A vast inventory catering for different hydraulic oil specifications can be very expensive!

What if you could use a different specification hydraulic oil? How much do you think you could save in consolidating your hydraulic fluid stock holding?

To many this would seem like a nonsensical question, but to a company with a large fleet of earth moving equipment, keeping a comprehensive hydraulic fluid inventory can be a nightmare.

As an example,

Where do you use solid-film lubricants and what are their advantages?

Solid-film lubricants are much more than low friction coatings: They can be used for metal wear protection, too. Especially when surface contact is severe and localized. This is the time when lubrication, not hardness alone, is key. Just think of the valves and seats in your car.

A variety of solid materials with inherent lubricating capability are available for use in solid-film lubricants. The most commonly used are

You cannot mix Synthetic oil and mineral oil – or, can you?

Are "old" and new technologies compatible?

Many people will have you believe that the consequences of mixing synthetic and mineral oils are catastrophic.

But the truth is, the effect or consequence, depends on the types of synthetic bases that are mixed with the mineral bases. Polyalphaolefin and diester synthetic bases can quite happily be mixed with mineral oil bases. This is actually how “blended” products are created.

When should synthetic oil and mineral oil not be mixed?

Polyalkylene glycol (PAG) bases should not

Incorrect handling of lubricants can lead to quite serious health problems.

While exposure to some oils and greases carries little to no risk of health problems, incorrect handling of industrial lubricants could lead to health problems such as dermatitis and even respiratory problems.

Workers, such as automotive technicians, who come into contact with lubricants on a daily basis should be trained and given the correct safety equipment in order to handle lubricants while preventing health problems

Knowledge is power when handling lubricants safely.

One of the best ways to prevent

Handling and storage of grease has a major impact on the life of the product.

Like most materials, lubricating grease gradually will deteriorate with time. The rate and degree of deterioration depends on the storage and handling and storage of the grease

Grease may change its characteristics during storage. The product may oxidize, bleed, change in appearance, pick up contaminants or become firmer or softer. The amount of change varies with the length of storage, temperature and nature of the product.

What effects do handling and storage of the grease have?

Depending on the storage conditions,

Few companies understand the hidden cost of oil changes.

When it comes to the the cost of changing oil many companies merely look at material costs and the direct labour component of the lube change. They are ignoring the significant hidden costs that must also be taken into consideration when managing lubrication schedules and maintenance.

Too often, we schedule an oil change to rectify a contamination problem or when excessive wear is detected. In neither case is the oil change a certain correction of the root cause

To save costs many companies are storing their oil drums outside.

It’s cheap to store oil drums outside, and anyway they’re sealed so nothing can go wrong.

As many a company has learnt through costly experience storing oil drums outside is not that simple... or safe.

The practice of storing oil drums outside creates a high risk of water ingress into the new oil, if the drums are not stored properly. This is especially true during the summer months, when the temperature of the drums can soar to

Will changing to synthetic engine oil damage the seals?

Owners of recently purchased pre-owned cars often want to start off with a fresh charge of synthetic motor oil, but are worried that synthetic engine oil damages seals.

Many people believe that switching a higher mileage engine from a conventional oil to a Group IV synthetic polyalphaolefin (PAO) can lead to seal leakage: but is there less inherent risk with switching to a Group III oil? The rational here

How do you cut lubrication costs without sacrificing reliability?

To many, cutting industrial lubrication costs means sacrificing performance and reliability. This need not be the case – by using the correct products and systems we may just be able to have our cake and eat it too!

You can cut industrial lubrication costs by implementing the correct systems.

Correct Filtration can drastically reduce industrial lubrication costs.

New oil can be expensive as is the labour cost involved in the oil change. Deploying strategic filtration retrofits such as off-line filtration systems (kidney loop) can significantly reduce the cost of replacing your oil as well as enhance

What’s the difference between base oil categories?

The most important part of any lubricant is the base oil. But are you aware how the base oil categories differ?

