NotSureWhatYour

Oil
Analysi
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I
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ingYou?

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CrckTheCode!


InitialReportReview
Theabilitytointerprettheresultsofoilanalysisisvitaltoguidingsignificantdecisionsaboutpreventive
maintenanceactivities.Havingsomeoneinyourorganizationwhocanpickupareportandinterpretitin
thecontextoftheenvironmentisabsolutelyessential.Thisisaskillwhichcaneasilybedevelopedwith
aminimalinvestmentintrainingandcertification.Thisarticleaddressesthebasicsofoilanalysisand
interpretingtheresultingreports.

Onceananalysisiscomplete,itisimportanttoreviewthereportandinterprettheaccompanyingdata.
Basedonthereport,youcandeterminewhetheractionisneeded.Thereportdoesnotalwayspinpoint
specificproblems,butdoesprovideastartingpointforanalysis.

Reportsshouldbeeasytoreview.Eachtestshouldbeclearlyidentified,andingeneral,theinformation
shouldbeorganizedinaspreadsheetwithnumbersindicatingtestresults.Whenyoulookatyour
reports,makesuretheyarejustthat,yourreports.Becertainthereportincludes:

YourName MachineMFG
LubeType MachineType

YourreportshouldclearlystateyourMachineandLubricantCondition.Yourlabshouldhavearating
systemthatnotifiesyouofNormal,MarginalandCriticallevels.Yourreportshouldalsoincludeyour
ownCustomerNotes.Thesenotesareimportanttohelpcompletetheoverallpictureoftheequipment.
Theanalystwillconsideryournotestoassessthemachinecondition.Finally,theAnalystSummarywill
helpyougaugethecriticalityoftheproblemandprovideyouwithasuggestedcourseofaction.

MachineCondition CustomerNotes
LubricantCondition AnalystComments


Machine Condition: CRITICAL

Lubricant Condition: CRITICAL

B ID FAN BEARING LUBE OIL

Analysis Report
LubeType: ConocoAW46 Received: 6/30/201212:00:00AM ATTN:JackBoilerman
LakeRdPlant
MachineMFG: AIRPRODINC Report: 5/4/124:43:00PM
20338ProgressDrive
MachineMOD: B175A SampleNo: 19144 Strongsville,OH44149
MachineType: AntiFrictionBearing Analyst: MM

Problems:***HIGHIRON.***HIGHLEAD.***HIGH CustomerNotes:MachHours:2016*
WATERCONTENT.***EXCESSIVEPARTICLECOUNT. LubeHours:2016FilterChange1/5/2012

AnalystComments:Watercontentat.689%(6890ppm)islikelytheresultofcondensationorwateringression.Water
contaminationcanleadtooildegradation,corrosionandreductioninloadcarryingcapacity.Ifspecificsourceof
moisturecannotbelocated,inspectorinstalldesiccantbreathers.Theparticulatecontaminationexceedsourlimitsfor
abearing(19/17/16).Highparticulatecontaminationwillleadtoabrasivewearanddamageinternalcomponents.
Reducingparticlelevelswillsignificantlyextendcomponentlife.Fluidcontaminationisapossiblecontributorto
elevatedwearmetals.
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CheckingResistancetoFlow:Viscosity
Thistestmeasuresalubricantsviscosity(resistancetoflowataspecifictemperature).Anoilsviscosity
isconsidereditsmostimportantproperty.Thistestcanquicklydetecttheadditionofawrongoil.In
fact,itsthebeststandardformeasuringoilserviceability.Ifalubricantdoesnthavetheproper
viscosity,itcantperformitsfunctionsproperly.Iftheviscosityisntcorrectfortheload,theoilfilm
cantbeestablishedatthefrictionpoint.Heatandcontaminationarentcarriedawayattheproper
rates,andtheoilcantadequatelyprotectthecomponent.Alubricantwiththeimproperviscositycan
leadtooverheating,acceleratedwear,and,ultimately,thefailureofthecomponent.

ViscosityLimits
Anincreaseinviscositymayindicate:
IndustrialoilsareidentifiedbytheirISOviscositygrade Increasingsuspendedsolidmaterial
(VG).TheISOVGreferstotheoilskinematicviscosityat suchaswearparticles,
40C.TobecategorizedatacertainISOgrade,anoils contamination,orsoot
(eitherneworused)viscositymustfallwithinplusor Additionsofahigherviscosityoil
minus10percentofthegrade.Soforanoiltobe Lubricantoxidation
classifiedasISO100,theviscositymustfallwithin Watercontamination
90to110cSt.Ifanoilsviscosityiswithinplusorminus
10percentofitsISOgrade,itsconsiderednormal.If Adecreaseinviscositymayindicate:
theoilsviscosityisgreaterthanplusorminus10percent Contaminationfromfuelsor
andlessthanplusorminus20percent,thenits processfluid
consideredmarginal.Viscositygreaterthanplusor Additionsofalowerviscosityoil
minus20percentfromgradeiscritical. Additiveshear

