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ngYou?

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InitialReportReview
Theabilitytointerprettheresultsofoilanalysisisvitaltoguidingsignificantdecisionsaboutpreventive
maintenanceactivities.Havingsomeoneinyourorganizationwhocanpickupareportandinterpretitin
thecontextoftheenvironmentisabsolutelyessential.Thisisaskillwhichcaneasilybedevelopedwith
aminimalinvestmentintrainingandcertification.Thisarticleaddressesthebasicsofoilanalysisand
interpretingtheresultingreports.

Onceananalysisiscomplete,itisimportanttoreviewthereportandinterprettheaccompanyingdata.
Basedonthereport,youcandeterminewhetheractionisneeded.Thereportdoesnotalwayspinpoint
specificproblems,butdoesprovideastartingpointforanalysis.

Reportsshouldbeeasytoreview.Eachtestshouldbeclearlyidentified,andingeneral,theinformation
shouldbeorganizedinaspreadsheetwithnumbersindicatingtestresults.Whenyoulookatyour
reports,makesuretheyarejustthat,yourreports.Becertainthereportincludes:

YourName
LubeType

MachineMFG
MachineType

YourreportshouldclearlystateyourMachineandLubricantCondition.Yourlabshouldhavearating
systemthatnotifiesyouofNormal,MarginalandCriticallevels.Yourreportshouldalsoincludeyour
ownCustomerNotes.Thesenotesareimportanttohelpcompletetheoverallpictureoftheequipment.
Theanalystwillconsideryournotestoassessthemachinecondition.Finally,theAnalystSummarywill
helpyougaugethecriticalityoftheproblemandprovideyouwithasuggestedcourseofaction.

MachineCondition
LubricantCondition

CustomerNotes
AnalystComments

CRITICAL

Machine Condition:

CRITICAL

Lubricant Condition:

B ID FAN BEARING LUBE OIL

Analysis Report
ConocoAW46
LubeType:
MachineMFG: AIRPRODINC
MachineMOD: B175A

Received:

6/30/201212:00:00AM

Report:

5/4/124:43:00PM

SampleNo:

19144

MachineType:

AntiFrictionBearing

Analyst:

MM

Problems:***HIGHIRON.***HIGHLEAD.***HIGH
WATERCONTENT.***EXCESSIVEPARTICLECOUNT.

ATTN:JackBoilerman
LakeRdPlant
20338ProgressDrive
Strongsville,OH44149

CustomerNotes:MachHours:2016*
LubeHours:2016FilterChange1/5/2012

AnalystComments:Watercontentat.689%(6890ppm)islikelytheresultofcondensationorwateringression.Water
contaminationcanleadtooildegradation,corrosionandreductioninloadcarryingcapacity.Ifspecificsourceof
moisturecannotbelocated,inspectorinstalldesiccantbreathers.Theparticulatecontaminationexceedsourlimitsfor
abearing(19/17/16).Highparticulatecontaminationwillleadtoabrasivewearanddamageinternalcomponents.
Reducingparticlelevelswillsignificantlyextendcomponentlife.Fluidcontaminationisapossiblecontributorto
www.TESTOIL.com

Page1
elevatedwearmetals.

CheckingResistancetoFlow:Viscosity
Thistestmeasuresalubricantsviscosity(resistancetoflowataspecifictemperature).Anoilsviscosity
isconsidereditsmostimportantproperty.Thistestcanquicklydetecttheadditionofawrongoil.In
fact,itsthebeststandardformeasuringoilserviceability.Ifalubricantdoesnthavetheproper
viscosity,itcantperformitsfunctionsproperly.Iftheviscosityisntcorrectfortheload,theoilfilm
cantbeestablishedatthefrictionpoint.Heatandcontaminationarentcarriedawayattheproper
rates,andtheoilcantadequatelyprotectthecomponent.Alubricantwiththeimproperviscositycan
leadtooverheating,acceleratedwear,and,ultimately,thefailureofthecomponent.

ViscosityLimits

Anincreaseinviscositymayindicate:
IndustrialoilsareidentifiedbytheirISOviscositygrade
Increasingsuspendedsolidmaterial
(VG).TheISOVGreferstotheoilskinematicviscosityat
suchaswearparticles,
40C.TobecategorizedatacertainISOgrade,anoils
contamination,orsoot
(eitherneworused)viscositymustfallwithinplusor
Additionsofahigherviscosityoil
minus10percentofthegrade.Soforanoiltobe
Lubricantoxidation
classifiedasISO100,theviscositymustfallwithin
Watercontamination
90to110cSt.Ifanoilsviscosityiswithinplusorminus

10percentofitsISOgrade,itsconsiderednormal.If
Adecreaseinviscositymayindicate:
theoilsviscosityisgreaterthanplusorminus10percent
Contaminationfromfuelsor
andlessthanplusorminus20percent,thenits
processfluid
consideredmarginal.Viscositygreaterthanplusor
Additionsofalowerviscosityoil
minus20percentfromgradeiscritical.
Additiveshear

KinematicOilViscosityinCentistokes
MidPoint
KV40C
mm2s1
2.2
3.2
4.6
6.8
10
15
22
32
46

ISOVG
ISOVG2
ISOVG3
ISOVG5
ISOVG7
ISOVG10
ISOVG15
ISOVG22
ISOVG2
ISOVG32

Limits,KV40C
Min.

