80% of all fluid systems failures are due to contaminations.

All areas of the energy sector (refineries, gas treatment plants, power plants, the wind power industry and oil and gas extraction plants) are dependent on continuous production, where processes and technologies can be relied on not to fail.

Many facilities utilise rotating and fluid carrying equipment such as gear oil systems, hydraulic systems, lubrication systems and other process systems.

These systems contain sensitive components that must be treated with care so as to avoid uncontrolled, unnecessary and unwanted breakdowns. A great many resources are devoted to checking and maintaining rotating components.

Nevertheless, both experience and statistics make it plain that unnecessary system faults continue to occur. Why should that be?

It is a serious problem as every shutdown means loss in production. Consequently, companies are naturally very interested in reducing these unexpected shutdowns. This is where our job begins, as our role is to prevent such shutdowns.

Ocean Team is a leading company in the processing and cleaning of hydraulic systems and oils. Our leading position comes from many years experience with a wide variety of systems all over the world. Read the following for more information on contaminated lubricating oil and the consequences.

 

Lubrication oil is the most neglected component   

The most important “component” in all hydraulic and lubrication systems is the lubrication oil that reduces friction between the rotating parts. However, there will always be a certain amount of friction, resulting in wear, which in turn results in the presence of tiny particles in the lubrication oil.

Where there is rotation, there is friction; and friction inevitably generates heat and wear. Wear releases particles that the fluid transports to, and deposits in, all other areas of the system. These particles then build up in tolerance areas, damaging valves and bearings, which, in most cases, are the most sensitive components.

It has been proved that 80 percent of all hydraulic and lubrication breakdowns are caused by contaminated oil. Dirt and foreign objects in the technical systems cause wear and significantly reduce the service lifetimes of the sensitive components, leading to diminished performance, unstable and irregular operation and, in the worst cases, breakdowns and serious damage. The consequences are often major production losses.

 

Dirty oil spells rapid death for hydraulic machinery and lubricated equipment.

What are contaminants?

Solids – metal / dirt / etc.

Fluids – water / other oils / etc.

Bacteria – water in oil / etc.

Fungi – water in oil / etc.

Air – fluid stress / etc.

Contaminants are anything that’s not meant to be there!