KinematicOilViscosityinCentistokes
MidPoint Limits,KV40C MidPoint Limits,KV40C
ISOVG KV40C ISOVG KV40C
Min. Max. Min. Max.
mm2s1 mm2s1
ISOVG2 2.2 1.98 2.4 ISOVG100 100 90 110
ISOVG3 3.2 2.88 3.52 ISOVG150 150 135 165
ISOVG5 4.6 4.14 5.06 ISOVG220 220 198 242
ISOVG7 6.8 6.12 7.48 ISOVG320 320 288 352
ISOVG10 10 9 11 ISOVG460 460 414 506
ISOVG15 15 13.5 16.5 ISOVG680 680 612 748
ISOVG22 22 19.8 24.2 ISOVG1000 1000 900 1100
ISOVG2 32 28.8 35.2 ISOVG1500 1500 1350 1650
ISOVG32 46 41.4 50.6 ISOVG2200 2200 1980 2420

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Let'sinterpretthisreportwithhighviscosity

LubeType:MobilMobilGear634
MachineType:IndustrialGear

Reference 8/27/2010 6/18/2010 5/14/2010 4/26/2010

LabNo 884169 639886 620613 607160 601898
OilChng/Mach/Lube N/N/C N/N/C N / N/C N/ N / C
SPECTROSCOPICANAYLSIS(ppm)ASTMD5185
Iron 2 7 21 26 30
Copper 0 0 0 0 0
Lead 0 0 0 0 1
Aluminum 1 0 0 3 2
Tin 1 1 5 3 0
Nickel 0 0 0 0 0
Chromium 0 0 0 0 1
Titanium 0 0 0 0 0
Vanadium 0 0 0 0 0
Silver 0 0 0 0 0
Silicon 12 4 6 10 8
Boron 1 15 10 21 21
Calcium 0 44 43 132 142
Magnesium 0 4 1 3 5
Phosphorus 369 387 389 338 368
Zinc 0 50 25 58 70
Barium 0 0 0 0 1
Molybdenum 0 0 0 0 0
Sodium 2 0 1 2 8
Potassium 0 2 0 2 4
VISCOSITY(centistokes)ASTMD445
Vis40 437.9 327.3 230.3 220.0 220.3
PARTICLECOUNT(particlesperml)ISO4406:99
ISOCode 18/17/13 27/24/20 26/25/21 22/21/17 26/25/21
>4Micron 2191 999999 502842 36420 502842
>6Micron 852 99999 195556 14163 195556
>14Micron 65 9999 14914 1080 14914
>50Micron 2 99 653 47 653
>100Micron 0 9 40 2 40

Asyoureviewthisreportthefirstthingyoushouldlookatisthereferencecolumn.Thereferencelevel
fortheviscosityofthisoilisat437.9ppm,andonthefirstthreeteststheviscosityisinthe200cSt
range.Rememberwhatwesaidaboutviscositylimits:Iftheoilsviscosityisoutsideofplusorminus10
percent(marginal)orplusorminus20percent(critical),thenitsconsideredtobeinalarm.Withthisin
mindweknowthelubricantinthisequipmentisatacriticalviscositylevel.Butsomethingchangesin
August2010.Theviscosityincreases100cStfromthepreviousresults.Thisremainsbelowthe
specificationandremainsinalarm,butfromthisweseethattherewasanadditionoffluid(orthisisnot
theintendedusefluid)tobringtheviscosityuptospecification.Alsoifyounoticethatwhilethe
viscosityhasincreasedsohasthelevelofzinc.Aswelookatthereferenceareawenoticethatzinc
shouldnotbeinthislubricantandwecanconcludethatthisisanotherproductthathasbeenputinand
notthe634gearoilwewereexpecting.Therecommendationforthisequipmentwouldbeaproper
flushandtorefillwiththecorrectlubricant.

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MeasuringMetals:ElementalSpectroscopy
Analyzingtheoilanalysisreportinvolvesunderstandingtheconcentrationofexpectedandunexpected
elementsinyouroil.Someelementsarepickedupastheoilcirculatesandsplashesoffdifferent
componentsandsurfacesofthemachine.Additionally,contaminantscanenterthemachineduring
manufacturing,routineservice,faultyseals,poorbreathersoropenhatches.Nomatterhowthe
contaminantsentertheoil,theyarecarriedalongwithintheoilandcancausemetalwear.

Elementalspectroscopydeterminestheconcentrationofwearmetals,contaminantmetals,andadditive
metalsinalubricant.Whenthepredominantsourceofadditiveelementsinusedlubricatingoilsisthe
additivepackage,significantdifferencesbetweentheconcentrationsoftheadditiveelementsandtheir
respectivespecificationscanindicatethattheincorrectoilisbeingused.Theconcentrationsofwear
metalscanbeindicativeofabnormalweariftherearebaselineconcentrationdataforcomparison.A
markedincreaseinboron,sodium,orpotassiumlevelscanbeindicativeofcontaminationasaresultof
coolantleakageintheequipment.

