Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/490438
56 | March - April 2015 | www.machinerylubrication.com l u b r i c a n t s t o r a g e a n d h a n d l i n g l oren green | Nori a Corpor at ioN Back Page Basics re you under the impression that new lubricants are clean? Many people are. While most manufacturers claim to make quality prod- ucts, not every manufacturing process is of the highest quality. It is these processes or lack thereof that are at least partially responsible for the poor cleanliness of new lubricants. The table below shows an example of particle count data for hydraulic fluids. The process of making lubricants starts with the base oil. Additives are then added in the necessar y concentrations to achieve the finished lubricant. Once blending is completed, the lubricant is tested to ensure the performance charac- teristics match those of the intended formulation. If they do not, a correction is developed, and either base oils or addi- tives are used to bring the lubricant within the required specifications. Lubricant components are mixed together in a couple of different ways. Some manu- facturers utilize what is basically a large, slow-speed blender, while others employ air to agitate the mixture. Even if the lubri- cant blender uses quality base stocks and additives, you must consider how these components are added to the blending vessel. Are the base stocks and additives filtered going into the blending vessel? Are adequate breathers installed? As with any tank, air is forced out when the tank is filled and drawn in when the tank is pumped out. If the air is not filtered, it will bring contaminants with it, which can affect subsequent blends. As the finished lubricants are moved from the blending vessel to storage tanks, they should be filtered to remove any contaminants. The tanks used to store the lubricants should also have adequate breathers to provide protection from parti- cles and moisture. Some tanks simply have a J-tube vent. Find out whether your lubricant blender uses reconditioned drums or new drums A why new lubricants are not CleAn You may be surprised at the conditions in which the oils and greases you purchase are manufactured and transported. Example Particle Data on Hydraulic Fluids (base oils, additives and finished formulations) Particle Count Data (ISO Code) Fluid Tested Optical* Pore Blockage Group I Mineral Oil (base oil) 17/14/11 14/13/10 Group II Mineral Oil (base oil) 17/17/13 16/15/13 Polyol Ester Synthetic (base oil) 16/15/13 13/12/10 Polyalphaolefin (PAO) Synthetic (base oil) 18/16/13 19/18/15 Diester Synthetic (base oil) 14/14/13 19/16/14 Zinc AW Hydraulic Additive Package 16/14/12 18/17/14 Calcium Sulfonate Detergent/Corrosion Inhibitor 18/16/13 16/15/12 Phenolic Antioxidant 15/14/11 16/15/12 Aminic Antioxidant 16/14/12 15/14/12 Group I Plus Zinc AW Additive Package (finished hydraulic fluid) 17/15/12 16/16/13 Group II Plus Zinc AW Additive Package (finished hydraulic fluid 19/17/13 16/15/12 Polyol Ester Base Oil Plus THF Additive System (finished fluid) 21/18/14 21/20/19 PAO Base Oil Plus Zinc AW Additive Package (finished fluid) 18/15/12 15/14/12 *Note: Some additives produce "ghosts" that register as particles using optical particle counting technology. (Ref. John Sanders, et. al., Lubrication Engineers Inc.)