The Application

Large paper mills rely on continuous production to be profitable, thus unplanned down time is a huge financial burden. When unplanned downtime does occur and equipment must also be either repaired or replaced, the damages can feel exponential.

Topics: fluid cleanliness, dirt, iso cleanliness codes, ISO Fluid Cleanliness Codes, maintenance, ISO 4406, filtration

The Problem

Pumps are the heart of hydraulic systems. When the pump fails, the entire system is down until the pump is operational again. This poses a serious threat to any operation relying on hydraulic systems for productivity. Recently, a hydraulic valve manufacturer was losing 25 pumps a year on their centralized hydraulic system at a cost of $2,440 each. That’s only the pump cost, when you account for maintenance resources, lost oil and lost production each failure costs ~$25,320.

Topics: hydraulic fluid, contamination, fluid cleanliness, dirt, iso cleanliness codes, ISO 4406, filtration, Fluid Analysis

The Problem

Today’s oil suppliers are often required to provide fluid at or below a specified ISO Cleanliness Code. One such supplier was experiencing short filter element life (15 days) on the system (7 element multi-round housing) used to achieve the required ISO Cleanliness Code of 18/16/13 in a single pass as 15W-40 oil is transferred from their bulk storage tanks to tanker trucks for delivery.

Topics: hydraulic fluid, contamination, fluid cleanliness, dirt, iso cleanliness codes, ISO 4406, filtration, Fluid Analysis

The Application

An automotive stamping plant operating large presses to produce body panels was experiencing high surface finish defect scrap. Lubricating oil contamination was causing surface imperfections that would be visible after painting.

The Problem

The uncoiler / washer lube oil system was protected by an off-line filtration system fitted with CJC stacked disc cellulose media filter inserts (elements). Oil analysis revealed an operating ISO code of 23/19/11. Patch analysis showed cellulose fibers were shedding into the oil from the filter inserts downstream of the filtration system.

Topics: contamination, fluid cleanliness, dirt, maintenance, ISO 4406, filtration

The Application

An Australian aluminum refinery was consistently performing premature gearbox lube oil changes on 7 base drive units due to oil and particulate contamination. With an average operating ISO code of 20/18/16 and average water levels of 4742ppm, the 360 liters / 90 gallons of ISO VG320 gear oil was being changed far too often. Cost per gearbox oil change (excluding crane, lost production, labor) is $17,962.60 which adds up to $125,738.20 for all 7 units.

Topics: hydraulic fluid, contamination, fluid cleanliness, dirt, hydraulic filters, iso cleanliness codes, ISO 4406, fluid samples, filtration, Fluid Analysis

The Application

A hydraulic valve manufacturer required pristine fluid (< 14/12/9) to test flow across an 80 micron orifice on their test stand. Gross amounts of contamination in the fluid would skew the test results, invalidating any data collected. The system held 100 l (26.4 gal) of ISO VG 32 fluid with a flow rate of 25 lpm (6.6 gpm).

Through observing the manufacturer’s sampling practices, discussing fluid handling best practices and interpreting their lab reports; 3 independent problems were identified:

Topics: hydraulic fluid, contamination, fluid cleanliness, dirt, hydraulic filters, iso cleanliness codes, ISO 4406, fluid samples, filtration, Fluid Analysis

When looking at a lab report it is assumed the information on the report is accurate. A certified lab will not usually make an error in the report, but if so it is obvious and easily fixed. Ever hear the saying "By the time the lab gets the report the error has already been made?" For the most part this is true. Where people are led off course is believing the particle count on the lab report is the gospel. This is natural, but unfortunately not always the case with a bottle sample unless you already employ the techniques listed in the video below.

Topics: hydraulic fluid, fluid cleanliness, dirt, hydraulic filters, ISO 16889, iso cleanliness codes, ISO Fluid Cleanliness Codes, diesel, ISO 4406, fluid samples, filtration

Guest post today by Dan Helgerson. He is the Technical Editor of the Fluid Power Journal, where this article was originally published.

Topics: hydraulic fluid, contamination, iso cleanliness codes, ISO 4406