Most of us know that healthy lubricants are generally clear and bright. However, as oils age they can lose their luster, and many become dark and opaque. These optical changes are often important...
Oil leakage is a destructive and costly. Besides high oil consumption, the economic effects of leakage include inefficient machinery operation, environmental damage, safety and accident liab…
A look back in history can illustrate how oil discovery, use and technology have changed over time. From the Chinese digging wells up to 800 feet using bits attached to bamboo poles in 347 A.D. to...
No matter what state a lubrication program is in, every user of oil analysis will at some point receive that report that causes a panic. This article explains how to respond when you receive…
In June and July of 2005, Rio Tinto Minerals - Boron Operations' haul fleet suffered four catastrophic engine failures. These resulted from main and crankshaft bearing failures on the MT 4400 Terex...
The self-contained viscometer system consists of a thermostatic bath with circular heater and a systems operation control column. The bath contains four patented viscometer tubes (which operate...
The infrared (IR) region of the spectrum lies to the right of the red end of the visible spectrum. We are unable to see this light although certain animals such as the pit viper can, enabling them...
A major textile manufacturer located in the southeastern United States depends on eleven Sullair 400 HP oil-flooded rotary screw air compressors to keep production in its plant running at full...
Varnish formation has been regarded as a costly and dangerous problem for industrial lubricants in various industries such as power generation, injection molding, petrochemical, pulp and paper, and...
In all vented tanks, the rise and fall of fluid levels is offset by a corresponding volume of incoming and outgoing air. Keeping the incoming replacement air clean is essential for contamination...
Onboard sensor technology and its usage is expanding every day. These types of sensors represent a dynamic, long-term paradigm shift in the way oil is and will be analyzed. Tracing the history of oil...
In January 2006, a large inland marine company purchased heat transfer oil from O'Rourke Petroleum's Lubricants Department for a cargo barge in its fleet. The fluid was to be used in the heat...
The ISO Subcommittee on Condition Monitoring and Diagnostics of Machines (TC108/SC5) is developing a standard on used oil analysis. The working group on tribology-based condition monitoring is...