Used Oil Analysis is one of the most widely used, cost effective and reliable techniques of monitoring the operational health of lubricated equipment. It is used for the detection of engine wear, gear wear, bearing wear, etc as well as detecting contamination of lubricating systems before problems occur thus helping to avoid costly repairs and failures.

We provide testing and analysis services that includes the testing of oils from engines, gearboxes, hydraulic systems and a wide range of other equipment types.

What are the main advantages of this type of analysis?

It helps you to protect your equipment, your business and your profit by finding problems at an early stage. This can help to

Who uses it and on what types of equipment?

Many organisations make use of a Used Oil Analysis programme. It is generally used as part of a maintenance programme and is used for a range of equipment types including:

· Aero Engines
· Air and Refrigeration Compressors
· Electrical Oil Systems
· Gas Compressors
· Gas Engines
· Gas and Steam Turbines
· Gearboxes and Transmissions
· Heat Transfer and Heat Treatment Systems

· Hydraulic systems
· Large Grease Lubricated Bearings
· Marine Engines
· Power Generator Engines
· Pumps
· Truck and Bus Engines
· Stern Tubes

How do I get started?

There are a number of simple stages to be followed once you have identified the most critical pieces of the equipment in your organisation. These are:

•Clearly identify a sampling point that will be representative of the oil flowing within the system.
•Sample the equipment under the correct conditions.
•Select the sample point and label it, with details that would be recognised by you and the laboratory.
•Follow this sampling regime at regular, but sensible, frequency.
•Follow local safety requirements relating to rotating equipment, pressurised systems and the handing of lubricants.

What is the Next Stage?

At the laboratory your sample and equipment details are checked on the database. This identifies the approved test package that has been developed for the lubricant and the equipment environment that it is being used in.
Samples are tested under strict quality control procedures in our ISO 9001:2000 ISO 17025 accredited facilities using a combination of chemical and physical analytical techniques. The aim of these tests is to provide consistent, quick, reliable and cost effective analysis that indicates the condition of the equipment and the lubricant circulating within it. These techniques measure the level of lubricant contamination, deterioration and the level of wear debris present within a circulating lubricant system can be assessed.

The analysis results are compared with existing trends for that and similar types of equipment. The wealth of experience in engineering, lubrication, metallurgy and chemistry allows diagnostician to interpret the significance of the results and provide suggested actions. This can be combined with the knowledge and feedback that you provide the so that recommended maintenance actions can be undertaken.

It is important to note that Condition Monitoring is an ongoing process and a single sample is useful, but a continuous monitoring programme is more productive and useful.

What do I get?

A summary report, which contains the results of the analysis and the interpretation of the results on a simple report with details on the condition of the sample analysed. The report can also give suggested actions and identify what are considered as significant changes in the lubricant, levels of wear and contamination and how they may have been caused.

What tests are done?

Some of the laboratory tests that we can perform are include below. This is not an exhaustive list, if required we can provide details on all tests available, but indicates some tests that would normally be used for used oil testing.

•Air Release		•Glycol (Antifreeze)
•Appearance		•Insolubles
•Colour		•Particle Count
•Demulsification		•Total Acid Number, TAN
•Electric Strength		•Total Base Number, TBN
•Flash Point Test		•Viscosity at 40 C
•Foam Test		•Viscosity at 100C
•Fuel Dilution		•Water Content
•FTIR (Oxidation/Nitration/Soot)		•Wear Metals, metals, and contaminant

More details required?

For more details please contact us first. As an independent and impartial organisation we have the concerns of equipment operators and the concerns of industry in mind.
Saybolt Nederland B.V. is located in the port of Rotterdam and it is one of the business streams of the Saybolt group of companies. With additional testing facilities in Copenhagen, Singapore, Nigeria and several major sites in the USA, the Saybolt group of companies is a truly international organisation.

E-mail: uoagroup