic fluid flow, spongy hydraulics and overheating.

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We tend to implement programs in our facilities, then leave them to run on their own while we move on to other projects. A comprehensive review of your oil analysis program may be just the ticket to revitalize the program, fix some shortfalls and eliminate some unnecessary testing or sampling.

The review should include the equipment sampled, the lab you are using, sampling locations and frequency, the tests performed, alarms and limits, reporting, the responsibilities of the people involved, training and certification. You will likely find some improvement is needed.

Many plants have had oil analysis programs in place for years. But like most things in life, we continue to learn and want to improve the way we do things. Therefore, it is likely time to revisit your oil analysis program with the latest approaches and technologies.

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"Relating to gear boxes on trucks, if the owner or the driver doesn't know if the gear lubes are synthetic, is there a fool-proof way to determine this without having to send a sample to the lab? Some oil manufacturers color their synthetic oils, while others don't. What would happen if the oils were to be mixed or topped off with the wrong oil?"

The color of the lube, as I'm sure you are aware, is simply a dye. There are no standards, and manufacturers can and do change colors whenever they please. Unfortunately, there is no reliable way of differentiating between mineral and synthetic in the field. However, because synthetic base oils are white (meaning transparent) as compared to a mineral oil which has a darker natural color (due to aromatics, sulfur and other impurities), this may be a distinguishing factor. Note, however, that despite the fact that the base oil of a synthetic is white, the additives can add considerable color (darkening) to the finished oil.

In the laboratory, you could distinguish synthetics from mineral oil by looking at a combination of physical properties including VI, flash point, pour point, and aniline point (all standard ASTM tests). There may also be different elemental additive chemistry.

In the type of application you are talking about, the synthetic gear oil will likely be polyalphaolefin (PAO)-based. PAOs are chemically similar to mineral oils and hence mixing the two should not cause a compatibility problem (especially if both oils are the same API classification). Although, if a synthetic is required, for example for cold temperature operation, using a mineral by mistake may cause other problems.

Also be aware that in industrial applications, some synthetic gear oils are polyglycol (PAG) basestocks, which are chemically incompatible with both PAO synthetics and mineral oils. In this case, mixing will result in serious incompatibility issues.

Mark Barnes, Noria Corporation

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