Limitsshouldbebasedontrends,allmachinesare
WearMetalLimits
different.Forexample,ifyouhavetwoidentical
Limitsshouldbebasedontrends
machinesindifferentplaces,dependingonthe
maintenancepracticesloadanddutycyclesthesetwo Suddenincreasesindicate
machinescanhavevastlydifferentelemental problems
spectroscopyresultsandbothcouldbeconsidered
Operationalconditionscaneffect
normalputofftotallydifferentparticlesandbefine.
Trendingisreallyimportantforjudgingamachine's
wheremetallevels
health.Useyourbestjudgmentwhenthinkingabout Oilchanges,breakingperiods,
operationalconditions.Hasanythingchanged?Have loading
youbeenrunningthemachinelonger?Haveyoubeen
OEMrecommendations
puttingmoreloadonit?Orisitanewmachinejust
breakingin.

Beforeyouthinkthemachineisfaultythinkaboutallofthesethings.OEMrecommendationsare
sometimesgoodbutallmachinesaredifferentandyou'llnevergetexactlywhattheOEM
recommendationsaysdependingonwhatyoudothemachine.

Spectroscopycannotmeasureparticleslargerthanroughlysevenmicrons,whichleaves
thistestblindtolargersolidparticles.Aswithanytypeoftesting,spectroscopyis
subjecttoinherentvariance(naturalinconsistency).

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Let'sinterpretthisreportwithwearparticles

LubeType:CONOCOMultipurposeR&O68
MachineType:PlainBearing

Reference 8/12/2010 6/21/2010 12/26/2008 10/6/2007

LabNo. 609348 639281 624653 485474 377712
OilChng/Mach/Lube N/C/M N/C/M N/N/M N/ C/M
SPECTROSCOPICANAYLSIS(ppm)ASTMD5185
Iron 0 260 45 29 39
Copper 0 155 49 2 39
Lead 0 30 7 1 17
Aluminum 0 2 2 1 2
Tin 0 3729 722 26 531
Nickel 0 1 0 0 0
Chromium 0 1 0 0 0
Titanium 0 0 0 0 0
Vanadium 0 0 0 0 0
Silver 0 0 0 0 0
Silicon 0 4 5 4 4
Boron 0 0 0 1 0
Calcium 0 118 44 1 3
Magnesium 0 0 0 0 0
Phosphorus 17 201 82 3 34
Zinc 0 0 3 2 18
Barium 0 0 0 1 0
Molybdenum 0 0 0 0 0
Sodium 0 0 0 0 4
Potassium 0 0 0 8 3

First,ifyouareeverlookingatareportforanykindofaplainbearingyoushouldalwayslookatthe
copperandtinlevels.Therearethinlayersofcopperandtinbetweentheshaftandthehousing,soif
youstarttoseethenumbersclimbingup,beawarethatthiscouldindicateawearproblem.In
reviewingthereportaboveweseethatin2007thecopperlevelisat39ppm,whichalonecanindicatea
problem,buttherealcluehereisthetin,whichisat531ppm.Thisisacriticallevel.Afterreceiving
theseresults,themachineoperatorchangedtheoilandcontinuedtousethemachine.Ayearlaterthe
machinewastestedagainandtheresultsaremarginal.Theseresultsgavethemachineoperator
confidencethathisequipmentwashealthyandhestoppedregulartesting.Youshouldbeawarethat
changingoilmayhaveflushedawaythewearmaterialwhichinturnedtemporarilymaskedtheproblem.

ThemachinewasnottestedagainuntilJune2010.Youcanseethatthetinwaselevatedto722ppm
andthecopperalsoshowsasignificantincrease.Thismachinewasprobablymakingallkindsofnoise
alertingtheoperatortotheproblem,butitwastoolate.SoonaftertheJunetestingthemachinefailed.

TheresultsshowninAugust2010werefromthefailedequipment.Youcanseethetinlevelsare
throughtheroof,asarethecopperandIron.Theseresultstellusthatseveredamagehasoccurredto
thisplainbearing.

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StayOnTheLookOutForContaminants
Oilcontaminationcausesapproximately80%ofalloilsystemfailures.Contaminationtakestheformof
insolublematerialssuchasmetals,dustparticles,sandandrubber.Thesmallestparticles,thosebelow
2m,andbetterknownassilt,resinoroxidationdepositsareoftenresponsiblefordefects.Manyof
thesecontaminantsinfluenceequipmentreliabilityandlifetime.

