Types of water contamination in oil

Team Minimac

Feb 24, 2022 · 2 min read

In our last #knowyouroil segment, we had discussed about Particle Contamination and its effect on the life of rotating parts. Companies spend a lot of money on installing

Types of water contamination in oil

Team Minimac

Feb 24, 2022 · 2 min read

In our last #knowyouroil segment, we had discussed about Particle Contamination and its effect on the life of rotating parts. Companies spend a lot of money on installing filtration units to counter particle contamination but never take preventive measures towards water contamination. Water is a worse and silent killer for the life of machinery as it slowly degrades the oil properties and one only gets to know about it when the machine fails pre-maturely.

In this article, we will try to understand the basics of Water Contamination. We will also try to answer the following questions.

What water does to oil properties?
Can we see water contamination as soon as it starts?
What to do if our oil is contaminated?

To check your machine's, follow: https://www.linkedin.com/company/minimacsystemsprivatetlimited There are three phases in which water can exist in oil i.e. dissolved water, emulsified water, and free water.

Dissolved Water: It is characterized by individual water molecules dispersed throughout the oil. Water can remain in a dissolved state and hence difficult to understand the contamination at this stage.
Emulsified Water: When the oil gets saturated with water it starts to exist as a suspension in oil like microscopic droplets giving oil a milky appearance and is called emulsion.
Free Water:When the level of oil in water increases further it leads to separation of oil and water called Free water.
For a lubricant, the most important property is its viscosity. As the water starts to mix with lubricant it starts to alter the viscosity and hence impacts the film strength which is essential in maintaining equipment reliability by keeping moving parts away from each other. Water contamination also impacts the chemical properties of the base oil by acting as catalyst oxidation and aeration. This also leads to the appearance of sludge and varnish which leads to premature failure.

Water contamination also leads to Hydraulic Pump Cavitation in machines: Pitting inside of the machine; as the water droplets burst under pressure and high temperature creating microfractures on the machine’s surface.
If you see the signs of water contamination in your oil, what should you do?

Not to change oil as changing oil is not the only option. This is because once the oil is drained the impurities still remain in the system until they are flushed. If new oil is introduced without cleaning the system it leads to contamination of the new oil leading to no change in the premature breakdown situation.
Flushing of the system
Check the internals of the system to check for any damage
Filter the new oil to ensure no moisture is available in the oil
Skip all four steps and call Minimac (+91 7030901266)

We at Minimac Systems Pvt Ltd. not only design a maintenance schedule for the lubrication oil but also provide OIL TESTING and FILTRATION services as per the ISO standard of Super Clean Oil. Minimac stands for MINImum MAChinery Maintenance.

Can all contaminants be seen with naked eyes?
As a part 2 of #knowyouroil series, we will discuss about Particle Contamination. Whenever we talk about contamination the first thing that comes to our mind is solid particles that we can see or feel. But

Can all contaminants be seen with naked eyes?
As a part 2 of #knowyouroil series, we will discuss about Particle Contamination. Whenever we talk about contamination the first thing that comes to our mind is solid particles that we can see or feel. But what we do not understand is how big a particle can really cause wear and tear to your machines, can all contaminants be seen with naked eyes? Is it too late to wait until then?

To answer the above questions we must first understand the actual clearance size of the different types of lubrication film formed between rolling> and rotating components which is essential for providing proper lubrication. Oil film thickness in machinery is measured in microns (µm), or one-millionth of a meter.

For queries related to Oil Testing, follow:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/minimacsystemsprivatetlimited

Below are the finest tolerance found in different types of components.

When small particles, which cannot be seen through human eyes, pass through the critical machine parts under load, they create small microtears which get transformed into cracks over a period of time due to continuous stress and strain conditions leading to the more fine generation and hence increase contamination.

