Executive Summary
Although they’d like to see a few modifications and additional services, TLT readers report high levels of satisfaction with their OA programs. Many cited cases where one or more engines were saved when OA discovered problems early that otherwise could have gone undetected and resulted in cataclysmic failures. Regarding areas where they would like to see improvement from their OA providers, many survey respondents asked for more analysis and trend information supporting the raw numbers. “It would be nice to have them be a little more detailed in their explanations of what the potential causes are when there are yellows and red cautions,” said one. Faster turnaround time from labs also was mentioned.
Q.1. Cite an example when oil analysis identified a problem that would not have been uncovered otherwise.
We had a wheel loader showing traces of copper in the engine oil sample, which turned out to be a leaking oil cooler.
(1.) Water contamination in turbo-machinery lube systems. (2.) Wear metal in large gearboxes.
High bronze-wear-metal levels from bearing cage damage revealed potentially catastrophic damage in an otherwise healthy gearbox.
The amount of trucks with fuel dilution on engines that have a lot of idle time.
The most benefit is when a fuel leak or coolant leak is detected in engines. Another common instance is abrasive contamination in industrial equipment that is causing abnormal wear.
Vibration on a pump was normal, but the particle count in the oil was high. Looking into it closer, the particles that were highest were non-metallic, indicating that a lot of brass was in the sample. The pump was removed from service, and the drive end-bearing cage was very close to a catastrophic failure.
Our plant is running our production lines beyond their rated speed. With that, our gearboxes feel that stress. I have these machines using a high-quality synthetic fluid.
In several cases, I have detected acid formation because of the high load and silicon contamination due to water washdowns of fiberglass material.
Uncovering wring oil in use.
ISO 4406 results identifying filtration issues in our factory.
Low resistivity that can lead to electro-kinetic wear of servo valves.
Long-term incompatibility of oil chemistry and development plain bearing material. Slow reaction rate would have only been uncovered years later in customer product otherwise.
I caught a coolant leak in my Ford Windstar van long before a recall was issued.
Found oil had been diluted by fuel. VIS was very low/thin.
We had a tractor engine fail due to the ingestion of dirt (silicon). We replaced the engine and still got a failed oil analysis with high levels of silicon. The machine was operated in very dusty conditions and was inspected repeatedly for the source of contamination. Finally, after several attempts, a very small crack was detected underneath the air box for the intake, which could not be seen with the box installed on the unit or when it was removed for inspection. Without the sample data we would have eventually trashed another engine and probably made the same mistake over and over.
When air filter canisters were failing in John Deere 850K bulldozers, oil sampling helped in determining the issue. High reading of Si and Al triggered the alarm in time to save many engines.
We use oil analysis daily in trending customers’ results and systems. Too many to list, but we find water ingression and other that helps us stop the problems before catastrophic failures occur.
Using an outside source, we identified a mixture of hydraulic oil and glycol present in a customer’s system, indicating it had not been properly flushed out prior to converting to a hydraulic fluid. This caused irreparable damage to the pump bearings with significant downtime and costs to the client.
Elemental analysis for wear (vanadium) for a power generation engine valve problem.
We detected high copper in several common engines at a fleet customer a few years ago.
Fuel dilution, coolant ingress, dirt ingress, incorrect oil type, accelerated wear, cross contamination, higher than normal operating temps, antioxidant depletion, varnish.
Elevated viscosity was identified as a cause for cutting oil smoking at a customer who machines with straight cutting oil.
One of the most important tests that one cannot visibly see is AN. The acid number helps to determine oil changes needed due to the breakdown of the oil. Eventually you can pick this up through smell, but the lab testing will flag it before most people can smell it.
It was useful when the cooling system broke in the lower part of the cylinder liner and the coolant in small quantities got into the oil system.
Cross contamination. Distributor did not follow flushing procedures, and some of the wrong oil got in the tank.
