TABLE OF CONTENTS A systematic approach is required to set up an oil analysis program in a production plant. It consists of basically four steps:
Equipment audit
Lubricant audit
Monitoring
Program evaluation.
The first step is to conduct an equipment audit. An equipment audit is a study undertaken to identify the equipment that should be monitored with oil analysis. The study investigates the mechanical and operational aspects of the equipment in detail and then determines the appropriate oil analysis approach. It sets the limit and target levels, which form a basis for maintenance scheduling.
The equipment audit includes the following.
Safety, environmental considerations, downtime cost, maintenance repair costs and machine history determine the inclusion of machines in the list of critical equipment selected for this program.
This involves gathering all the information regarding the machinery and understanding its complexity.
This step defines the operating window of the machine. It includes the flow, pressure and temperature limits.
This is a visual inspection of the machine and the aim is to identify components such as breathers, coolers and filters. Operating temperatures and pressures, duty cycle times, direction of rotation, speeds, filter indicators and related factors must be recorded.
Hostile environments or environmental contamination can influence lubricant degradation, eventually resulting in damaged equipment. Environmental conditions such as mean temperature, humidity and any possible contaminants must be recorded.
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