Whentalkingaboutcontaminants,theobjectiveistodetectthepresenceofforeigncomponentsandto
askWhatarethey?Wheredidtheycomefrom(builtin,generated,ingressed,introduced)?HowcanI
preventfurtherentryorgeneration?Contaminantsactasacatalystforwear.Thisgeneratedwear
debrisfurtheractsasacatalystforadditionalcomponentwear.Ifthecycleisnotbroken,wear
acceleratesanddowngradedserviceabilityresults.

Typicalcontaminantsare:

Silicon(Si) Potassium
o AirborneDust&Dirt, o CoolantAdditive
DefoamantAdditive Sodium
Boron(B) o DetergentAdditive,CoolantAdditive
o AntiCorrosioninCoolants

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Let'sinterpretthisreportwithcontamination

LubeType:SAFETYKLEENAW46
MachineType:HydraulicSystem

Reference 9/8/2010 9/28/2009 2/9/2009 8/24/2008

LabNo 349585 642792 551484 494182 449544
OilChng/Mach/Lube N/N/M N/M/C N/N/C N/N/C
SPECTROSCOPICANALYSIS(ppm)ASTMD5185
Iron 0 1 0 0 0
Copper 0 1 5 0 0
Lead 0 5 1 0 1
Aluminum 0 0 0 0 0
Tin 0 1 1 1 0
Nickel 0 0 0 0 0
Chromium 0 0 0 0 0
Titanium 0 0 0 0 0
Vanadium 0 0 0 0 0
Silver 0 0 0 0 0
Silicon 0 68 1 0 3
Boron 1 0 0 0 0
Calcium 49 50 126 82 65
Magnesium 0 0 3 0 0
Phosphorus 312 382 385 296 300
Zinc 424 450 433 370 363
Barium 0 0 0 0 0
Molybdenum 0 0 0 0 0
Sodium 0 1 1 1 3
Potassium 4 6 0 3 3

PayattentioncloselytothesiliconlevelsforthisHydraulicSystem.Severalofthetestshowthesilicon
atlowlevels,butontheSeptember2010testthesiliconisat68ppm.Thiscouldbecontributedto
airbornedust,howeverinthiscasewehaveasampleofnewoil.Nowifwelookatthepastsamples
whichhavenohistoryofhighsiliconlevelswenowaskthequestionWheredidthiscomefrom?Being
newincomingoilandconsideringthattherehasneverbeenanissuelikethisbefore,theonlyvariable
thatisdifferentisthefactthatthisisincomingoil.Withthatsaid,wecanconcludethatthereappears
tobeacontaminationissuewithourincomingbatchofoil.Itwouldbebesttoresample.Thisisagood
exampleoftheimportanceoftestingincomingoilnotonlytobesureitisthecorrectlubricant,but
alsotocheckcleanliness,andinthiscasethepresenceofcontamination.

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MonitorAdditiveLevels
Oiladditivesarechemicalcompoundsthatimprovethelubricantperformance
ofbaseoil.Withoutmanyoftheseadditivestheoilwouldbecomecontaminated,
breakdown,leakout,ornotproperlyprotectpartsatalloperatingtemperatures.

Someofthemostimportantadditivesincludethoseusedforviscosityand
lubricity,contaminantcontrol,forthecontrolofchemicalbreakdown,
andforsealconditioning.Someadditivespermitlubricantstoperform
betterundersevereconditions,suchasextremepressuresand
temperaturesandhighlevelsofcontamination.

Thesepreciousadditivescanbedepletedduringuseandmonitoringthis
depletioncanprovideanearlywarningofimpendinglubricantfailure.
Monitoringadditivelevelsisimportantnotonlytoassessthehealthof
thelubricant,butitalsomayprovidecluesrelatedtospecificdegradation
mechanisms.

Typicaladditivesare:

Magnesium(Mg) Zinc(Zn)
o DetergentAdditive o AntiwearAdditive
Barium(Ba) Phosphorus(P)
o Rust&CorrosionInhibitor o AntiWearAdditive,EPGear
Calcium(Ca) Additive
o Detergent/DispersantAdditive Molybdenum(Mo)
o ExtremePressureAdditive

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Let'sinterpretthisreportwithadditiveissues

LubeType:QUAKERQUINTOLUBRIC88868
MachineType:HydraulicSystem

Reference 9/1/2010 7/28/2010 6/14/2010 4/25/2010

LabNo 641386 641039 631381 614442 601224
OilChng/Mach/Lube N/N/C N/N/N N /U/U N/N/N
SPECTROSCOPICANALYSIS(ppm)ASTMD5185
Iron 0 2 1 1
Copper 0 4 2 1
Lead 0 3 1 2
Aluminum 0 1 0 0
Tin 340 0 285 330
Nickel 0 0 0 0
Chromium 0 0 0 0
Titanium 0 0 0 0
Vanadium 0 0 0 0
Silver 0 0 0 0
Silicon 6 152 6 5
Boron 0 0 3 2
Calcium 2 35 5 5
Magnesium 0 0 0 0
Phosphorus 205 515 626 690
Zinc 4 397 28 30
Barium 0 0 0 0
Molybdenum 0 0 0 0
Sodium 5 0 3 4
Potassium 0 0 0 0
VISCOSITY(centistokes)ASTMD445
Vis40 69.4 44.3 63.1 63.6
SINGLECOMPONENTTESTS
FLASHPOINTD92C 276.00

