By Jim Fitch
Machinery Lubrication Magazine
By now, most lubrication professionals are keenly aware of the reliability gains associated with contamination control. Those who have traveled down this road know that clean and dry lubricants often come at a price.
However, best practice may have nothing to do with removing contaminants or changing the oil. Actually, it may have nothing to do with the oil at all. Instead, it’s a practice of stabilizing the cleanliness and dryness in the headspace environment – the air above the oil in tanks, reservoirs and lubrication compartments.
Why is this important? First, a high percentage of the particles and moisture that ingress into lubricating oils and hydraulic fluids must pass through the headspace. Therefore, the practice of excluding contaminants from entering the headspace, by default, excludes contaminants from entering the oil. This can be accomplished by channeling incoming ambient air through desiccant breathers that remove water and dirt.