Max.

1.98
2.88
4.14
6.12
9
13.5
19.8
28.8
41.4

2.4
3.52
5.06
7.48
11
16.5
24.2
35.2
50.6

ISOVG
ISOVG100
ISOVG150
ISOVG220
ISOVG320
ISOVG460
ISOVG680
ISOVG1000
ISOVG1500
ISOVG2200

MidPoint
KV40C
mm2s1
100
150
220
320
460
680
1000
1500
2200

Limits,KV40C
Min.

Max.

90
135
198
288
414
612
900
1350
1980

110
165
242
352
506
748
1100
1650
2420

www.TESTOIL.com

Page2

Let'sinterpretthisreportwithhighviscosity

LubeType:MobilMobilGear634
MachineType:IndustrialGear

Reference
8/27/2010
LabNo
884169
639886
OilChng/Mach/Lube
N/N/C
SPECTROSCOPICANAYLSIS(ppm)ASTMD5185
Iron
2
Copper
0
Lead
0
Aluminum
1
Tin
1
Nickel
0
Chromium
0
Titanium
0
Vanadium
0
Silver
0
Silicon
12
Boron
1
Calcium
0
Magnesium
0
Phosphorus
369
Zinc
0
Barium
0
Molybdenum
0
Sodium
2
Potassium
0
VISCOSITY(centistokes)ASTMD445
Vis40
437.9

6/18/2010
620613
N/N/C

5/14/2010
607160
N / N/C

4/26/2010
601898
N/ N / C

7
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
4
15
44
4
387
50
0
0
0
2

21
0
0
0
5
0
0
0
0
0
6
10
43
1
389
25
0
0
1
0

26
0
0
3
3
0
0
0
0
0
10
21
132
3
338
58
0
0
2
2

30
0
1
2
0
0
1
0
0
0
8
21
142
5
368
70
1
0
8
4

327.3

230.3

220.0

220.3

22/21/17
36420
14163
1080
47
2

26/25/21
502842
195556
14914
653
40

PARTICLECOUNT(particlesperml)ISO4406:99
ISOCode
18/17/13
27/24/20
>4Micron
2191
999999
>6Micron
852
99999
>14Micron
65
9999
>50Micron
2
99
>100Micron
0
9

26/25/21
502842
195556
14914
653
40

Asyoureviewthisreportthefirstthingyoushouldlookatisthereferencecolumn.Thereferencelevel
fortheviscosityofthisoilisat437.9ppm,andonthefirstthreeteststheviscosityisinthe200cSt
range.Rememberwhatwesaidaboutviscositylimits:Iftheoilsviscosityisoutsideofplusorminus10
percent(marginal)orplusorminus20percent(critical),thenitsconsideredtobeinalarm.Withthisin
mindweknowthelubricantinthisequipmentisatacriticalviscositylevel.Butsomethingchangesin
August2010.Theviscosityincreases100cStfromthepreviousresults.Thisremainsbelowthe
specificationandremainsinalarm,butfromthisweseethattherewasanadditionoffluid(orthisisnot
theintendedusefluid)tobringtheviscosityuptospecification.Alsoifyounoticethatwhilethe
viscosityhasincreasedsohasthelevelofzinc.Aswelookatthereferenceareawenoticethatzinc
shouldnotbeinthislubricantandwecanconcludethatthisisanotherproductthathasbeenputinand
notthe634gearoilwewereexpecting.Therecommendationforthisequipmentwouldbeaproper
flushandtorefillwiththecorrectlubricant.
www.TESTOIL.com

Page3

MeasuringMetals:ElementalSpectroscopy
Analyzingtheoilanalysisreportinvolvesunderstandingtheconcentrationofexpectedandunexpected
elementsinyouroil.Someelementsarepickedupastheoilcirculatesandsplashesoffdifferent
componentsandsurfacesofthemachine.Additionally,contaminantscanenterthemachineduring
manufacturing,routineservice,faultyseals,poorbreathersoropenhatches.Nomatterhowthe
contaminantsentertheoil,theyarecarriedalongwithintheoilandcancausemetalwear.

