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Steps ToCreate AWorld-Class
Oil Analysis Program
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TableofContents
#1 IdentifyCriticalEquipment ...................................................................................................................... ............................................ 4
#2 DetermineTestPackages..................................................................................................................................................................... 5
#3 ConsiderTestingOptions ........................................................................................................................ ............................................. 6
#4
Choosean
Oil
Analysis
Lab............................................................................................................................ ....................................... 7
#5 InvestinTraining.................................................................................................................................................................................. 8
#6 LearnHowtoInterpretanOilAnalysisReport ......................................................................................................................... ........... 9
#7 UseProperLubricationStorageandHandling .................................................................................................................................. 10
#8 JustifyYourProgram ........................................................................................................................ .................................................. 11
#9 EstablishandMaintainCredibility ..................................................................................................................................................... 12
#10 ManageYourProgramUsingWebBasedTools .............................................................................................................................. 13
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 14
ContactUs ............................................................................................................................. .................................................................... 14
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WhyShouldIReadTenStepsToCreateAWorldClassOilAnalysisProgram?
Oilanalysiscanuncover,isolate,and
offersolutionsforabnormallubricant
andmachineconditionswhenusedas
apredictivemaintenancetool.These
abnormalitiescanresultinexpensive,
sometimescatastrophicdamage
causinglostproduction,extensive
repaircosts,andevenoperator
accidents.
Thegoalofaneffectiveoilanalysis
programistoincreasethereliability
andavailabilityofmachinerywhile
minimizingmaintenancecosts
associatedwithoilchangeouts,labor,
repairs,anddowntime.Accomplishing
thisgoaltakestime,training,and
patience.However,theresultsare
dramaticandthedocumentedsavings
andcostavoidancearesignificant.
Manyorganizationsthroughoutthe
worldhaveimplementedoilanalysis
programstohelpmanageequipment
reliability.Somehaveexperienced
substantialsavings,costreductions,
andincreasedproductivity,while
othershavereceivedonlymarginal
benefits.Asuccessfuloilanalysis
programrequiresadedicated
commitmenttounderstandingthe
equipment,thelubricant,the
operatingenvironment,andthe
relationshipbetweenthetestresults
andactionstobeperformed.
Themostsuccessfuloilanalysis
programsarethosethatare
thoughtfullydesignedaftercareful
evaluationand
development
of
clearly
definedgoals.Theemphasisshouldbe
ondesigningqualityandexcellencein
thebeginning,notforcefittingitin
alongtheway.
Thefollowing10stepswillprovidea
guidelineforimplementingan
effectiveoilanalysisprogram:a
programconsideredtobeoneofthe
criticaltechnologiestoincreasing
equipmentreliabilitywhile
maintainingasafeandcosteffective
plantoperation.
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#1 IdentifyCriticalEquipment
Whenyoustartimplementinganoil
analysisprogram,youneedtodecidewhich
equipmentintheplanttosample.Thiscan
beadaunting
task
but
it
cannot
be
overlooked.Supervisorsandmanagement
needtotakethetimetoidentifythe
targetedequipment,writedetailed
procedures,establishroutes,andsampling
schedules.
Equipmentcriticaltoplantoperations
shouldbeidentifiedfirst.Thisequipment
oftendoesnothaveabackupunitto
replaceitwhenitisnotinservice.In
addition,majorrepairsandoverhaulof
criticalequipmentoftenrequireacomplete
plantshutdown,substantialmanpowerand
subsequentlossofproductionactivities.
Criticalequipmentinplantstypicallyhave
thesecommoncharacteristics:
Theyrequire
very
high
capital
investmentandareexpensiveto
maintainandrepair.
Theyareengineeredforlongservice
liveswhenoperatedwithindesign
specificationsandinapredictable
environment.
Manyarequitelargeandaremadeup
ofseveralindividualcomponents.
Downtimeisquiteexpensive
sinceproductionisusually
haltedwhenunexpected
problemsor
asystem
failure
isexperienced.