ThefirstthingyouneedtoknowaboutthisreportisthatQuintolubricisafireresistantlubricantandit
containstinasanadditive.OnthisparticularreportyoucanseethatinApril2010thetinmatches
closelywiththereferenceoilat330ppm.Thephosphoruslevelisalsohigh,buttheviscositylooksgood,
sothelubricantisflaggedasnormal.InJune2010theFlashPointwastestedtoensuretheoilwas
maintainingitsfireresistantquality.Thelevelsarewithinspecification.

TheSeptember2010iswhereweseeanissue.Thefirstredflagisthatthereisnotinshowinginthe
lubricant.Inreviewingtheotherelements,weseethehighlevelsofphosphorousandzincarethereal
issue.Theselevelsofphosphorousandzincgivetheindicationthatthisisahydraulicoilnot
Quintolubric.Theconcernhereisthatanotheroilcouldhavebeenaddedtothismachine,andthe
resultsindicateitisnotafireresistantoil.

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QuantifyingtheAmountofWater:
KarlFischerWaterTest
TheKarlFischercoulometricmoisturetestisa
seriesofchemicalreactionsdiscoveredin1935
byGermanchemistKarlFischer.Thismethod
analyzeswaterinthemicrogramorpartper
millionrange.Thistestisveryaccurate,to.001
percent.WaterdeterminationbyKarlFischeris
definedinASTMD6304.

Lowlevelsofwateraretypicallytheresultof
condensation.Higherlevelscanindicatea
sourceofwateringress.Watercanentera
Clickontheimagetowatcha shortvideoabouttheKarl FischerTest
systemthroughseals,breathers,hatches,and
fillcaps.Internalleaksfromheatexchangers
andwaterjacketsareotherpotentialsources.

Whenfreewaterispresentinoil,itposesaseriousthreattotheequipment.Waterisaverypoor
lubricantandpromotesrustandcorrosiontothecomponents.Dissolvedwaterinanoilpromotesoil
oxidationandreducestheloadhandlingabilityoftheoil.Watercontaminationcanalsocausetheoils
additivepackagetoprecipitate.Waterinanyformcausesacceleratedwear,increasedfriction,andhigh
operatingtemperatures.Ifleftunchecked,watercanleadtoprematurecomponentfailure.Inmost
systems,watershouldnotexceed500ppm.

Commonsourcesofwater:

Externalcontamination
o Breathers,Seals,Reservoircovers
Internalleaks
o Heatexchangers,Waterjackets
Condensation

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Let'sinterpretthesetworeportswithwaterissues

LubeType:SULLAIRSULLUBE
MachineType:COMPRESSOR

Reference 8/12/2010 3/19/2010 10/24/2008 9/5/2008

LabNo 752001 636637 586192 463401 453020
OilChng/Mach/Lube N/N/C N/N/N N / N/N N/ N / N
SINGLECOMPONENTTESTS
Acid#mgKOH/g 0.01 1.65 0.70 0.71 0.95
Water% 0.842 NEG NEG NEG

ThisreportshowsthatthewaterlevelshavebeennegativeacrosstheboardupuntiltheAugust2010
test.At.842%,thisisacriticalwaterlimit.Inaddition,theacidnumberhasincreased,whichisadirect
resultoftheincreaseinwaterandittellsusthattheoilhasstartedtooxidize.Themachineoperator
needstoquicklyfindthesourceofwaterandfixtheproblempriortoproperlyflushingandrefilling.

LubeType:SHELLMORLINASD6680
MachineType:UNKNOWN

Reference 8/16/2010 7/12/2010 6/7/2010 5/17/2010

LabNo 629766 637151 627463 613168 607203
OilChng/Mach/Lube N/N/C N/N/C N / N/C N/ N / C
DEMULSIBILITY
Demulsibility 40382(25) 0 872 (60)
VISCOSITY(centistokes)ASTMD445
Vis40 700.2 1071.4 959.0 1053.8 1222.0
SINGLECOMPONENTTESTS
Acid#mgKOH/g 0.01 1.65 0.70 0.71 0.95
Water% 0.842 NEG NEG NEG

ShellMorlinaoilsarerustandoxidationinhibitedlubricatingoilsthatprovideexcellentlubricationin
MORGOILbearingandsteelmillcirculatingsystems.Theyaredesignedtohaveappropriate
viscosity/temperaturecharacteristics,lowfoamingtendenciesandexcellentwaterseparation
properties.Withthatinmind,thefirstthingyouwanttolookatinthisreportisthefaileddemulsibility*
resultsfromtheJuly2010test.Whenyouseesomethinglikethisthenextthingyoushouldlookatis
theviscosity.Thereferenceoilshowsthenormallevelsforthisoiltobeat700cSt,andifyouscanall
thetestresults,theviscosityhasbeenwellabovethecriticalalarmlimit.Thislubricant'sinabilityto
separatefromwaterandintroductionofawatersourcearethereasonsforthishighviscosity.Withthe
waterat.842%,theoilisnolongerdoingitsjobandyoucanassumethatthemachinepartsarenot
properlylubricated.