The two different broad base oil categories are:

1.) Mineral base oils
Modern mineral base oils are the result of a long and complex distillation and refining processes. The feedstock used is crude oil. This substance is not of uniform quality

Are fire resistant oils for real? Where are they used?

When we refer to fire resistant oils we’re not really talking about those crash and burn accidents we see in the movies: No fire resistant oils are more commonly used in hydraulic applications.

What are fire resistant oils?

First discovered in the 1940’s phosphate esters have since been applauded by industry for their anti-wear and flame resistant properties.

Phosphate esters are used primarily as basestock

Why are inexpensive cars using relatively expensive 0W-20 synthetic motor oil?

The main reason 0W-20 synthetic motor oil is becoming increasingly popular with automotive OEM’s, is to improve the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) reported to the USA Federal Government.

CAFE is the combined average fuel economy of all of a manufacturers vehicles sold. Minimum CAFE levels are specified by the Federal Government. In order for a vehicle manufacturer to avoid penalties for non-compliance on their large trucks and SUV's, which typically have poor fuel mileage ratings, when compared to

How important are oil additives in effective lubrication.

Whenever oil performance is discussed viscosity is the main focus. Seldom is the importance of additives in oil given center stage.

What are oil additives?

Additives are organic or inorganic compounds dissolved or suspended as solids in oil. They typically make up between 0.1 to 30 percent of the oil volume, depending on the application. Additives have three basic roles:

1. Enhance existing base oil performance with

Is there a defined temperature at which synthetic gear oil is clearly better than crude.

We’ve all been told that synthetic gear oil is unsurpassed when operating at high temperatures: But what are the “high temperatures” at which point they’re clearly superior to mineral based products.

There are many classes of synthetic gear oil.

The term synthetic is very broad, so we’ll refer to lubricant that is formulated using polyalphaolefin (PAO) synthetic base oil – also known as fully synthetic lubricant.

When should I use

Premature Rolling Bearing Failure Is Not Common.

Although premature rolling bearing failure is not a common occurrence, there are definite steps that can be taken to ensure longevity.

Under normal operating conditions, bearings have an impressive service life, which, according to research, less than 1 percent of rolling bearings fail prematurely.

What leads to premature rolling bearing failure.

When a rolling bearing does fail prematurely, it’s usually

Engine Sludge build up: The Black Death of sad engines!

Image from: www.tunemytoyota.com

Engine sludge build up used to be better (Or more sensationally) known as “Black Death”; probably accurately describing the appearance an effect it has on an engine, if not rectified in time.

Basically what happens is the oil oxidises and becomes contaminated to the point where it thickens to form a sludge and changes colour. The high viscosity, in turn, leads to the oil pump not being able to pick up this sludge from the oil pan; causing oil starvation.

What causes engine sludge build up?

How to select the best chain lubricant for the application.

Chain drives have long been accepted as amongst the most efficient, but have always suffered from being exposed to harsh operating conditions which in turn have made to job of the chain lubricant almost impossible. This makes selecting the correct chain lubricant vital to life of the chain.

The almost impossible task of delivering chain lubricant to the right place!

The objective with chain lubrication

Where do you start in selecting the right heat transfer fluid?

Heat transfer fluids are far more efficient at heating or cooling equipment than air cooling. Because of this, most high performance machines use some form of fluid heating or cooling, resulting in a plethora of different heat transfer fluids to choose from.

Selecting the correct high temperature heat transfer fluid.

The process of selecting the optimum heat transfer fluid

Selecting hydraulic fluid with the correct viscosity is the single most important factor for optimum performance.

Why is so much spoken about selecting hydraulic fluid with the correct viscosity? Well there are many properties that additives fortify for a specific application; but no one specification is as important as choosing the right hydraulic fluid viscosity that’s suitable over the entire operating temperature range.

Not selecting hydraulic fluid with the correct viscosity has these implications:

Fluid viscosity is one of the

What are disadvantages in using biodegradable lubricants when compared to “normal oils”?