Elementalspectroscopydeterminestheconcentrationofwearmetals,contaminantmetals,andadditive
metalsinalubricant.Whenthepredominantsourceofadditiveelementsinusedlubricatingoilsisthe
additivepackage,significantdifferencesbetweentheconcentrationsoftheadditiveelementsandtheir
respectivespecificationscanindicatethattheincorrectoilisbeingused.Theconcentrationsofwear
metalscanbeindicativeofabnormalweariftherearebaselineconcentrationdataforcomparison.A
markedincreaseinboron,sodium,orpotassiumlevelscanbeindicativeofcontaminationasaresultof
coolantleakageintheequipment.

Limitsshouldbebasedontrends,allmachinesare
WearMetalLimits
different.Forexample,ifyouhavetwoidentical
Limitsshouldbebasedontrends
machinesindifferentplaces,dependingonthe
maintenancepracticesloadanddutycyclesthesetwo
Suddenincreasesindicate
machinescanhavevastlydifferentelemental
problems
spectroscopyresultsandbothcouldbeconsidered
Operationalconditionscaneffect
normalputofftotallydifferentparticlesandbefine.
wheremetallevels
Trendingisreallyimportantforjudgingamachine's
Oilchanges,breakingperiods,
health.Useyourbestjudgmentwhenthinkingabout
operationalconditions.Hasanythingchanged?Have
loading
youbeenrunningthemachinelonger?Haveyoubeen
OEMrecommendations
puttingmoreloadonit?Orisitanewmachinejust
breakingin.

Beforeyouthinkthemachineisfaultythinkaboutallofthesethings.OEMrecommendationsare
sometimesgoodbutallmachinesaredifferentandyou'llnevergetexactlywhattheOEM
recommendationsaysdependingonwhatyoudothemachine.

Spectroscopycannotmeasureparticleslargerthanroughlysevenmicrons,whichleaves
thistestblindtolargersolidparticles.Aswithanytypeoftesting,spectroscopyis
subjecttoinherentvariance(naturalinconsistency).

www.TESTOIL.com

Page4

Let'sinterpretthisreportwithwearparticles

LubeType:CONOCOMultipurposeR&O68
MachineType:PlainBearing

Reference
8/12/2010
LabNo.
609348
639281
OilChng/Mach/Lube

N/C/M
SPECTROSCOPICANAYLSIS(ppm)ASTMD5185
Iron
Copper
Lead
Aluminum
Tin
Nickel
Chromium
Titanium
Vanadium
Silver
Silicon
Boron
Calcium
Magnesium
Phosphorus
Zinc
Barium
Molybdenum
Sodium
Potassium

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
17
0
0
0
0
0

6/21/2010
624653
N/C/M

260
155
30
2
3729
1
1
0
0
0
4
0
118
0
201
0
0
0
0
0

45
49
7
2
722
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
44
0
82
3
0
0
0
0

12/26/2008
485474
N/N/M

10/6/2007
377712
N/ C/M

29
2
1
1
26
0
0
0
0
0
4
1
1
0
3
2
1
0
0
8

39
39
17
2
531
0
0
0
0
0
4
0
3
0
34
18
0
0
4
3

First,ifyouareeverlookingatareportforanykindofaplainbearingyoushouldalwayslookatthe
copperandtinlevels.Therearethinlayersofcopperandtinbetweentheshaftandthehousing,soif
youstarttoseethenumbersclimbingup,beawarethatthiscouldindicateawearproblem.In
reviewingthereportaboveweseethatin2007thecopperlevelisat39ppm,whichalonecanindicatea
problem,buttherealcluehereisthetin,whichisat531ppm.Thisisacriticallevel.Afterreceiving
theseresults,themachineoperatorchangedtheoilandcontinuedtousethemachine.Ayearlaterthe
machinewastestedagainandtheresultsaremarginal.Theseresultsgavethemachineoperator
confidencethathisequipmentwashealthyandhestoppedregulartesting.Youshouldbeawarethat
changingoilmayhaveflushedawaythewearmaterialwhichinturnedtemporarilymaskedtheproblem.

ThemachinewasnottestedagainuntilJune2010.Youcanseethatthetinwaselevatedto722ppm
andthecopperalsoshowsasignificantincrease.Thismachinewasprobablymakingallkindsofnoise
alertingtheoperatortotheproblem,butitwastoolate.SoonaftertheJunetestingthemachinefailed.

TheresultsshowninAugust2010werefromthefailedequipment.Youcanseethetinlevelsare
throughtheroof,asarethecopperandIron.Theseresultstellusthatseveredamagehasoccurredto
thisplainbearing.

www.TESTOIL.com

Page5

StayOnTheLookOutForContaminants
Oilcontaminationcausesapproximately80%ofalloilsystemfailures.Contaminationtakestheformof
insolublematerialssuchasmetals,dustparticles,sandandrubber.Thesmallestparticles,thosebelow
2m,andbetterknownassilt,resinoroxidationdepositsareoftenresponsiblefordefects.Manyof
thesecontaminantsinfluenceequipmentreliabilityandlifetime.