Appropriatetestingforcritical
equipmentincludes,butisnot
limitedto:
Wearmetalanalysis
Moisturecontent
Viscosity
Acidnumber
Analyticalferrography
Particlecounting
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#2 DetermineTestPackages
Oilanalysistestpackagesshouldbe
carefullyconsidered.Differentequipment
havedifferenttestprofilerequirements.
Whendetermining
what
test
packages
to
choose,theactualequipmentandthe
surroundingenvironmentshoulddictate
whattestsareappropriate.
Keepin
mind
that
with
oil
analysis
your
goal
istoincreasemachinereliabilitythrough
improvedfluidconditionandearly
detectionthatotherwisewouldnotbe
obviousunlessitcausesmachinefailures.
Havinganideaaboutwhatthevarioustests
are,whattheycanaccomplish,andtaking
intoaccountthemaintenancephilosophy
beingpracticed,testpackagescaneasilybe
drawnuptoaccomplishthedesiredresults.
Forexample,youmayknowthatsome
equipmentcanberuntofailuremuchless
expensivelythanthecostofperforminga
regularoil
analysis.
On
the
other
hand,
on
machineswithsmallerreservoirswhenoil
qualityisallthatwouldbemonitored,it
maybebesttocontinuewithregularor
evenincreasedfrequencyofoilchanges.
Ifyouarenotsurewhattestsarerightfor
yourequipment,itisbesttoconsulta
qualitylabforassistanceinthisarea.
Whendeterminingwhattest
packagesyouneed,askyourself
thefollowingquestions:
1. Whatisbeingmonitored,the
machine,thelubricant,or
both?Thesethreeitems
requireadifferentsetoftests.
Eachtypeofmachineshould
haveatestpackagetailoredto
itsneeds.Youshouldalsobegin
adialoguewithanoilanalysis
labtohelpyoudeterminewhat
testpackageswillhelpyou
reachyourgoals.
2. Howoftenwillsamplesbe
taken
from
each
machine?
Dependingonthecriticalityand
typeoftesting,frequencyof
samplingcouldrangefrom
onceaweektoannually.
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#3 ConsiderTestingOptions
Whendesigninganoilanalysisprogram,youhaveafewchoicesonhowtohaveyouroilsamplestested.Thissectionoutlinesthese
optionsandhelpsyouseewhichoneisbestforyourorganization:
Pros Cons
Maintainanonsitelab
Turnaroundtimeforresultscanbecontrolledinhouse.
Notdependentonanoutsideresource.
Testingpackagescanbeeasilychanged.
Quickresponseforemergencysamples.
Cost
of
purchasing
and
maintain
laboratory
instrumentation.
CostofLIMSsoftwareandupdates.
Labtechniciansmustbetrainedforeachtestprocedure
andinterpretationofresults.
Lackofcomprehensivetesting.
Useyourlubricationvendor
Theyhave
expertise
in
understand
and
knowing
lubricationformulations
Lubesuppliersoftenoffertoperformoilanalysisforfree
tolargevolumecustomers.
Convenienceofusingonesupplier.
Lubricantmanufacturers
are
in
business
to
sell
lubricant,
notanalyzeit.
Noaccesstoanalyststodiscusstestresults.
Turnaroundisnotapriority.
Notabusinesstheynecessarilyinvestresourcesinto.
Contractanoutsidelab
Fullcomplementoftestingservices
MostlabsmaintainISOcertification
Highlytrainedlabstaffperformingthetestsina
controlledenvironment.
Experiencedanalystsavailabletodiscusstestresults.
Continualinvestmentinresourcestomaintainthe
highestqualityofservices.
Thecostpersample.
Eachtestperformedonanoilsamplecostsmoney,so
somelabsmaylookatwaystosavemoneyand
potentiallycutcorners.
Someoutsidelabscanbecostlyandslowtodeliver
results.
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#4 ChooseanOilAnalysisLab
Ifitisdeterminedthatcontractingan
outsidelabisthebestcourseforyouroil
analysisprogram,caremustbetakento
insurethatthelabisagoodfitforyour
company.Itisimportanttomatchalab
withthepredictivemaintenancestrategies
thatyourplantemploys.
Itshouldbeunderstoodthatsomelabs
catersolelytoindustrialapplicationswhile
othersareprimarilyfocusedonengineoils.