This week we’re looking at the disadvantages in using biodegradable lubricants. Even though there’s a very strong case to made in favor of biodegradable lubricants, they can only come into their own if the disadvantages in using biodegradable oils are fully understood.

What are the common groups of biodegradable oils?

In order to understand where the disadvantages in

Biodegradble lubricants should be considered where there’s a high risk of environmental damage

Biodegradble lubricants should be considered when you realise that approximately 2.5 billion gallons of lubricants are sold annually in North America alone. Several studies show that approximately 60 percent of this oil is not accounted for and ends up in ground water, rivers, lakes and on the ground itself, causing untold harm to the environment.

Marine, forestry and agriculture industries in particular, along with citizen groups and

Flushing a turbine oil system is a specialised procedure best carried out by specialists.

When flushing a turbine oil system it’s always advisable to bear in mind the value of the equipment, and not take any short cuts; or skimp on costs!

Up-front planning and meetings with construction, start-up, oil supplier and the end user should be scheduled in advance to build consensus on the turbine flushing procedures.

Conduct this test prior to

Instead of replenishing bearing grease... pump oil into it: Fact or fiction?

We all want to save time and money when it comes to replenishing bearing grease: Have you ever tried, instead of replenishing bearing grease, to pump oil into the bearing, with the hope of “rejuvenating” the grease? This is a rather uncommon practice, but it does happen.

The short answer is that pumping oil into the bearing is in no way a substitute for replenishing bearing grease. As you probably know, grease is a product of dispersion of a thickening agent in a liquid lubricant. Over time while in service,

How many times have you used the wrong oil for an oil change?

How can anyone use the wrong oil for an oil change, you might ask? Well just think back to any unexplained equipment failure you’ve had: Has the question “I wonder if this is the right oil” ever been asked? If so you know exactly what we’re talking about.

The most effective way to determine if wrong oil has been used for an oil change.

Without a doubt you’d be better off doing an oil analysis. By looking at either a change in viscosity and/or a change in additive concentration, during the analysis would

Extreme pressure oil additives can destroy worm-gears!

Extreme pressure oil additives are vital for the effective performance of any Gear oil, but have you ever thought of the negative effects these have; or even what damage they cause to certain parts? Extreme pressure oil additives offer a wide range of benefits, but in some circumstances they harm the equipment they are supposed to protect.

A good example of extreme pressure oil additives causing damage to a gearbox:

A very common industrial transmission is the worm gearbox. Commonly,

Universal compressor oil may not be that universal!

If you’ve got an automotive aircon repair shop, the cost of carrying all the specialised grades of compressor oils is probably killing you? I’m sure you’ve thought about using a universal compressor oil; but could you use this in all applications?

With mineral oil, ester oil, and three common viscosities of PAG synthetic air compressor oils in use, one type of oil that will work in everything definitely seems like a logical approach.

However, is there really

The 7 Great Myths Surrounding Synthetic Oils!

With so many myths and claims surrounding synthetic oils, the saying, “a little knowledge is dangerous” comes to mind. From the extremes of wild claims of indestructible properties to the myths that synthetic oils are not compatible with certain petrols, synthetic oils invoke a lot of discussion.

Understanding synthetic oils

Synthetic motor oils are fuel efficient, extended life lubricants manufactured from select base stocks and special purpose additives. Synthetic oil base stocks

Investing in effective hydraulic filters could save you a fortune in downtime.

Dirt in a hydraulic system is a potential killer, and without the correct hydraulic filters the dirt will silently destroy your investment. The dirt we’re talking about is usually so fine that you’d battle to see it with the naked eye.

But by effectively controlling the level of contaminants (dirt) to acceptable levels you can reduce system failure by as much as 75%.

That is extremely important when you consider the

Centrifugal pump bearing failure can cost a lot of money!