*DemulsibilitycanbetestedusingASTMD1401.Duringthistest,agraduatedcylindercontaininga
volumeofoilandavolumeofdistilledwaterisplacedinaconstanttemperaturebath.Thecontentsare
stirredtogetherforfiveminutes.Thevolumesofoil,water,andemulsionarerecordedatfiveminute
intervalsuntil3millilitersorlessofemulsionremainsoruntilatimelimitisreached.Asampleis
consideredtohavefailedthetestifmorethan3millilitersofemulsionremainswhenthetimelimitis
reached.Lessviscousoils(lowerthan80cSt)areexpectedtoseparatewithin30minutes.Moreviscous
oils(greaterthan80cSt)areexpectedtoseparatewithin60minutes.Inotherwords,thefasterthe
separation,thebetterthedemulsibility.

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LookingatChemicalComposition:FTIR
MolecularanalysisoflubricantsandhydraulicfluidsbyFTIRspectroscopyproducesdirectinformation
onmolecularspeciesofinterest,includingadditives,fluidbreakdownproducts,andexternal
contamination.Itcomparesinfraredspectraofusedoiltoabaselinespectrum.ThedifferencesinIR
spectraarequantified.Levelsofthefollowingoildegradationarereported:

Oxidation:Atelevatedtemperatures,oilexposedtooxygenfromtheairoxidizestoforma
varietyofcompounds.Themajorityofthesearecarbonylcontainingcompounds,suchas
carboxylicacid.
Nitration:Thislevelshowsthereactionofoilcomponentswithnitrogenoxides.
Soot:Thismeasurementisthelevelofpartiallyburnedfuelinoil;itsrelevantfordieselengines.
Glycol:Apositivemeasurementheremayindicateacoolantleak.

Let'sinterpretthisreportwithoxidation

LubeType:ALCOAML686
MachineType:INDUSTRIALGEAR

Reference 7/6/2009 6/3/2009 5/7/2009 4/1/2009

LabNo 571957 528488 521406 512706 504404
OilChng/Mach/Lube N/N/C N/N/C N/N/C N/N/C
VISCOSITY(centistokes)ASTMD445
Vis40 429.9 724.6 715.7 686.7 628.1
FTIRSPECTROSCOPY(indexingnumbers)JOAPMethod
AntiWear 8 20 19 19 19
Nitration 3 13 13 12 12
OtherFluid 22 52 51 53 53
Oxidation 1 85 83 79 73
SINGLECOMPONENTTESTS
Acid#mgKOH/g 0.11 13.86 5.33 2.41 0.56
Water% NEG NEG NEG NEG

IfyoulookattheFTIRforthereferenceoiltheoxidationlevelisat1,butthepasttestsshowitinthe70
and80ranges.Thesearedangerouslevels.Thereareafewthingsthatyoucanconsiderhere.The
machineoperatormayhavereplacedtheoilwithasyntheticversion,whichtypicallyhavehigher
oxidationlevels.However,let'scontinuereviewingtheresultstofindmoreclues.Youcanseethatthe
acidisfairlyhigh.Theviscositywillgiveusanotherclue,Thereferenceforviscosityisat429.9cSt,but
thehistoryoftestresultsshowtheoilinthe700range.Wecannowassumewithoutadoubtthatthis
oilisdegradingatarapidpace.

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DetermineOil'sServiceability:AcidNumber
AcidNumber(AN)isanindicatorofoilserviceability.Itisusefulinmonitoringacidbuildupinoilsdueto
depletionofantioxidants.Oiloxidationcausesacidicbyproductstoform.Highacidlevelscanindicate
excessiveoiloxidationordepletionoftheoiladditivesandcanleadtocorrosionoftheinternal
components.Bymonitoringtheacidlevel,theoilcanbechangedbeforeanydamageoccurs.

Anoilanalystislookingforasuddenincrease.Whenyouroilisflaggedforhighacidlevels,it
indicatesacceleratedoiloxidation,andyoushouldchangetheoilassoonaspossible.Ifanyofthe
remaininghighlyacidicoilisleft,itcanhaveacatalysteffectandquicklyruinthenewoil.

