Contamination removal provides operational benefits

One of the primary goals of a lubrication reliability program is to eliminate water and particulate ingression. When complete elimination is not possible, however, many operations rely on sight glasses and filtration systems as contamination removal methods. Maintaining recognized oil cleanliness standards (ISO codes) will provide the following operational benefits.

Reduced downtime and equipment repairs

Contaminated lubricants can create unplanned downtime and repairs. Particulates as small as 3 microns can cause wear. The investment in contamination removal resources to clean the oil will pay for itself in a short amount of time when compared to the cost of downtime. Factor in the cost of repair or replacement, and it’s easy to see why an oil cleanliness program is a worthwhile investment.

Lower labor costs

By keeping the equipment operational and the lubricant contaminant-free, you can decrease the costs associated with frequent oil changes, equipment repairs and other labor-intensive activities. This will help your overall budget, while freeing up maintenance time for other important tasks.

Extended lubricant life

Operators often have to throw away perfectly good oil because it has become too dirty to do its job. In addition to a good oil analysis program, the use of sight glasses and filtration systems will allow you to detect contaminants and eliminate them from the oil before they can do any harm. This proactive maintenance will help you safely extend oil life, which will help you purchase less oil and reduce the amount of used oil requiring disposal.

Increased efficiency

Pumping clean fluid requires less energy than pumping contaminated fluid. Contaminated fluid increases the overall fluid’s viscosity, which makes pumps work harder and causes elements to load more quickly. As contamination builds in the fluid, the system demands more energy to do its work, compensating for increasing viscosity and friction. Clean lubricant, on the other hand, can significantly lower energy consumption by maintaining the equipment’s optimal efficiency.

LE makes it easy to keep your oil clean and dry

The first step in implementing contamination removal is identifying the ISO cleanliness standards that you would like to maintain. The second step is selecting the right equipment to help you achieve and maintain those goals. LE wants to be your one-stop shop for your lubricants as well as your reliability equipment. To offer you reliable contamination removal solutions, we have partnered with Esco Products, AMS Filtration and Des-Case Corporation – some of the best brands in the industry.

Sight glasses

Esco sight glasses are high quality, easy to install and affordable. They take the guesswork out of fluid lubrication management. The Esco sight glass product line enables continuous visual monitoring of the clarity, color, sediment and water contamination levels of your lubricants. Some models even allow you to easily remove the water by draining it right out of the system.

Filtration systems

LE can put together the right filtration system to meet your oil cleanliness goals. LE has partnered for several years with AMS and Des-Case to provide a variety of filtration systems used in applications and industries around the world. Portable filtration units (low flow or high flow) are ideal tools to remediate contaminated systems, flush new equipment during commissioning or periodically decontaminate systems that have inadequate onboard filtration to meet target cleanliness levels. These portable solutions – including filter carts, drum filter carts and drum topper filtration units – are sturdy for industrial use and can be customized to fit your specific needs.

Vacuum dehydration units

In wet environments and other applications exposed to large or constant water ingression, lubricants are likely to become contaminated with water, resulting in excess wear, downtime and repairs. Filtering moisture from lubricants can prevent the oxidation, degradation and corrosion that leads to wear. LE’s recommended solution for removing free, emulsified and dissolved water – in small or large quantities – is an AMS vacuum dehydration unit. These units can be customized and will remove 100% of free and emulsified water, as well as 90% of dissolved water. Vacuum dehydration units are particularly useful for the following industries: power generation and distribution, mining, paper manufacturing, food processing, chemical manufacturing, water and wastewater treatment, and steel rolling.

LE offers full-service support for sight glasses and filtration units

In addition to onsite equipment assessment, consultation and service, LE provides the following customization and value-added options:

• Product recommendation, sizing and installation of sight glasses and filtration units
• Lubrication reliability training & education
• Oil analysis program

LE is happy to offer industrial lubricant and reliability recommendations for a variety of industries and applications, and to provide product-specific data on all of our items to help you make the right decision. To learn more about our sight glasses, filtration systems and other lubricant reliability products and enhanced lubricants, please contact LE today.