Whentalkingaboutcontaminants,theobjectiveistodetectthepresenceofforeigncomponentsandto
askWhatarethey?Wheredidtheycomefrom(builtin,generated,ingressed,introduced)?HowcanI
preventfurtherentryorgeneration?Contaminantsactasacatalystforwear.Thisgeneratedwear
debrisfurtheractsasacatalystforadditionalcomponentwear.Ifthecycleisnotbroken,wear
acceleratesanddowngradedserviceabilityresults.

Typicalcontaminantsare:

Potassium
Silicon(Si)
o CoolantAdditive
o AirborneDust&Dirt,
Sodium
DefoamantAdditive
o DetergentAdditive,CoolantAdditive
Boron(B)
o AntiCorrosioninCoolants

www.TESTOIL.com

Page6

Let'sinterpretthisreportwithcontamination

LubeType:SAFETYKLEENAW46
MachineType:HydraulicSystem

Reference
9/8/2010
LabNo
349585
642792
OilChng/Mach/Lube
N/N/M
SPECTROSCOPICANALYSIS(ppm)ASTMD5185
Iron
Copper
Lead
Aluminum
Tin
Nickel
Chromium
Titanium
Vanadium
Silver
Silicon
Boron
Calcium
Magnesium
Phosphorus
Zinc
Barium
Molybdenum
Sodium
Potassium

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
49
0
312
424
0
0
0
4

1
1
5
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
68
0
50
0
382
450
0
0
1
6

9/28/2009
551484
N/M/C

2/9/2009
494182
N/N/C

8/24/2008
449544
N/N/C

0
5
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
126
3
385
433
0
0
1
0

0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
82
0
296
370
0
0
1
3

0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
65
0
300
363
0
0
3
3

PayattentioncloselytothesiliconlevelsforthisHydraulicSystem.Severalofthetestshowthesilicon
atlowlevels,butontheSeptember2010testthesiliconisat68ppm.Thiscouldbecontributedto
airbornedust,howeverinthiscasewehaveasampleofnewoil.Nowifwelookatthepastsamples
whichhavenohistoryofhighsiliconlevelswenowaskthequestionWheredidthiscomefrom?Being
newincomingoilandconsideringthattherehasneverbeenanissuelikethisbefore,theonlyvariable
thatisdifferentisthefactthatthisisincomingoil.Withthatsaid,wecanconcludethatthereappears
tobeacontaminationissuewithourincomingbatchofoil.Itwouldbebesttoresample.Thisisagood
exampleoftheimportanceoftestingincomingoilnotonlytobesureitisthecorrectlubricant,but
alsotocheckcleanliness,andinthiscasethepresenceofcontamination.

www.TESTOIL.com

Page7

MonitorAdditiveLevels
Oiladditivesarechemicalcompoundsthatimprovethelubricantperformance
ofbaseoil.Withoutmanyoftheseadditivestheoilwouldbecomecontaminated,
breakdown,leakout,ornotproperlyprotectpartsatalloperatingtemperatures.

Someofthemostimportantadditivesincludethoseusedforviscosityand
lubricity,contaminantcontrol,forthecontrolofchemicalbreakdown,
andforsealconditioning.Someadditivespermitlubricantstoperform
betterundersevereconditions,suchasextremepressuresand
temperaturesandhighlevelsofcontamination.

Thesepreciousadditivescanbedepletedduringuseandmonitoringthis
depletioncanprovideanearlywarningofimpendinglubricantfailure.
Monitoringadditivelevelsisimportantnotonlytoassessthehealthof
thelubricant,butitalsomayprovidecluesrelatedtospecificdegradation
mechanisms.

Typicaladditivesare:

Magnesium(Mg)
Zinc(Zn)
o DetergentAdditive
o AntiwearAdditive
Barium(Ba)
Phosphorus(P)
o Rust&CorrosionInhibitor
o AntiWearAdditive,EPGear
Calcium(Ca)
Additive
o Detergent/DispersantAdditive
Molybdenum(Mo)
o ExtremePressureAdditive

www.TESTOIL.com

Page8

Let'sinterpretthisreportwithadditiveissues

LubeType:QUAKERQUINTOLUBRIC88868
MachineType:HydraulicSystem

Reference
9/1/2010
LabNo
641386
641039
OilChng/Mach/Lube

N/N/C
SPECTROSCOPICANALYSIS(ppm)ASTMD5185
Iron
0
2
Copper
0
4
Lead
0
3
Aluminum
0
1
Tin
340
0
Nickel
0
0
Chromium
0
0
Titanium
0
0
Vanadium
0
0
Silver
0
0
Silicon
6
152
Boron
0
0
Calcium
2
35
Magnesium
0
0
Phosphorus
205
515
Zinc
4
397
Barium
0
0
Molybdenum
0
0
Sodium
5
0
Potassium
0
0
VISCOSITY(centistokes)ASTMD445
Vis40
SINGLECOMPONENTTESTS

FLASHPOINTD92C

69.4

7/28/2010
631381
N/N/N

6/14/2010
614442
N /U/U

4/25/2010
601224
N/N/N

1
2
1
0
285
0
0
0
0
0
6
3
5
0
626
28
0
0
3
0

44.3

63.1

1
1
2
0
330
0
0
0
0
0
5
2
5
0
690
30
0
0
4
0

63.6

276.00

ThefirstthingyouneedtoknowaboutthisreportisthatQuintolubricisafireresistantlubricantandit
containstinasanadditive.OnthisparticularreportyoucanseethatinApril2010thetinmatches
closelywiththereferenceoilat330ppm.Thephosphoruslevelisalsohigh,buttheviscositylooksgood,
sothelubricantisflaggedasnormal.InJune2010theFlashPointwastestedtoensuretheoilwas
maintainingitsfireresistantquality.Thelevelsarewithinspecification.

TheSeptember2010iswhereweseeanissue.Thefirstredflagisthatthereisnotinshowinginthe
lubricant.Inreviewingtheotherelements,weseethehighlevelsofphosphorousandzincarethereal
issue.Theselevelsofphosphorousandzincgivetheindicationthatthisisahydraulicoilnot
Quintolubric.Theconcernhereisthatanotheroilcouldhavebeenaddedtothismachine,andthe
resultsindicateitisnotafireresistantoil.

www.TESTOIL.com

Page9

QuantifyingtheAmountofWater:
KarlFischerWaterTest
TheKarlFischercoulometricmoisturetestisa
seriesofchemicalreactionsdiscoveredin1935
byGermanchemistKarlFischer.Thismethod
analyzeswaterinthemicrogramorpartper
millionrange.Thistestisveryaccurate,to.001
percent.WaterdeterminationbyKarlFischeris
definedinASTMD6304.

Lowlevelsofwateraretypicallytheresultof
condensation.Higherlevelscanindicatea
sourceofwateringress.Watercanentera
Clickontheimagetowatcha shortvideoabouttheKarl FischerTest
systemthroughseals,breathers,hatches,and
fillcaps.Internalleaksfromheatexchangers
andwaterjacketsareotherpotentialsources.

Whenfreewaterispresentinoil,itposesaseriousthreattotheequipment.Waterisaverypoor
lubricantandpromotesrustandcorrosiontothecomponents.Dissolvedwaterinanoilpromotesoil
oxidationandreducestheloadhandlingabilityoftheoil.Watercontaminationcanalsocausetheoils
additivepackagetoprecipitate.Waterinanyformcausesacceleratedwear,increasedfriction,andhigh
operatingtemperatures.Ifleftunchecked,watercanleadtoprematurecomponentfailure.Inmost
systems,watershouldnotexceed500ppm.

www.TESTOIL.com

Commonsourcesofwater:

Externalcontamination
o Breathers,Seals,Reservoircovers
Internalleaks
o Heatexchangers,Waterjackets
Condensation

Page10

Let'sinterpretthesetworeportswithwaterissues

LubeType:SULLAIRSULLUBE
MachineType:COMPRESSOR

Reference
LabNo
752001
OilChng/Mach/Lube
SINGLECOMPONENTTESTS
Acid#mgKOH/g
Water%

0.01

8/12/2010
636637
N/N/C

3/19/2010
586192
N/N/N

10/24/2008
463401
N / N/N

9/5/2008
453020
N/ N / N

1.65
0.842

0.70
NEG

0.71
NEG

0.95
NEG

ThisreportshowsthatthewaterlevelshavebeennegativeacrosstheboardupuntiltheAugust2010
test.At.842%,thisisacriticalwaterlimit.Inaddition,theacidnumberhasincreased,whichisadirect
resultoftheincreaseinwaterandittellsusthattheoilhasstartedtooxidize.Themachineoperator
needstoquicklyfindthesourceofwaterandfixtheproblempriortoproperlyflushingandrefilling.

LubeType:SHELLMORLINASD6680
MachineType:UNKNOWN

Reference
8/16/2010
LabNo
629766
637151
OilChng/Mach/Lube
N/N/C
DEMULSIBILITY
Demulsibility
40382(25)
VISCOSITY(centistokes)ASTMD445

7/12/2010
627463
N/N/C

6/7/2010
613168
N / N/C

5/17/2010
607203
N/ N / C

0 872 (60)