ANismeasuredbytitrationusingASTMD664orD974.Bothmethodsinvolvedilutingtheoilsample
andaddingincrementalamountsofanalkalinesolutionuntilaneutralendpointisachieved.TheANofa
newoilwillvarybasedonthebaseoiladditivepackage.AnR&OoilwillusuallyhaveaverylowAN,
around0.03.AnAWorEPoilwillhaveaslightlyhighervalue,typicallyaround0.5.Engineoilscommonly
haveahigherAN,intheneighborhoodof1.5.

Let'sinterpretthesereportswithacidissues

LubeType:NTLCLEARLUBERS32F
MachineType:SCREWCOMPRESSOR

Reference 10/22/2005 10/13/2005 8/9/2005 6/23/2005

LabNo 81983 266426 265015 258380 252985
OilChng/Mach/Lube Y/N/M N/M/C N/N/N N/N/N
VISCOSITY(centistokes)ASTMD445
Vis40 31.5 33.0 45.7 32.3 32.0
FTIRSPECTROSCOPY(indexingnumbers)JOAPMethod
AntiWear 7 9 17 7 7
Nitration 2 3 5 3 3
OtherFluid 122 117 105 120 121
Oxidation 3 22 67 8 7
SINGLECOMPONENTTESTS
Acid#mgKOH/g 2.52 5.00 0.50 0.44
Water% 0.044

IfyoulookattheacidnumberforthisoilitstartedinJune2005at.44andgotupto5.0byOctober.We
knowthattheoilwaschangedatthistime,butwhentheoilwastestedagainjust9dayslater,theacid
numberisstillhigh.Thisleadsustobelievethateventhoughtheoilwaschanged,itislikelythatthe
machinewasnotproperlyflushed,sotheoldoilcontaminatedthenewoil.Ifaproperflushwasdone
alongwiththeoilchangewewouldbelesslikelytoseethesetestresults.

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GaugingParticleCount
Theconcentrationofwearparticlesinoilisakeyindicatorofpotentialcomponentproblems.Therefore,
oilanalysismustbecapableofmeasuringawiderangeofwearparticlesandcontaminantparticles.
Sometypesofwearproduceparticlesthatareextremelysmall.Othertypesofwearproducelarger
particlesthatcanbevisuallyobservedintheoil.Particulatesofanysizehavethepropensitytocause
seriousdamageifallowedtoenterthelubricatingoil.

Particlecountanalysisisconductedonarepresentativesampleofthefluidinasystem.Theparticle
counttestprovidesthequantityandmicronsizeofthevarioussolidcontaminantsinthefluid.The
actualparticlecountandsubsequentISOCleanlinessCodearecomparedtothetargetcodeforthe
system.Iftheactualcleanlinesslevelofasystemisworsethanthedesiredtarget,correctiveactionis
recommended.

Particlecountisreportedinsixsizeranges:

ISO4406Chart
1. Greaterthan4 Range NumberofParticlesPer100MI
2. Greaterthan6 Number Morethan Uptoandincluding
3. Greaterthan14
24 8,000,000 16,000,000
4. Greaterthan25
5. Greaterthan50 23 4,000,000 8,000,000
6. Greaterthan100 22 2,000,000 4,000,000

21 1,000,000 2,000,000
ISOCleanlinessCode
Differentmechanicalsystemshavedistinctlevels 20 500,000 1,000,000
ofcleanlinessthatarerequiredforoptimumlife 19 250,000 500,000
andminimumcomponentwear.Contaminantsin
18 130,000 250,000
asystemacceleratewear,reduceefficiency,
increaseoperatingcostsandcancausesignificant 17 64,000 130,000
downtime. 16 32,000 64,000

Typically,newfluidsarenotcleanfluids.Bulk 15 16,000 32,000

lubricantsfromblendingplantscanrangefrom 14 8,000 16,000
19/17/15to17/14/13,whilesealeddrum
13 4,000 8,000
lubricantscanhavecleanlinesscodesashighas
22/21/19.Incontrast,highlyfilteredfluidsmay 12 2,000 4,000
haveacodeof16/14/11orlower. 11 1,000 2,000

10 500 1,000
ISOcleanlinesscodesarethenassignedfor
particlesin4,6,and14micronranges.The 9 250 500
resultsarereportedbythreenumberswitha 8 130 250
slashbetweenthem.Thelowerthenumbersin
theISOCleanlinessCode,thecleanerthefluid. 7 64 130
6 32 64
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Let'sinterpretthesereportswithhighparticlecount

