Insp e c tion
AS I SEE IT
Jim Fitch
|
Noria Corporation
The Four States
of Water in Oil
W hy is t his impor ta nt?
Water is a highly destructive
contaminant. It's important
to know how it behaves and
coexists when it invades our oil, machine
or system.
e understanding of its coexistence
has evolved over the years from the initial
perception of two states, then three and
now four. ree of these states are clearly
visible and not only tell us about the pres-
ence of water, but also about the condition
of the oil. By far, the most important, effec-
tive and practical condition monitoring
sensor is the eyeometer (I love that word!).
It is imperative that we train our eyes and
be keen inspectors which is integral to
Inspection 2.0. If you want world-class
reliability, you must have world-class lubri-
cation. If you want world-class lubrication,
you must have world-class inspection. Back
to water…
How Many States?
Historically, water contaminated oil
has been said to exist in two states, the first
dissolved water (bound molecularly in the
matrix of the oil) and the second free water
(not molecularly bound). In the last 30 years
or so most of the literature, including Noria's
publications, refer to water as having three
states. Free water has been redefined as being
water that, by force of gravity, will phase
out of the oil. is means it will separate
"By far,
the most
important,
effective and
practical
condition
monitoring
sensor is the
eyeometer"
2
|
September - October 2020
|
www
.
machinerylubrication.com