The contaminants that are considered to be most damaged are from size 2 to 20 µm and avoiding these are key to keeping your machinery breakdown free.>

But it is also important to understand when to call the oil clean and when dirty, as it is understood that changing oil very frequently and maintenance every time is not feasible.

Below chart shows us what particle levels are admissible and what harms our system.

But knowing this is not enough if we don’t know when to get oil sampling and testing done. Below chart provides an estimation for testing and the type of test to be conducted.

Get your machine's oil check today with our technical expert call +91 7030901266. Ask for a brochure today.

We at Minimac System Pvt. Ltd. not only design a maintenance schedule for your lubrication oil but also provide OIL TESTING and FILTRATION services and the filtered oil complies to the ISO standard of Super Clean oil as we stand for MINImum MAChinery Maintenance.

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Types of water contamination in oil

In our last #knowyouroil segment, we had discussed about Particle Contamination and its effect on the life of rotating parts. Companies spend a lot of money on installing filtration units to counter particle

Types of water contamination in oil

In our last #knowyouroil segment, we had discussed about Particle Contamination and its effect on the life of rotating parts. Companies spend a lot of money on installing filtration units to counter particle contamination but never take preventive measures towards water contamination. Water is a worse and silent killer for the life of machinery as it slowly degrades the oil properties and one only gets to know about it when the machine fails pre-maturely.

In this article, we will try to understand the basics of Water Contamination. We will also try to answer the following questions.

1. What water does to oil properties?

2. Can we see water contamination as soon as it starts?

3. What to do if our oil is contaminated?

To check your machine's, follow: https://www.linkedin.com/company/minimacsystemsprivatetlimited

There are three phases in which water can exist in oil i.e. dissolved water, emulsified water, and free water.

Dissolved Water: It is characterized by individual water molecules dispersed throughout the oil. Water can remain in a dissolved state and hence difficult to understand the contamination at this stage.

Emulsified Water: When the oil gets saturated with water it starts to exist as a suspension in oil like microscopic droplets giving oil a milky appearance and is called emulsion.

Free Water: When the level of oil in water increases further it leads to separation of oil and water called Free water.

For a lubricant, the most important property is its viscosity. As the water starts to mix with lubricant it starts to alter the viscosity and hence impacts the film strength which is essential in maintaining equipment reliability by keeping moving parts away from each other. Water contamination also impacts the chemical properties of the base oil by acting as catalyst oxidation and aeration. This also leads to the appearance of sludge and varnish which leads to premature failure.

Water contamination also leads to Hydraulic Pump Cavitation in machines:

Pitting inside of the machine; as the water droplets burst under pressure and high temperature creating microfractures on the machine’s surface.

If you see the signs of water contamination in your oil, what should you do?

1. Not to change oil as changing oil is not the only option. This is because once the oil is drained the impurities still remain in the system until they are flushed. If new oil is introduced without cleaning the system it leads to contamination of the new oil leading to no change in the premature breakdown situation.

2. Flushing of the system

3. Check the internals of the system to check for any damage

4. Filter the new oil to ensure no moisture is available in the oil

5. Skip all four steps and call Minimac (+91 7030901266)

We at Minimac Systems Pvt Ltd. not only design a maintenance schedule for the lubrication oil but also provide OIL TESTING and FILTRATION services as per the ISO standard of Super Clean Oil. Minimac stands for MINImum MAChinery Maintenance.

Can all contaminants be seen with naked eyes?
Updated: Feb 24, 2022

As a part 2 of #knowyouroil series, we will discuss about Particle Contamination. Whenever we talk about contamination the first thing that comes to our mind is solid particles that we

Can all contaminants be seen with naked eyes?
Updated: Feb 24, 2022

As a part 2 of #knowyouroil series, we will discuss about Particle Contamination. Whenever we talk about contamination the first thing that comes to our mind is solid particles that we can see or feel. But what we do not understand is how big a particle can really cause wear and tear to your machines, can all contaminants be seen with naked eyes? Is it too late to wait until then?