On face value it seems silly to ask what causes centrifugal pump bearing failure. A bearings life is determined by the number of hours it will take for the metal to "fatigue" and that is a function of the load on the bearing, the number of rotations, and the amount of lubrication it receives. Companies predict pump bearing life measured in years.

What factors cause centrifugal pump bearing failure.

There are two main causes of centrifugal pump bearing failure:

• Contamination of the

Can an engine oil change be effected by a deteriorating Motor oil base number?

Why would it be of interest to know if an engine oil change can be determined by a deterioration in the Motor oil base number? Well quite simply; with the cost of motor oil (and oil filters) increasing every other month, no one wants to change oil unless it’s necessary.

Why does the deterioration in the motor oil base number indicate an engine oil change is due?

Base number testing, which measures

How much oil is left in the world oil reserves?

We all know crude oil is a diminishing resource, but have we almost depleted the world oil reserves? Economists would have us believe we’re in crisis, as would the lunatic fringe, but the truth is we’re actually quite far from this...

Oil is not the world’s only energy source — it currently accounts for about 35 percent of global demand — but it is our single largest energy source, and it fuels nearly all the world’s transportation. So, let’s take a look at some facts about our world oil reserves, as well as some historical perspective.

What are the estimated world oil reserves?

The U.S. Geological Survey, to cite just one

What characteristics determine the best low temperature oil?

The best low temperature oil will obviously be

Do you know how severe the effect of antifreeze in engine oils can be?

Courtesy of: www.renault4.co.uk

We all use antifreeze in our engine coolant systems, but have you ever thought of the effect of antifreeze in engine oils? Obviously this was never meant to be, but even the slightest internal leak can result in antifreeze (Containing Glycol) engine oil contamination.

How do I see the effect of antifreeze in engine oils?

Antifreeze contamination is common in engine oils and can greatly alter the properties of the lubricant. Antifreeze causes a thickening of the oil, increasing the engine oil viscosity and not allowing it to flow as readily as before. This can lead to boundary conditions in parts of the engine that require a less viscous fluid to properly lubricate and protect them.

It also creates an acidic environment within the oil, resulting in corrosion within the system, especially on copper surfaces. The additives within the oil can also be compromised.

Once contaminated, the oil continues the same route of flow, from the sump, into the crankcase, through various parts of the engine and through the filter. With the added glycol, these filters become plugged sooner, which can cause reduced flow and eventually, once the bypass pressure is reached, a condition in which you are no longer filtering your oil. This allows particles that normally would have been filtered out to remain in the system, disrupting the lubricating film and resulting in surface damage to components.

The effect of antifreeze in engine oils is to form small globules called oil balls. Although very small, typically 5 to 40 microns in size, they can cause big problems. These balls are abrasive and create surface erosion. A common place to see this would be on the inside walls of the cylinder, where the oil balls could cut and gouge into the wall. They can produce all types of surface fatigue and lead to lubrication failures in areas of very tight tolerances.

Another effect of antifreeze in engine oils is the formation of black Sludge.

The effect of antifreeze in engine oils can be observed in many ways. One is simply a rise in the oil’s viscosity or a thickening of the oil. This often produces what’s called black sludge (Also known as black mayonnaise), which is a thick gel or emulsion when mixed with the oil. Acids are formed like glycolic acid, formic acid and other organic acid types.

 Flow is restricted as this black sludge moves throughout the engine. It can occlude to the walls and narrow passageways, and interfere with oil flow, causing partial or total starvation where the oil is intended to go. It is very common for glycol and these emulsions and gels to completely block flow-through filters and car oil coolers. It is reported to be the No. 1 cause of premature filter failure in a diesel engine and overall poor lubrication.

How does antifreeze mix with the engine oil? 

There are several ways glycol can find its way into oil. If the cylinder heads are warped or cracked, contamination would be allowed into the system. In more severe cases, cavitation wear provides a straight path for ingression. Cavitation occurs when an air bubble implodes against a hard surface, resulting in a pitting action. As it becomes more aggressive, this can cause a hole or crack in the cylinder wall. How would you overcome the effect of antifreeze in engine oils?

