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Oil
Sampling Intervals
By
BRETT WINBERG
When
should a sample be pulled… how many miles? How
many hours?
We
are all aware that the main objective of oil sampling
is to find bad news before it finds you, or check
component condition of the equipment being sampled.
However, with new equipment coming out each year,
sampling intervals can change to assure that problems
are caught, before a down time situation occurs.
The
equipment and oil will usually give off certain clues
when problems first start to surface. In time, the
severity increases, and these clues are no longer
silent. This is when condition based monitoring can
reveal the problem, hopefully before it's too late.
Once
you view your sample report and don't take specific
action steps,
equipment may require teardown and repair. The costs
can be staggering… sometimes thousands
and thousands of dollars in lost production and employee
labor.
We
have put together oil sampling charts that we recommend
as a guide line to use when beginning your sampling
program. This is also a handy reference when you
are wishing to compare your intervals against this
guide line. To view these, please visit our White
Papers page located here.
You
will never be able to hear these silent alarms unless
you are listening for them. Unlike other machine
condition monitoring techniques that employ monthly
oil testing, many oil sampling programs are based
upon annual or semi annual testing. This compromises
the sense of a 'Proactive Approach' to maintenance
and puts you back to a preventative maintenance approach.
(REF: Jim Fitch, Noria)
Scheduled
oil sampling intervals are a common practice for
most organizations. The frequency may be based on
drain intervals or operating hours. Our charts give
the most commonly used recommendations based on operating
hours of different machines and components. You and
your company must take into consideration the following
equipment and application criteria:
- Penalty
if a Failure Occurs: Downtime, repair cost, business
interruption and other costs.
- Equipment
Age: For most equipment, chances of failure are
greatest during break in and after major overhauls.
The risk also increases as a piece of equipment
approaches the end of its expected life. A good
practice is to increase oil sampling during these
periods.
- Fluid
Environment Severity: Operation conditions influence
the frequency and rate of machine failure. These
include loads, temperatures, speed, pressures,
and contaminant rate.
Always
adjust your oil sampling schedule accordingly, when
considering the above criteria.
Also
a note on today's newer diesel engines with EGR valves… soot
levels seem to be more severe at an earlier stage
during operation. Instead of 250 hours or 10,000
miles, we recommend pulling the oil sample at an
earlier time, such as 150 hours or 6,000 miles. This
will ensure that a downtime situation can be avoided
before a major problem rears its ugly head.
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lubetrak.com.
For more information, call toll-free 1.866.LUBETRAK
(1.866.582.3872)
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