By Jim Fitch
PetroMin Asia’s Exploration & Production Magazine
Oil contamination can be defined as any foreign material found in the lubricant which is not added by design. Usually, contaminants are not beneficial and may even be detrimental to the performance of the oil and/or operating machinery. Contamination is the root cause of a high proportion of machine and lubricant degradation and failure. Often overlooked as a source of failure because its impact is usually slow and imperceptible, contamination is both a significant threat to reliability and quality efforts but at the same time also an opportunity, because improvements are very attainable. Research on an array of fluid dependent machinery, such as bearings and rotating equipment, hydraulic systems, gearboxes, diesel engines, turbines, clearly supports the idea that very often machine reliability is a function of contamination control.
Particles, moisture, heat, air, glycol and fuel are all contaminants found in industrial lubricants. Particles and moisture are especially common and typically present the greatest risk to machine reliability and lubricant performance. Particles and moisture, either acting alone or in unison, lead to fluid oxidation, additive depletion, viscosity failure and loss of lubricity, especially where heat is present. Once the fluid’s lubricating qualities are degraded they no longer provide the ‘cushion’ between moving machine surfaces. Because the fluid can no longer perform as it was designed, wear and ultimate failure ensue.