The first step in combating this problem is to determine that you have a coolant leak. Periodic checks of fluid levels are the easiest way to do this. If you notice levels beginning to change, try to find the coolant leak.

Fixing the leak should be your first priority. Otherwise, any actions you take to clean the oil will be in vain. For most engines with small sump volumes, an engine oil change after the leak has been fixed will ensure the effect of antifreeze in engine oils has been mitigated by new oil. In systems with large volumes of oil, small leaks can be hard to detect.

Oil analysis can reveal glycol in several ways. A patch test can show sludge or precipitates indicating the effect of antifreeze in engine oils. A blotter test is another simple test that can expose the presence of glycol. If the oil appears thick and doesn’t wick into the blotter paper very well, glycol contamination could be a possible culprit.

To conclude: Regular checks on coolant levels will act as an early warning for any leaks in the system. It’s probably the only way to never experience the costly effect of antifreeze in engine oils.

What impact does the lubrication system have on oil selection?

Who cares what lubrication system you use? Surely this can’t have a major impact on the choice of a lubricant? We’ve spent a lot of time talking about oils, their viscosity and their makeup but we haven’t really looked at the lubrication system and it’s impact on the choice of lubricant and additive package.


I came across this illuminating article

Choosing the right hydraulic oil.

Choosing the right hydraulic oil can save your business a lot of money... but choosing the wrong hydraulic fluid could cost you a fortune.

Most industrial machines, construction machines, aircraft, motor vehicles and marine craft use hydraulic systems. The hydraulic system refer to the mechanism of using fluid to generate power or force to perform a function; and the hydraulic oil is the fluid used to provide the power.

Before choosing the right hydraulic oil we need to know what’s available. 

Hydraulic oil is basically made of a basic oil which is

What is the demand for biolubricants and Eco friendly biodegradable oil?

The use of Eco friendly bio degradable oil by industry is still in its infancy and there's much left to be done. However, quite recently, a team of experienced researchers from the University of Huelva successfully developed an eco friendly lubricating grease based on Ricin oil and cellulose derivatives. This bio degradable oil does not contain any polluting component used in the manufacture of traditional industrial lubricants, and as such can reduce the effect of oil on the environment.

The biolubricants market currently constitutes only a small portion of the worldwide lubricant market. Widespread usage of Eco friendly biodegradable oil is currently limited on account of its high pricing; estimated to be at least 2-3 times more expensive than standard oil. Future growth in diversified markets worldwide will be a gradual process based on slow replacement and specific legislative norms

What Role does Engine oil play in engine life expectation and durability.

Engine oil and the lubrication system have a major impact on engine life and performance. A breakdown in lubrication will lead to overheating, seizure or at best excessive engine wear. With the cost of replacement parts engine oil is a vital link in the chain to maintaining a healthy engine, extending engine life and engine oil change intervals while reducing running costs

The lubrication cycle.
The process of lubrication in an internal combustion engine begins in the sump, commonly referred to as the oil pan. From here,

With the ever increasing range of synthetic oil, how do you know what synthetic oil is the best? Or even whether you should use regular or synthetic oil, for your application.

How to choose the right synthetic oil

The first step in choosing the right synthetic oil for the application is to be certain you’re comparing apples with apples - or more accurately don’t confuse “synthetic oil” with fully synthetic oil! As we’ve already seen in earlier posts, not all synthetic lubes are 100% synthetic.
Here’s a summary of the groups again:

• Groups I and II are universally referred to as mineral oils.
• Group III is the tricky collection. In the USA these are referred to as synthetic though they might be extremely refined or blended mineral oils.

When it comes to choosing the correct hydraulic oil for the application, the choice is often made based solely on price!

Unfortunately this is seldom the correct choice. To make matters worse: Most lubricant misspecifications don’t lead to sudden and catastrophic failure; rather, a misspecification shortens the life of the lubricated components and, thus, goes unnoticed.

