Free and clear

by John Malone

The often overlooked importance of contaminant-free oil transfers

There’s an old saying in the computer industry: “Garbage in, garbage out.”  The same adage applies to the oil industry. Oil contamination is a leading cause of unexpected downtime, resulting in an estimated up to $4 billion in annual losses in North America. As a cog in the wheel of oil’s journey through the supply system and a plant’s equipment, the importance of contaminant-free oil transfers is crucial to increasing and maintaining equipment reliability.

Contaminants are nasty little buggers, but . . .
Contaminants, even though often microscopic, do a number of things. First and foremost, they cause additional wear, which leads to premature failure of the equipment. This is the primary reason you don’t want contaminants in the oil. Contaminants range from all things that can create wear, degrade the oil itself, are incompatible with the additive package or cause corrosion of the equipment.

There are numerous methods to control contamination during oil transfers. For example, using oil jugs that are dedicated for a particular lubricant demonstrate good storage and handling techniques and are particularly helpful. It is wise not to underestimate the importance of an air breather, whether it’s a straight air breather that removes particulates or a desiccant breather that filters both water moisture and particulates.

Cross contamination can be kept in check with dedicated storage containers or jugs, and keep in mind that everything should be properly labeled and color coded. Color-coded tags at the fill point can keep the person topping the system from filling a red system with a blue jug. A good lubrication survey that produces a routing and scheduling program can help to more efficiently deliver similar products to similar systems.

Oil contamination’s link to reliable 
equipment operation is no small thing
Amazingly, many people don’t understand the impact of contaminants on their equipment. Lubricant cost in a typical industrial maintenance budget can range from two to five percent. The rest of the budget goes for parts, labor and acquisition costs. Sure, it’s only two to five percent of your budget, but the impact on parts, which are 40 to 45 percent, and the labor, which is another 45 percent, when a contaminated lubricant causes damage to a piece of equipment, can be extremely significant. Instead of paying for a lubricant, you’re paying to replace equipment and the labor to do it, which boils down to paying high costs for overtime and lost production.

Small things can often make a big difference in preventing oil contamination. One underappreciated item is the desiccant breather. Some view it as just a small filter on top of the tank allowing the system to breathe. As a system expands and contracts, it either draws air in or releases it. Without a filter at the top of the reservoir or storage tank, airborne contaminants and moisture will enter the system. A desiccant breather contains silica jell beads that absorb moisture, as well as filter elements that remove other contaminants.

Finding a reliable lubricant supplier
When considering ways to control oil contamination, your choice of lubricant suppliers should figure high in the equation. You want to work with a full-service supplier, someone who does more than simply drop drums at the door. If that’s all your supplier is doing for you, then anybody can do it.

And, full service is much more than carrying a full range of lubricants. Typical services include reliability upgrades such as system monitoring, whether through oil analysis or by physically coming in and pulling samples.

A supplier should either provide or have access to someone who provides full-blown services for system cleaning, improving system integrity, leak detection, and training. You need a supplier who will examine your entire facility, make solid recommendations, and then be able to deliver on those recommendations.

Some questions to ask a potential supplier include: Do you understand the principles of reliability?  How long have you been in operation?  What type of experience do you have?  Do you have dedicated service technicians?  Do you have all the necessary equipment?  What certifications do you have?  How much and what type of training have your people received?

This article appeared in the December 2005/January 2006 issue of MRO Today magazine. Copyright 2005.

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