www.machinerylubrication.com | November - December 2021 | 35
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more competitive level. ese more efficient machines will consume
less energy, and companies will be able to see monetary savings while
running a greener operation.
The Greener Savings
Investing in oil analysis and improved oil sampling will help you
achieve a greener machine by:
• Extending equipment life
• Improving equipment functioning
• Reducing unnecessary maintenance
• Reducing consumption
Extend Equipment Life
Extending out equipment's life simply keeps equipment and waste
out of the landfill. Landfills are full of equipment and their components
that have been neglected, often simply due to poor lubrication. Each
buried piece of equipment has used resources throughout the supply
chain. You can extend your equipment's life by cleaning your lubricants.
In fact, by cleaning your lubricants by as little as one ISO cleanliness
code, you can provide a 35% increase in equipment life.
What is an ISO cleanliness code? ISO 4406:21 is the reporting
standard for fluid cleanliness. A code number is assigned to particle
count values derived at three different micron levels: greater than 4
microns, greater than 6 microns, and greater than 14 microns.
e Noria Life Extension Chart demonstrates the relative life of
a component based on its cleanliness. Let's take hydraulic systems as
an example — if you improve oil cleanliness levels from an ISO 21/18
to an ISO 15/12 (as demonstrated in Figure 1), component life can
be increased by a factor of 5 [2]. It is important to remember that
actual savings will vary depending on lubricant performance, oil sample
frequency, equipment type, equipment condition and previous condi-
tion, and the ability to keep the fluid clean.
INITIAL
ISO
2X 3X 4X 5X 6X
23/20 20/17 19/16 18/15 17/14 17/13
22/19 19/16 18/15 17/14 16/13 16/12
21/18 18/15 17/14 16/13 15/12 15/11
20/17 17/14 16/13 15/12 14/11 13/11
19/16 16/13 15/12 14/11 13/11 13/10
18/15 15/12 14/11 13/10 12/8 12/8
Life Extension Factor
Figure 1: Hydraulic Life Extension Chart
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