With hydraulics, there are two primary considerations when choosing the correct hydraulic oil - the viscosity grade and the hydraulic oil type. These specifications are typically determined by the type of hydraulic pump employed in the system, operating temperature and the system's operating pressure.

But it doesn't stop there. Other items for

In previous articles we’ve spoken about the benefits of selecting the correct synthetic gear oil for the application; however this would be meaningless if we didn’t explain the importance of selecting the correct synthetic gear oil viscosity.

Selecting the Gear Oil Type
In order to select which type of gear oil to use in a gearbox, you must understand the gearbox’s mode of operation. The

Why is there so much hype about selecting synthetic gear oil? Regular oil has been good enough for a hundred years or more.. I’ll explain why in this day and age it’s crucial to use synthetic gear lubricants.

Application-Associated Benefits when selecting synthetic gear oil

The following application-associated

Perhaps you've felt like a child in a candy store when wanting to choose synthetic gear oil out of a glitzy pamphlet? How frequently would you have paid for someone to teach you how to choose the best type of synthetic gear oil? Continue reading... In this 3 part series we’ll look at the subject in depth.

Just like synthetic lubricants in any application, synthetic gear oil is typically used when crude based gear oil has reached the performance limit and can no longer satisfy the application demands; for instance, at very low or high temperatures, higher than normal loads, extraordinary ambient conditions, or if they fail to meet special conditions such as flammability.

Although additives can enhance several attributes of crude based oils,

Possibly the initial motor oil performance enhancers were actually Motor Oil viscosity index modifiers: Remember STP...? In those times they were simply identified as motor oil additives.

What's a motor oil Viscosity index modifier?

(VI) is a popular technique of calibrating a fluid's change of viscosity with regards to temperature. The greater the VI, the lesser the relative change in viscosity with temperature. VI improvers (also called viscosity modifiers) are additives that improve the viscosity of the fluid all through its useful temperature range.

Viscosity modifiers are polymeric molecules that are sensitive to temperature. At low temperatures, the molecule chain shrinks and does not effect the fluid viscosity. At higher temperatures, the chain unwinds

There’s a lot of controversy about deciding on what oil to use for  any given application, no matter if it be; what engine oil to utilize or whether to use synthetic hydraulic oil.

These are the factors you want to consider when deciding on what oil to use

Crude based oil, with no additives
The first and most well-known is mineral based oil with no additives. Some of these oils

Okay, well it didn’t really even say a word (Thank heavens), nevertheless it did certainly alert me that an engine oil change was expected! And I believe it.

In the old days, I would have been very tempted to stretch this a further 5,000 km, knowing that the engine oil change indicator used a formula primarily based on engine revs, time and mileage (Sometimes throttle opening time was also included) to determine the best time for an engine oil change.

Suffice to say, on-board car analysis techniques are getting more complex. But regrettably, the fundamental engine oil change suggestions provided by engine manufacturers have little to do with normal driving

When a gearbox runs hot sometimes the first port of call is to change the crude based oil with synthetic gear oil. But; Will synthetic gear oil decrease operating temperature?

Although additives can improve

Even though this particular query was whether you can use synthetic oil in a (older) VW, the response applies to any older car or truck that’s grown old on a diet of regular engine oil.

Why can I use synthetic oil in my older car?

Generally, the reference to synthetic oil for an engine implies the lubricant is formulated with a polyalphaolefin (PAO) base oil. PAO, which is frequently called synthesized hydrocarbon, is pure and is compatible with

Oil purification is not new, but has never really delivered a product that industry was happy with. Now there’s a chemical process, using nanoporous materials to chemically scrub oxidants and moisture from used oil. Although the process is still under development the results so far have been promising.

I came across a paper in “Machinery Lubrication” compiled by G. Majano, I. Partono, H. H. Jensen and S. Mintova, that discusses the techniques and results of oil purification using nanoporous sorbents in detail: