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I work in a mine, and our big problem here is controlling oil contamination. Can you offer some advice on how to control it?"
Controlling oil contamination in a mine can be made easier by following a few simple steps. The environment in a mine typically will be either hot or cold, but mostly very dusty.
Within all this dust are abrasive particles that can attack your equipment. Therefore, the most important steps that should be taken in controlling oil contamination are filtration, sealing your equipment, and perfecting your regreasing practices.
The first step to minimize contamination is to ensure grease is clean, cool, and dry when it enters the system. Often when a bearing is greased manually, you run the risk of capturing dust and dirt in the grease as it's being dispensed. A simple solution for this is using a single-point lubricator—by doing so, grease will remain in an enclosed space until it enters the bearing. Single-point lubricators are typically adjustable and can be set to apply grease over a preset period of time.
However, newer technology takes bearing lubrication a step further by dispensing grease based on the needs of the bearing. The UE Systems OnTrak SmartLube, for example, uses ultrasound to measure bearing friction and automatically dispenses grease when needed, minimizing maintenance-induced contamination and prolonging equipment life.
Step two is filtering the oil. Adding filtration systems such as kidney-loop systems or even filtration carts can be a good way to control contamination, but before doing this you need to look at sealing the equipment.
This involves using the proper breathers, such as desiccant breathers instead of open vents or original equipment manufacturer breathers. Desiccant breathers can filter dust particles down to as much as 3 microns (if not more) in comparison to open vents where the equipment is allowed to breathe in all the particles in the environment.
A good desiccant breather system is one that achieves the target level for cleanliness and dryness, has the capacity to enable a sufficient service interval between change-outs, and is easily visible for routine inspection during preventive maintenance.
The criticality of the machinery the breather is attached to is important to consider as well. If the machine operates on close tolerances with little room for particle ingression, you may need to get a high-quality breather and change it more regularly.
In addition to using the proper breathers, you should also think about installing quick-connects for both the fill port and drain port. Adding quick-connects to the equipment will keep the system sealed when you need to top-up a machine or perform an oil change as well as enable you to use filtration carts on these pieces of equipment.
Remember, if your goal is to control contamination, grease application, filtration and sealing the equipment from the outside environment are the most important steps to help you accomplish this.