LubeType:MOBILSHC626
MachineType:PLAINBEARING

Reference 9/9/2010 5/19/2010 3/19/2010 12/28/2009

LabNo 621848 642889 607906 585735 567207
OilChng/Mach/Lube N/N/C N/N/N N/N/N N/N/M
SPECTROSCOPICANALYSIS(ppm)ASTMD5185
Iron 0 4 1 0 4
Copper 0 0 0 0 1
Lead 0 0 0 0 0
Aluminum 1 0 0 0 0
Tin 0 0 0 1 0
Nickel 0 0 0 0 0
Chromium 0 0 0 0 0
Titanium 0 0 0 0 0
Vanadium 0 0 0 0 0
Silver 0 0 0 0 0
Silicon 19 4 5 6 3
Boron 0 1 0 0 0
Calcium 0 0 0 1 0
Magnesium 1 0 0 0 0
Phosphorus 932 879 896 844 865
Zinc 0 0 0 0 0
Barium 0 0 0 0 0
Molybdenum 0 0 0 0 0
Sodium 3 0 0 0 0
Potassium 0 0 0 0 0
PARTICLECOUNT(particlesperml)ISO4406:99
ISOCode 16/14/11 21/20/16 20/18/15 20/19/15 21/19/15
>4Micron 413 14362 5603 7776 10255
>6Micron 160 5585 2179 3024 3988
>14Micron 12 426 166 230 304
>50Micron 0 18 7 10 13
>100Micron 0 1 0 0 0

Ifyoulookattheparticlecountsectionofthereportyouwillseethatthe4micronlevelisat
10,000+inDecember2009andincreasesto14,000bySeptember2010.Thoughtheparticlecountis
high,thereisnoevidenceofanextremeproblembecausethespectroscopicanalysisdoesn'tshowany
wearproblems.Wecanassumethatthehighparticlecountcanbefixedwithafilterchangeorthe
additionofafiltrationsystem.

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FerrousWearConcentration
Insomecases,aparticlecountisntaneffectivetestbecausethesampleisinherentlydirtyandfiltering
theoilmaynotbeplausible.Aparticlecountindicatesthatthesampleisextremelydirty,butitdonot
giveanyindicationofferrouswear.Thistestgivesadirectmeasureoftheamountofferrouswear
metalspresentinasample.

Let'sinterpretthesereportswithhighferrouswearconcentration

LubeType:MOBILMOBILGEAR630
MachineType:INDUSTRIALGEAR

Reference 8/27/2010 5/14/2010 3/23/2010 12/14/2009

LabNo 397924 639875 607150 586961 564456
OilChng/Mach/Lube N/M/N N/M/N N/N/M N/N/M
SPECTROSCOPICANALYSIS(ppm)ASTMD5185
Iron 0 80 67 15 13
Copper 0 0 0 0 0
Lead 0 0 0 0 0
Aluminum 0 4 3 1 1
Tin 0 5 5 2 0
Nickel 0 2 1 0 0
Chromium 0 0 0 0 0
Titanium 0 0 0 0 0
Vanadium 0 0 0 0 0
Silver 0 0 0 0 1
Silicon 0 17 21 4 7
Boron 6 18 18 12 13
Calcium 6 50 54 86 91
Magnesium 0 5 5 55 56
Phosphorus 232 232 240 309 285
Zinc 4 39 40 97 102
Barium 0 0 0 1 1
Molybdenum 0 0 0 0 0
Sodium 0 1 0 0 2
Potassium 1 0 4 12 0
FERROUSWEARCONCENTRATION(ppm)
Concentration 603.00 336.00 19.00 21.00

ThisreportisshowingaFerrousWearissueinMay2010.Youcanalsoseethattherewasasharp
increaseintheIronatthistime.Thoughtheseironlevelsarenotbadforagearbox,youneverwantto
seemajorjumpslikethis,especiallyinatwomonthtimeperiod.Thisshouldalertyourlabtotakea
closerlookattheoilunderamicroscopeusingatestcalledAnalyticalFerrography(AF).

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AnalyticalFerrography
AnalyticalFerrographyallowsananalysttovisuallyexaminewearparticlespresent
inasampleanddeterminetheseverityofwearontheunit.Thewearparticlesare
classifiedaccordingtosize,shape,andmetallurgy.Theanalystcanevaluatethe
concentration,size,shape,composition,andconditionoftheparticles,which
indicateswhereandhowtheyweregenerated.Particlesarecategorizedbasedon
thesecharacteristics,andconclusionscanbedrawnregardingthewearrateandhealthofthe
componentthatthesamplewasdrawnfrom.

Trace Light Moderate Heavy Max. Particle

RubbingWear 3 3 3 5 Ferrous,White NonFerrous
RollingContact
SlidingWear
Rolling/SlidingWear
CuttingWear
Chunks
Spheres
Corrosion
DarkMetallicOxides 2
RedOxides 1
Dust/Dirt 3 3 3
OtherContaminants
OxidationByProducts
Observations:AnalyticalFerrographydidnotdetectabnormalparticlesforthissample.

Microns Microns

200x Wear debris and dust/dirt. 500x Wear debris and dust/dirt.

www.TESTOIL.com Page17
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