Vis40
700.2
SINGLECOMPONENTTESTS

1071.4

959.0

1053.8

1222.0

Acid#mgKOH/g
Water%

1.65
0.842

0.70
NEG

0.71
NEG

0.95
NEG

0.01

ShellMorlinaoilsarerustandoxidationinhibitedlubricatingoilsthatprovideexcellentlubricationin
MORGOILbearingandsteelmillcirculatingsystems.Theyaredesignedtohaveappropriate
viscosity/temperaturecharacteristics,lowfoamingtendenciesandexcellentwaterseparation
properties.Withthatinmind,thefirstthingyouwanttolookatinthisreportisthefaileddemulsibility*
resultsfromtheJuly2010test.Whenyouseesomethinglikethisthenextthingyoushouldlookatis
theviscosity.Thereferenceoilshowsthenormallevelsforthisoiltobeat700cSt,andifyouscanall
thetestresults,theviscosityhasbeenwellabovethecriticalalarmlimit.Thislubricant'sinabilityto
separatefromwaterandintroductionofawatersourcearethereasonsforthishighviscosity.Withthe
waterat.842%,theoilisnolongerdoingitsjobandyoucanassumethatthemachinepartsarenot
properlylubricated.

*DemulsibilitycanbetestedusingASTMD1401.Duringthistest,agraduatedcylindercontaininga
volumeofoilandavolumeofdistilledwaterisplacedinaconstanttemperaturebath.Thecontentsare
stirredtogetherforfiveminutes.Thevolumesofoil,water,andemulsionarerecordedatfiveminute
intervalsuntil3millilitersorlessofemulsionremainsoruntilatimelimitisreached.Asampleis
consideredtohavefailedthetestifmorethan3millilitersofemulsionremainswhenthetimelimitis
reached.Lessviscousoils(lowerthan80cSt)areexpectedtoseparatewithin30minutes.Moreviscous
oils(greaterthan80cSt)areexpectedtoseparatewithin60minutes.Inotherwords,thefasterthe
separation,thebetterthedemulsibility.

www.TESTOIL.com

Page11

LookingatChemicalComposition:FTIR
MolecularanalysisoflubricantsandhydraulicfluidsbyFTIRspectroscopyproducesdirectinformation
onmolecularspeciesofinterest,includingadditives,fluidbreakdownproducts,andexternal
contamination.Itcomparesinfraredspectraofusedoiltoabaselinespectrum.ThedifferencesinIR
spectraarequantified.Levelsofthefollowingoildegradationarereported:

Oxidation:Atelevatedtemperatures,oilexposedtooxygenfromtheairoxidizestoforma
varietyofcompounds.Themajorityofthesearecarbonylcontainingcompounds,suchas
carboxylicacid.
Nitration:Thislevelshowsthereactionofoilcomponentswithnitrogenoxides.
Soot:Thismeasurementisthelevelofpartiallyburnedfuelinoil;itsrelevantfordieselengines.
Glycol:Apositivemeasurementheremayindicateacoolantleak.

Let'sinterpretthisreportwithoxidation

LubeType:ALCOAML686
MachineType:INDUSTRIALGEAR

Reference
LabNo
571957
OilChng/Mach/Lube

VISCOSITY(centistokes)ASTMD445

6/3/2009
521406
N/N/C

5/7/2009
512706
N/N/C

4/1/2009
504404
N/N/C

Vis40

429.9
724.6
FTIRSPECTROSCOPY(indexingnumbers)JOAPMethod

715.7

686.7

628.1

AntiWear
Nitration
OtherFluid
Oxidation
SINGLECOMPONENTTESTS
Acid#mgKOH/g
Water%

7/6/2009
528488
N/N/C

8
3
22
1

20
13
52
85

19
13
51
83

19
12
53
79

19
12
53
73

0.11

13.86
NEG

5.33
NEG

2.41
NEG

0.56
NEG

IfyoulookattheFTIRforthereferenceoiltheoxidationlevelisat1,butthepasttestsshowitinthe70
and80ranges.Thesearedangerouslevels.Thereareafewthingsthatyoucanconsiderhere.The
machineoperatormayhavereplacedtheoilwithasyntheticversion,whichtypicallyhavehigher
oxidationlevels.However,let'scontinuereviewingtheresultstofindmoreclues.Youcanseethatthe
acidisfairlyhigh.Theviscositywillgiveusanotherclue,Thereferenceforviscosityisat429.9cSt,but
thehistoryoftestresultsshowtheoilinthe700range.Wecannowassumewithoutadoubtthatthis
oilisdegradingatarapidpace.

www.TESTOIL.com

Page12

DetermineOil'sServiceability:AcidNumber
AcidNumber(AN)isanindicatorofoilserviceability.Itisusefulinmonitoringacidbuildupinoilsdueto
depletionofantioxidants.Oiloxidationcausesacidicbyproductstoform.Highacidlevelscanindicate
excessiveoiloxidationordepletionoftheoiladditivesandcanleadtocorrosionoftheinternal
components.Bymonitoringtheacidlevel,theoilcanbechangedbeforeanydamageoccurs.

Anoilanalystislookingforasuddenincrease.Whenyouroilisflaggedforhighacidlevels,it
indicatesacceleratedoiloxidation,andyoushouldchangetheoilassoonaspossible.Ifanyofthe
remaininghighlyacidicoilisleft,itcanhaveacatalysteffectandquicklyruinthenewoil.

