Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/572212
44 | September - October 2015 | www.machinerylubrication.com tubing, certified clean bottles, sample bottle labels, a sample probe adapter, zip-lock bags, a lint-free cloth and a written procedure. Once the sample is obtained, a quick visual inspection of the lubri- cant should be performed by the lube tech. Shining a strong laser through the oil will illuminate small particles and any evidence of entrained air or emulsified water. After the initial visual inspection, the oil sample should be kept still for an hour or more. Another visual inspection can then be made to shed light on any water separation or particle accu- mulation at the bottom. A magnet may also be utilized to determine if the particles are ferrous in nature, which likely would indicate wear debris. While oil samples will need to be sent to a well-equipped labora- tory, it is beneficial to have certain types of instruments onsite for quick oil analysis. The most common onsite instruments are a patch test kit with a comparator, a viscometer, a particle counter, a hot plate with a dimmer switch, a magnet for quick ferrous-density inspection, a Schiff 's reagent test, a laser light for debris inspection, acid and base number test kits, and portable water testers. Contamination Control and Lubricant Application Tools A well-designed lube room will incorporate special tools for promoting contamination control even before the oil reaches the machine. These include sealable and refillable top-up containers, grease guns dedicated to a single lubricant, a parts-cleaning station, posted procedures for all lubrication tasks, cleaning tools, and identification labels for all devices in contact with oil. A filter cart is another valuable tool for contamination control. It can be used in a number of ways, which are detailed in the sidebar on the right. Safety Equipment and Training Safety equipment could be considered a lube tech's most important tools. The standard personal protection equipment includes earplugs, safety glasses, hard hats, steel-toe boots and special clothing to protect against potential hazards. Depending on the job, other safety items may be necessary, such as gloves, breathing masks, etc. Safety training is another common requirement for any plant activity including lubrication. However, for lube techs, the training Filter Cart Applications POWER FLUSH — This involves reducing the oil level in the tank or sump and flowing oil at a high velocity across the bottom to push out low-lying sediment. WAND FLUSH — A wand is attached to one of the cart hoses and is used first to discharge at high pressure (kicking up adherent debris). Then the flow is reversed, and the wand vacuums the sediment. TR ANSFER CART — Oil is transferred from a storage container (tote, drum, etc.) to the machine's lube compartment. CLEANING STORED LUBES — In this application, the cart multipasses fluid out of and back into the drum or tote to draw down contamination. SYSTEM DR AIN — Sump and reservoir drains will wash out debris better if the waste oil is pumped out as opposed to simply flowing out by gravity. LINE FLUSH — Remote lines and components often need to be partitioned to enable flushing. This can be done easily with a filter cart. HOSE CLEANING — Before new hoses are installed on a machine, they can be flushed of debris using a filter cart. OFF-LINE FILTR ATION — Filter carts can be mounted permanently to a machine to supplement filtration. REPAIRS AND EQUIPMENT REBUILD FLUSHING — After machines are serviced, they need to be flushed thoroughly before they are returned to service. FLUSHING DURING EQUIPMENT COMMIS- SIONING — New machines have original fabrication debris and dirt that have ingressed during transport and storage. LESSONS IN LUBRICATION