Youshouldbeawareofthis,asitisbestto
contractwithalabthatfocuses100%of
their
time
serving
the
industrial
sector.
The
labthatfocusessolelyonindustrial
applicationswillbefamiliarwithyourtype
ofequipmentandtheanalystswillhave
muchmoreexpertiseinanalyzingyourtest
results. Whileanylabwillagreetoperform
yourtesting,thequestionthatmustbe
askedisDoesthelabhavetheexperience
requiredtobemyoilanalysisproviderand
willIreceivethecorrecttests?
Customerserviceisanotherimportant
aspecttoconsiderwhenchoosingalab.In
ordertoresolveissuesquicklyyourlab
shouldbeavailableonyourfirstcall.Itis
importanttonotethatsomelabshave
limitedaccesstoanalystandrelyheavilyon
voicemailservices.
Whenevaluatingalab,consider
thefollowingquestions.
Whatisturnaroundtimeon
samples?
Whatdoespricinginclude?
shippingcost
sitevisitsfromlab
training
rushsamples
supplies
lubeaudits
Willtechnicalhelpbe
available?Doesitcostextra?
Howlongwillthecontract
last?Isthereachargetobreak
thecontract?
Howwillmyresultsbe
communicatedtome?
Doesthelabofferunlimited,
onlineaccesstomydata?
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#5 InvestinTraining
Oneaspectofareputable,selfsufficientoil
analysisprogramthatisoftenoverlookedis
training. Trainedtechniciansthat
understandhow
important
quality
lubricationproceduresarewillbekeyin
maintainingaprogram.
Staffingofalubricationprogramis
extremelyimportant.
You
may
consider
hiringsomeonewithaproventrackrecord
ofsuccess,howeverdonotoverlookthe
talentyoualreadyhaveinyourplant.There
arelikelyseveralpeoplealreadyinyour
organizationthatwouldbegoodfits.
Onceyourstaffisinplaceyoucanlookat
outsideresourcestoassistwithtraining.
Thereareseveralcompaniesthatoffer
excellenttraininginlubrication
fundamentalsandpracticesandmostwill
bewillingtocometoyoursiteifyouhave
enoughpeople
to
fill
aclass.
Do
not
forget
toincludesupervisorsandmanagers.They
needtobeonboardandbeawareofwhat
isrequiredandthebenefitsthatcanbe
achievedbyimplementinganoilanalysis
program.
Oilanalysisisaneverchangingtechnology
andtoreapitsbenefits,onemust
continuallyreceivequalitytraining.
Trainingoptionsmayinclude:
Classesand/orcertifications.
Tradeshowsandconferences
areanother
way
to
help
personnelstayontopof
recentadvancesintheirfield.
Departmentbudgetshould
reflecttheseeducational
opportunitiesfromyearto
year.
Foroilanalysistrainingoptions
visit:www.testoil.com
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#6 LearnHowtoInterpretanOilAnalysisReport
Theoilanalysisreportisavitaltoolfora
smoothrunningoperation.Goingdeeper
thanthereportsummariesandknowing
howto
analyze
the
oil
analysis
report
can
helppreventequipmentbreakdownand
unnecessaryequipmentteardowns.
Typicaloilanalysisreportsfeatureproblem
summaries,lubricant
and
machine
conditionstatus,andcriticalalerts.They
shouldalsoincludegraphicaldepictionof
varioustests,aswellasothervisual
elementstoassistintheinterpretationof
thetestresults.
Readinganoilanalysisreportcanbe
overwhelmingunlessyouknowwhatyou
arereading.Tooofteninlubeanalysisthe
failureofaprogramcanbeattributedto
thelackofinterpretationoftheconditions
reportandaninappropriateresponsetothe
results.When
this
happens,
valuable
informationislost. Thereasonforthiscan
largelybeattributedtothelackoftraining
ofyourmaintenanceprofessionals.
Withoutasolidunderstandingofthe
purposeof
lube
analysis
and
the
ability
to
interprettestresultstheycannotbe
expectedtocarryoutthisduty.