To answer the above questions we must first understand the actual clearance size of the different types of lubrication film formed between rolling and rotating components which is essential for providing proper lubrication. Oil film thickness in machinery is measured in microns (µm), or one-millionth of a meter.

For queries related to Oil Testing, follow: https://www.linkedin.com/company/minimacsystemsprivatetlimited

Below are the finest tolerance found in different types of components.

When small particles, which cannot be seen through human eyes, pass through the critical machine parts under load, they create small microtears which get transformed into cracks over a period of time due to continuous stress and strain conditions leading to the more fine generation and hence increase contamination.

The contaminants that are considered to be most damaged are from size 2 to 20 µm and avoiding these are key to keeping your machinery breakdown free.

But it is also important to understand when to call the oil clean and when dirty, as it is understood that changing oil very frequently and maintenance every time is not feasible.

Below chart shows us what particle levels are admissible and what harms our system.

But knowing this is not enough if we don’t know when to get oil sampling and testing done. Below chart provides an estimation for testing and the type of test to be conducted.

Get your machine's oil check today with our technical expert call +91 7030901266. Ask for a brochure today.

We at Minimac System Pvt. Ltd. not only design a maintenance schedule for your lubrication oil but also provide OIL TESTING and FILTRATION services and the filtered oil complies to the ISO standard of Super Clean oil as we stand for MINImum MAChinery Maintenance.

Are you trying to make your oil look better than it is?

Oils are used to reduce friction, heat and wear between mechanical components that are in contact with each other. Lubricants are like the blood of your machines. As blood sampling represents the

Are you trying to make your oil look better than it is?

Oils are used to reduce friction, heat and wear between mechanical components that are in contact with each other. Lubricants are like the blood of your machines. As blood sampling represents the well being of a human body so does the lubricants in case of machines.

However, a wrong sampling technique might not reveal the true condition of the machine and thus, leads to the wrong representation and pre-mature breakdown. Thus, MINIMAC SYSTEMS is starting this #knowyouroil series under which we will make you aware of:

How to collect a sample

Type of contaminants and how they are harmful for your machines

Oil analysis and how to decode it.

Oil changes are mostly done under two conditions:

On the basis of time or operating hours

On the basis of oil condition

Most of the time, changing oil based on time or operating hours is expensive and hence, changing based on oil condition is more viable. At this juncture, an Oil Analysis Report is key to decision making. For accurate oil analysis, correct sampling is the pre-requisite. For queries related to Oil Testing:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/minimacsystemsprivatetlimited.

3 points to be considered while taking sample:

TURBULENCE: The best sampling point is the place like sharp elbows or bends where the oil turns a lot and thus, carries a lot of impurities. The point which are located where the flow is laminar tends to have lesser particle carrying tendency and as a result, makes the oil appear cleaner than what it is.

INGRESSION POINTS: Oil samples should be taken downstream of parts that have a lot of wear and tear and before the oil gets into the inlet to the main oil tank. As once the oil gets mixed with the rest of the oil, the contamination gets diluted and results in poor sample.

FILTRATION: Inline filters ensure that they provide cleaner oil to the machinery downstream of them. If a sample is taken downstream to the filters it will be a lot cleaner than what the actual sample is until unless the filter is not working and is in the by-passed condition. Hence, the sample at all times should be taken upstream to the filters.

When a true representative sample goes for oil analysis it can give answer to the following questions: (Call +91 8975150700 to book an appointment)

Whether the oil is suitable for further use or requires filtration, dehydration/flushing?

What are the types of contaminants in the oil? Are they in the limit as per ISO standards?

What is the condition of the rotating part? Is there excessive wear and tear?

Are there problems like Sludge/Varnish developing which requires flushing of the entire system.

Get your machine's oil check today with our technical expert by clicking on https://www.linkedin.com/company/minimacsystemsprivatetlimited or call +91 8975150700.

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