A common question that I am often asked is about how to select the right filtration skid for offline kidney-loop oil filtration. This is one of the most neglected and least understood issues in the industry, costing companies billions of dollars in losses.
When implementing a formal lubrication program to improve reliability and reduce operating costs, it is necessary to have a holistic and systemic vision of the project. This will require taking into account several elements collectively in order to achieve the desired results.
Whether the program is for a fixed plant or a mobile fleet, the lubrication-related factors to consider can be described according to the lubricant’s life cycle. These include lubricant selection, lubricant reception and storage, lubricant handling and application, contamination control, lubricant analysis, and lubricant disposal. Following is a brief explanation of each element.
“What is the best cleaning procedure for contaminated oil drums? We are starting a project for off-line purification of 80,000 liters of varnish-contaminated turbine oil. The oils arrive at our workplace in 55-gallon steel drums. The challenge is washing and cleaning dirty drums and filling them again with purified oil. Is there any standard procedure for cleaning tight-head drums, or should we dispose and replace them with new ones?”
“How would you perform an oil flush for a rotary-screw air compressor?”
The purpose of oil flushing is to clean the system in contact with the lubricant. Whether it involves a machine, storage container, lubricant line, hose or lubricant conditioning system, flushing is designed to eliminate or control contamination that can negatively affect the performance of the lubricant or machine.
“Synthetic” is an all-encompassing term used to describe manmade base fluids utilized in the formulation of lubricants. Synthetics can have sharply different performance attributes and can at times be mutually incompatible. The differences between these base fluids must be understood in order to accommodate the needs of the machine application as well as the properties of the lubricant.