Maintenanceprofessionalsshouldreceive
trainingandeducationinlubeanalysis. In
fact,trainingandeducationshouldoccurat
severaldifferentlevelsandwitheveryone
whocontributestomachinereliability,from
managementallthewaytocraftsmen.
YourLabsResponsibilities
Yourlabshouldalsobeadeptat
interpretingresults. Manylabs
advertisethat
their
analysts
have
degrees,butwhenitcomesto
analyzingtestresults,experience
inthefieldisparamount. Make
suretheanalystseducationis
relevantandnotetheexperience
ofthe
technical
people
in
the
lab
aswell.
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IFHgroup.com
#7 UseProperLubricationStorageandHandling
Havinglubricationstorageandhandling
systemsinplaceisimportantaswell.
Lubricationproductsareexpensive,sothey
needto
be
handled
in
afashion
that
maximizesthereturnoninvestment.
Makesureyourstorageandhandlingareas
areclean,wellorganized,andclimate
controlled.You
are
responsible
for
ensuring
thenewoilandgreaseplacedinyour
equipmentiscleananddry,andhasnot
beenexposedtoextremetemperature
variations.
Ifyouhaveoilstorageracks,consider
separatepumpsandfiltersforeach
differentlubricant.Furthermore,makesure
yourtransfercontainersarecleanandbe
surenottoexposelubricantsto
contaminationinroutetotheequipment.
Testall
your
oil
for
acceptance
before
placingitintoyoursystemforuse.Doingso
isespeciallyvaluablewithbulkshipments,
becauseyouneverknowwhatwasinthe
tankerbeforeyourloadofoil.
Reasonsforusingproper
lubricationhandlingandstorage:
Protectlubeproductsfrom
environment
Protectfromplant
dirt/moisture/sunlight
Filternewlubesorlubesas
youusethem
Keeplubesseparatefrom
otherplant
chemical/products
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#8 JustifyYourProgram
Asyouputtogetheranytypeofpredictive
maintenancetechnology,likeanoilanalysis
program,youneedtojustifytheprogram.
Onecommonwayofjustifyingoilanalysisis
keepingrecordsofallpredictiveoilchanges,
filtrationrequests,dehydrationrequests,
andsoon.Forexample,thegoalmaybeto
improvethe
overall
fluid
cleanliness
levels
intheplantshydraulicpressbyusing
improvedfiltration.Inthiscase,oilanalysis
andspecificallytheparticlecountdata
becomesaperformancemetricthatcanbe
usedto
measure
compliance
with
the
statedreliabilitygoals.
Themetricsprovidejustificationand
accountability,notjustforthosedirectly
involvedwiththeoilanalysisprogram,but
alsoforthewholeplant,sendingaclear
messagethatlubricationandoilanalysisare
animportant
part
of
the
plants
strategy
for
achievingbothmaintenanceandproduction
objectives.
Youalsoneedtoannuallyevaluateyouroil
analysisprograms
effectiveness,
which
includesacostbenefitevaluationofmoney
savedbyavoidingmaintenanceissuesor
machinedowntimeduetooilanalysis.
Evaluationallows
for
continuous
improvementoftheprogrambyrealigning
theprogramwitheitherpreexistingornew
reliabilityobjectives.
Considerthefollowing
justificationsforoilanalysis
Somereasonstouseoilanalysis
are:toavoidcatastrophic
failures,extendlubricantlifeand
toextendequipmentlife.
Agoodoilanalysisprogramcan
savebigdollarsforareallysmall
investment.Youcanlearnto
predictconditionsthatarethe
precursoroffailurethroughoil
analysisandtrending.
Asolidanalysisprogramresults
inmakingconditionbased
decisionsbothonthestateof
the
equipment
and
the
lubricant.
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#9 EstablishandMaintainCredibility
Probablyoneofthemostessentialelementstoanysuccessfuloilanalysisprogramiscredibility.Afteryouestablishcredibilityina
program,youmustmaintainthecredibility.Anyknowledgeablepredictivemaintenancepersonwillagreethathowinternal
customersviewtheprogramcandetermineiftheprogramisaheroorazero. Whenestablishingcredibilityinanyoilanalysis
program,considerthesepoints:
Credibilityinanyoilanalysis
programissomewhatpolitical.
