We know that water in a lubrication system can be detrimental to oil and equipment life. The below chart tells us that studies have concluded that 500 ppm of water can reduce the life of a bearing by more than half. The most effective way of removing water from oil is by vacuum dehydration. Lard Oil Company offers this technology through FilterIT. Information on FilterIT can be found at www.filteritservices.com

Through my work with ExxonMobil’s Equipment Builder group, I have partnered with leading equipment builders around the world to ensure that they have tailored maintenance solutions available for their latest product innovations. In the past few years, we have seen a number of trends in equipment technology design that will influence traditional application maintenance practices.

When it comes to selecting an industrial lubricant for a particular application, one of the key considerations is viscosity. Viscosity can influence lubricant life expectancy, equipment wear rate, energy consumption, fluidity and a range of other factors.

To understand how greases work you must first understand what components make up a grease. The three primary components of grease are: OIL 80-95% THICKENER 5-20% ADDITIVES 0-10% With oil being the largest component in a grease, the viscosity and type of oil is very important. Just as you pick an oil for an application you should also understand the oil component for a grease application because it is the oil that provides the lubrication needed in an application.

What is micropitting? Micropitting is a surface fatigue phenomenon mainly observed in gears but can also occur in rolling element bearings. Micropitting causes destructive wear that can occur within the first few hours of operation. If left uncontrolled, significant equipment failures may occur. While many factors can contribute to the generation of micropitting, surface roughness and lubricant selection are key factors. Micropitting is not a new phenomenon. It has become much more prominent as gearbox design has evolved with the use of case hardened or carburized gears. Gearbox technology has achieved significant reductions in gearbox size while increasing power throughput capability. This has required all design components, including the gear oil, to improve their performance capabilities.