80% of All Fluid System Failures are Caused by Contamination
All areas of the energy sector (refineries, gas treatment plants, power plants, the wind power industry, and oil and gas extraction plants) are dependent on continuous production, where processes and technologies need to be reliable and not fail.
Many facilities utilize rotating and fluid carrying equipment such as gear oil systems, hydraulic systems, lubrication systems, and other process systems.
An example of a damaged bearing, a consequence of impurities in the fluid system.
These systems contain sensitive components that must be treated with care to avoid machinery breakdowns. A great many resources are devoted to checking and maintaining rotating components.
It is a serious problem as every shutdown means loss in production. Consequently, companies are naturally very interested in reducing these unexpected shutdowns. This is where our job begins, as our role is to reduce failures and prevent system break-downs.
IKM Ocean Team is the leading company when it comes to processing and cleaning of hydraulic systems and oils. Our leading position originates from from many years of experience with cleaning a wide variety of systems all over the world. Read the following for more information on contaminated lubricating oil and the consequences of contamination.
Damaged components may require a shiut-down while being replaced.
Lubrication Oil is the most Neglected Component
The most important “component” in all hydraulic and lubrication systems is the lubrication oil that reduces friction between the rotating parts. However, there will always be a certain amount of friction, resulting in wear, which in turn results in the presence of tiny particles blending in to the lubrication oil.
Where there is rotation, there is friction; and friction inevitably generates heat and wear. Wear releases particles that the fluid transports to, and deposits in, all other areas of the system. These particles then build up intolerance areas, damaging valves and bearings, which, in most cases, are the most sensitive components.
It has been proved that 80 percent of all hydraulic and lubrication breakdowns are caused by contaminated oil. Dirt and foreign objects in the technical systems cause wear on components, which significantly reduce the service lifetime, leading to diminished performance, unstable and irregular operation, and in the worst cases, breakdowns and serious damage. Therefore, it is important to have a plan on how to reduce the level of contamination and reduce delta p and thereby avoid the consequences, which are often major production losses.
Contaminants are everything not Meant to be there!
“Did you know that harmful contaminants are critical for most hydraulic and lubrication systems even though they are smaller than what you see with the naked eye: Contamination is the invisible enemy!”
Clean Oil Solutions (Oil Care) significantly Reduce Equipment Wear
Clean, dry oil and lubrication systems can extend equipment maintenance intervals by as much as 8 to 10-fold while prolonging normal operating life and contribute to avoid wear on parts and to avoid high contamination of the equipment.
For instance, a bearing manufacturer reports that reducing water levels from 100 ppm. to 25 ppm. increases bearing life twofold. British hydraulics research indicates that if the concentration of solid contaminants larger than 5 µm are reduced from 5.000-10.000 particles/ml. of oil to 160-320 particles, machine life is increased five-fold.
Considerable benefit is gained from clean oil and achieving it is well worth the cost. This will be the case where expensive equipment is concerned and maintenance costs are high, or where the equipment is less costly, but vital for continuous operation without breakdowns, e.g., most applications in the energy sector. Prolonging equipment life and maintenance intervals by up to 10-fold is highly profitable in both cases.
“By putting more effort in to obtaining and maintaining clean oil and utilising reliable monitoring systems (Oil Care), instead of focusing on ad hoc maintenance and breakdowns, the production loss can be minimized, costs reduced, and revenues increased”.
Oil change alone cannot fix a soiled equipment problem. Without prober care, residual contaminants remain in and on the equipment.
IKM Ocean Team’s "Oil Care" Program (Clean Oil Solutions) Includes the following Main Disciplines
:: Oil flushing
:: On-line pulsed oil flushing
:: Varnish clean-up
:: Bacteria clean-up
:: Oil dehydration
:: Off-line oil filtration
:: Oil conversion
:: Contamination monitoring
:: Removal of contamination
:: Decontamination of equipment
Through our main disciplines we are able to provide clean systems with the cleanliness level demanded. Read more about our services through the menu and please contact us if you have any questions or need more information on this topic.