ANismeasuredbytitrationusingASTMD664orD974.Bothmethodsinvolvedilutingtheoilsample
andaddingincrementalamountsofanalkalinesolutionuntilaneutralendpointisachieved.TheANofa
newoilwillvarybasedonthebaseoiladditivepackage.AnR&OoilwillusuallyhaveaverylowAN,
around0.03.AnAWorEPoilwillhaveaslightlyhighervalue,typicallyaround0.5.Engineoilscommonly
haveahigherAN,intheneighborhoodof1.5.

Let'sinterpretthesereportswithacidissues

LubeType:NTLCLEARLUBERS32F
MachineType:SCREWCOMPRESSOR

Reference
LabNo
81983
OilChng/Mach/Lube
VISCOSITY(centistokes)ASTMD445

10/22/2005
266426
Y/N/M

10/13/2005
265015
N/M/C

8/9/2005
258380
N/N/N

6/23/2005
252985
N/N/N

Vis40

31.5
33.0
FTIRSPECTROSCOPY(indexingnumbers)JOAPMethod

45.7

32.3

32.0

AntiWear
Nitration
OtherFluid
Oxidation
SINGLECOMPONENTTESTS

9
3
117
22

17
5
105
67

7
3
120
8

7
3
121
7

2.52

5.00
0.044

0.50

7
2
122
3

Acid#mgKOH/g
Water%

0.44

IfyoulookattheacidnumberforthisoilitstartedinJune2005at.44andgotupto5.0byOctober.We
knowthattheoilwaschangedatthistime,butwhentheoilwastestedagainjust9dayslater,theacid
numberisstillhigh.Thisleadsustobelievethateventhoughtheoilwaschanged,itislikelythatthe
machinewasnotproperlyflushed,sotheoldoilcontaminatedthenewoil.Ifaproperflushwasdone
alongwiththeoilchangewewouldbelesslikelytoseethesetestresults.
www.TESTOIL.com

Page13

GaugingParticleCount
Theconcentrationofwearparticlesinoilisakeyindicatorofpotentialcomponentproblems.Therefore,
oilanalysismustbecapableofmeasuringawiderangeofwearparticlesandcontaminantparticles.
Sometypesofwearproduceparticlesthatareextremelysmall.Othertypesofwearproducelarger
particlesthatcanbevisuallyobservedintheoil.Particulatesofanysizehavethepropensitytocause
seriousdamageifallowedtoenterthelubricatingoil.

Particlecountanalysisisconductedonarepresentativesampleofthefluidinasystem.Theparticle
counttestprovidesthequantityandmicronsizeofthevarioussolidcontaminantsinthefluid.The
actualparticlecountandsubsequentISOCleanlinessCodearecomparedtothetargetcodeforthe
system.Iftheactualcleanlinesslevelofasystemisworsethanthedesiredtarget,correctiveactionis
recommended.

Particlecountisreportedinsixsizeranges:
ISO4406Chart

Range
NumberofParticlesPer100MI
1. Greaterthan4
2. Greaterthan6
Number
Morethan Uptoandincluding
3. Greaterthan14
24
8,000,000
16,000,000
4. Greaterthan25
23
4,000,000
8,000,000
5. Greaterthan50
6. Greaterthan100
22
2,000,000
4,000,000

ISOCleanlinessCode

Differentmechanicalsystemshavedistinctlevels
ofcleanlinessthatarerequiredforoptimumlife
andminimumcomponentwear.Contaminantsin
asystemacceleratewear,reduceefficiency,
increaseoperatingcostsandcancausesignificant
downtime.

Typically,newfluidsarenotcleanfluids.Bulk
lubricantsfromblendingplantscanrangefrom
19/17/15to17/14/13,whilesealeddrum
lubricantscanhavecleanlinesscodesashighas
22/21/19.Incontrast,highlyfilteredfluidsmay
haveacodeof16/14/11orlower.

ISOcleanlinesscodesarethenassignedfor
particlesin4,6,and14micronranges.The
resultsarereportedbythreenumberswitha
slashbetweenthem.Thelowerthenumbersin
theISOCleanlinessCode,thecleanerthefluid.
www.TESTOIL.com