Wear metals in a lubricant tanker (composite or bulk oil).
Internal coolant leak on a Caterpillar haul truck engine. The engine ran hot enough that coolant was never noted in the oil.
Diesel engine oil sample was contaminated with antifreeze/coolant.
We only analyze pure synthetics.
Incompatibility of two hydraulic oils mixed. It didn’t pass the filterability test.
Oil transferring from a torque converter into an engine.
There have many times when wear was indicated by oil analysis. Three pieces of equipment would have been run until failure if oil samples had not been pulled for analysis.
Glycol and fuel dilution in diesel engines for our own fleet and customers. This is the most common occurrence we see. Other things coming through on analysis were misapplication of lubricants.
Cavitation problem of oil in a high-speed lubrication condition.
We are a lubricant company, so we have good trust on oil analysis to check health of equipment. We believe that oil analysis is like a blood test; we can predict problems.
Pulverizer journal. Oil analysis is essentially the only avenue to determine the health of the bearings.
We are the oil maintenance company and do oil analysis in our own lab. Daily we solve severe problems of our customers in their machines.
We started seeing problems with varnishing. The supplier stated that nothing had changed in the oil. However, on analyzing the sample using FTIR, we could clearly see that the antioxidant had been changed, so we could open discussions up again with our supplier from a stronger position to discuss potential solutions.
We began seeing increasing iron and copper wear. This allowed us to fix an alignment issue on a large conveyor gearbox, prior to seeing a massive failure.
During condition monitoring and PM.
To what extent does your company or customers follow through with the results of oil analysis?
All the time
35%
Most of the time
40%
Requires a little arm twisting
20%
Rarely or never
5%
Based on responses sent to 15,000 TLT readers.
© Can Stock Photo / Elnur
Q.2. What products or services would you like your testing lab to offer that it is not providing now?
Nothing as far as routine analysis is concerned.
New and used grease analysis.
Better reporting tools to see the overall performance of an oil analysis program.
All of our needs are currently being met with the analysis that we require.
Data normalization.
Generally happy with the level of information provided.
They’re pretty comprehensive, but quicker turnaround times would be nice.
A simplified report emphasizing the trends rather than reporting the numerical data. Bench-marking against the new oil or similar assets, where applicable, also would help.
Fuel cleanliness.
A better varnish potential warning in high-pressure hydraulic systems.
Not much, they are now doing ferrography on bad samples. I recently watched a video presentation on filters and what is found in them, which is unique and an excellent technique to see what is being pulled out.
Water content, spectral analysis of wear materials, viscosity. Currently we only do microscopic particle analysis for hydraulic fluids.
Performance tests for greases.
Most labs provide adequate products and services. It would be nice to have them be a little more detailed in their explanations of what the potential causes are when there are yellows and red cautions. It would be good if they were up to date with wide ranging issues some of the OEMs are having such as oil coolers leaching high quantities of copper into the oil and showing red danger flags. We changed oils at the time, but it would be nice to know if the labs were on top of potential issues as they ask for a lot of upfront information on the analysis sheets and do not seem to provide additional insights.
Comprehensive turbine oil analysis, troubleshooting analysis.
Particle size analysis.
We are pleased with our lab testing and reporting.
Composition and properties of oil-containing nanoparticles.
Most handle all areas, but some do not cover metalworking fluids.
Shear stability.
Performance testing, such as four-ball wear scar.
The oil analysis program that is used is good, providing all the information that is required.
Laser net fines particle analysis.
Test cavitation erosion resistance of oil in a high-speed lubricated bearing.
This is more relevant to companies that have equipment lubricated with oil.
The lab that I use has been able to perform any test that I have needed thus far.
Better description of the testing and its limitations.
We have difficulties doing PolyGlycol oil analysis. Soluble varnish detection.
We either do our own analysis or subcontract to others. If we need a new type of analysis our regular lab doesn’t provide, we just find someplace else that does.