Oneofthebestwaystoavoidthis
phenomenoniseducation.Management,
operations,
maintenance,
and
others
may
viewtheprogramdifferently.Theoil
analysisprogrammaybeforcedonthem
justbecauseitspartofthecurrent
maintenancestrategy.Asaresult,you
wanttoeducateeveryoneonwhatoil
analysisisandisnt. Tailoryourmessage
toeachlevelwithinthecompanyto
reduceanypoliticalissues.
Havingpersonnelwhocan
communicateclearlyisofutmost
importance.
Whensomeoneasksaquestion
concerningtheprogram,givetheman
answerthattheycanunderstand.Most
managersdontwantalessoninoil
analysis,theyjustwanttoknowiftheiroil
isgoodandiftheirequipmentisgoingto
failorbereliableuntilthenextsample
frequency.Forexample,simplystating,
Contaminationlevelofforeign
particulatesexceedsourdesiredleveland
oxidationhascausedtheviscosityofthe
oiltoraisepastasafelevelforthis
machineismucheasiertounderstand
thanatechnicalexplanation,suchas,The
PCis21/19/16andtheVIShasraised20
percent.
Youearncredibilitybyhavinga
programthataddsvaluetothe
companyanditsusers.
Youwanttoensurethatbenefitsare
ongoing.Iftoomuchtimelapsesbeforea
managerseesvaluefromoilanalysis,trust
intheprogrammaydecline.Ontheflip
side,makesurethateverymaintenance
actionrequestedfromoilanalysisresults
bebackedupwithdata.
Theprogramneedstostandonitsown
merit.Theprogramsmanagermustalso
havemeritofbeingknowledgeable,
truthful,andeasytoworkwith.Without
this,theprogrammanagerisnomore
thananoutsideconsultanttryingtosella
solutiontoaproblemthatmayormaynot
exist.
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#10 ManageYourProgramUsingWebBasedTools
Onceasampleistestedandthedataisin
placetheremustbeawayforthelabto
communicatethedatatoyou.
Manylabsnowofferwebbasedtoolsthat
enablecustomerstoeasilyprocessthe
informationcontainedintheiroilanalysis
reports.
Webbasedprogrammanagementcanhelp
yourstaffmakebetter,moreinformed
decisionsaboutyouroilanalysisprogram
andtakenecessarystepsrequiredtoavoid
catastrophes.
Byusingawebbasedmanagementtool,
youandyourmaintenancestaffcan
collaborateandmanagereportsbecauseall
thedataisinoneeasytouseinterface,
whichallpartiescanaccessatalltimes.
Ideally,thewebbasedprogram
shouldoffertoolstoquickly
managesampleresultsand
monitorequipmentinthese
importantways:
Reviewequipmentsampling
history
Analyzemachinecondition
Accessandreviewrecentand
pastreports
Graphtrendsand
inconsistenciesthrough
interactivegraphs
Formoreinformationonwebtools
goto:www.testoil.com/datasight
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Conclusion
JustsendinganoilsampletothefirstlabfoundontheInternetmaynotguaranteeaqualityoilanalysisprogram.Simplytakingafew
precautionary,wellplannedstepsshouldminimizeanyunforeseenproblems.Withagoodvision,correctcommunication,andan
understandingofwhattoexpectfromoilanalysis,aprogramcanbeestablishedthatwillbecredibleandamerittothereliabilityof
anycompany.
ContactUs
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Email:[email protected]
VisitourWebsite:www.testoil.com
Visitourblog:http://oilanalysis.testoil.com/
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AboutTESTOIL
TESTOILisafullserviceoiltestinglaboratoryownedby
InsightServices. Since1988thelaboratoryhasbeen
providingfast
and
reliable
oil
analysis
results
across
all
industriesthroughouttheAmericas.
Thefirmscomprehensiverangeofoilanalysisservices
assistsreliabilityengineerswithconditionmonitoring
andidentificationofmachinewear.
TESTOILemploysasophisticateddiagnostictechnology
thatassiststheirMachineConditionAnalystsinmaking
equipmentandlubricationconditionassessments.
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