21

1,000,000

2,000,000

20

500,000

1,000,000

19

250,000

500,000

18

130,000

250,000

17

64,000

130,000

16

32,000

64,000

15

16,000

32,000

14

8,000

16,000

13

4,000

8,000

12

2,000

4,000

11

1,000

2,000

10

500

1,000

250

500

130

250

64

130

32

64

Page14

Let'sinterpretthesereportswithhighparticlecount

LubeType:MOBILSHC626
MachineType:PLAINBEARING

Reference
9/9/2010
LabNo
621848
642889

OilChng/Mach/Lube
N/N/C
SPECTROSCOPICANALYSIS(ppm)ASTMD5185
Iron
0
4
Copper
0
0
Lead
0
0
Aluminum
1
0
Tin
0
0
Nickel
0
0
Chromium
0
0
Titanium
0
0
Vanadium
0
0
Silver
0
0
Silicon
19
4
Boron
0
1
Calcium
0
0
Magnesium
1
0
Phosphorus
932
879
Zinc
0
0
Barium
0
0
Molybdenum
0
0
Sodium
3
0
Potassium
0
0
PARTICLECOUNT(particlesperml)ISO4406:99
ISOCode
>4Micron
>6Micron
>14Micron
>50Micron
>100Micron

16/14/11
413
160
12
0
0

5/19/2010
607906
N/N/N

3/19/2010
585735
N/N/N

1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
0
0
896
0
0
0
0
0

21/20/16
14362
5585
426
18
1

20/18/15
5603
2179
166
7
0

12/28/2009
567207
N/N/M

0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
6
0
1
0
844
0
0
0
0
0

4
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
865
0
0
0
0
0

20/19/15
7776
3024
230
10
0

21/19/15
10255
3988
304
13
0

Ifyoulookattheparticlecountsectionofthereportyouwillseethatthe4micronlevelisat
10,000+inDecember2009andincreasesto14,000bySeptember2010.Thoughtheparticlecountis
high,thereisnoevidenceofanextremeproblembecausethespectroscopicanalysisdoesn'tshowany
wearproblems.Wecanassumethatthehighparticlecountcanbefixedwithafilterchangeorthe
additionofafiltrationsystem.

www.TESTOIL.com

Page15

FerrousWearConcentration
Insomecases,aparticlecountisntaneffectivetestbecausethesampleisinherentlydirtyandfiltering
theoilmaynotbeplausible.Aparticlecountindicatesthatthesampleisextremelydirty,butitdonot
giveanyindicationofferrouswear.Thistestgivesadirectmeasureoftheamountofferrouswear
metalspresentinasample.

Let'sinterpretthesereportswithhighferrouswearconcentration

LubeType:MOBILMOBILGEAR630
MachineType:INDUSTRIALGEAR

Reference
8/27/2010
LabNo
397924
639875
OilChng/Mach/Lube

N/M/N
SPECTROSCOPICANALYSIS(ppm)ASTMD5185
Iron
0
80
Copper
0
0
Lead
0
0
Aluminum
0
4
Tin
0
5
Nickel
0
2
Chromium
0
0
Titanium
0
0
Vanadium
0
0
Silver
0
0
Silicon
0
17
Boron
6
18
Calcium
6
50
Magnesium
0
5
Phosphorus
232
232
Zinc
4
39
Barium
0
0
Molybdenum
0
0
Sodium
0
1
Potassium
1
0
FERROUSWEARCONCENTRATION(ppm)
Concentration

5/14/2010
607150
N/M/N

3/23/2010
586961
N/N/M

67
0
0
3
5
1
0
0
0
0
21
18
54
5
240
40
0
0
0
4

603.00

336.00

12/14/2009
564456
N/N/M

15
0
0
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
4
12
86
55
309
97
1
0
0
12

13
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
7
13
91
56
285
102
1
0
2
0

19.00

21.00

ThisreportisshowingaFerrousWearissueinMay2010.Youcanalsoseethattherewasasharp
increaseintheIronatthistime.Thoughtheseironlevelsarenotbadforagearbox,youneverwantto
seemajorjumpslikethis,especiallyinatwomonthtimeperiod.Thisshouldalertyourlabtotakea
closerlookattheoilunderamicroscopeusingatestcalledAnalyticalFerrography(AF).

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Page16

AnalyticalFerrography
AnalyticalFerrographyallowsananalysttovisuallyexaminewearparticlespresent
inasampleanddeterminetheseverityofwearontheunit.Thewearparticlesare
classifiedaccordingtosize,shape,andmetallurgy.Theanalystcanevaluatethe
concentration,size,shape,composition,andconditionoftheparticles,which
indicateswhereandhowtheyweregenerated.Particlesarecategorizedbasedon
thesecharacteristics,andconclusionscanbedrawnregardingthewearrateandhealthofthe
componentthatthesamplewasdrawnfrom.

Trace Light Moderate Heavy Max.

Particle
RubbingWear

3
3
3
5 Ferrous,White NonFerrous
RollingContact

SlidingWear

Rolling/SlidingWear

CuttingWear

Chunks

Spheres

Corrosion

DarkMetallicOxides

2
RedOxides

1
Dust/Dirt
OtherContaminants

OxidationByProducts

Observations:AnalyticalFerrographydidnotdetectabnormalparticlesforthissample.

Microns

Microns

200x

Wear debris and dust/dirt.

500x

Wear debris and dust/dirt.

www.TESTOIL.com

Page17

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