Did you know that particle contamination in lubricants is the number 1 cause of lubricant-related equipment failures and it’s estimated that 82% of component wear is particle-induced, with abrasion wear accounting for two-thirds of that figure?

Particle contamination can be harmful to equipment, as this often lead to equipment failure and money lost. No matter what industry you work in, construction, agriculture,  manufacturing, etc., fighting particle contamination of lubricating oils should be a top priority.

Lubricant Contamination

Lubricant contamination and service life can be directly related. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) developed ISO Cleanliness Codes that reports data used to measure lubricant cleanliness. Each ISO number tells you how many particles, equal or greater to that size, are in 1ML of oil. The lower your ISO number, the cleaner the system (Interested in calculating your ISO Cleanliness Code? Click Here).

As illustrated in the infographic above, an ISO Cleanliness Code of -/21/18 is equal to 6,800 pounds of dirt contamination. When compared to an ISO Cleanliness Code of -/16/13, this can lead to 4 times the shortened pump life! 

How Does Contamination Affect Your Wallet?

Machinery Lubrication identifies four ways that particle contamination can rob you of time and money:

1. Surface Removal. Causes production losses and expensive repairs
2. Restriction of Oil Flow and Part Movement. Particles can form deposits, stall part movement and restrict machines of oil. This can, also, result in expensive repairs.
3. Increased Consumption of Lubricants and Filters. Undeterred particle ingression leads to wastefully high filter consumption.
4. Higher Energy Consumption and Environmental Impact. Particle contamination increases friction, impairs antifriction lubricant performance, and decreases combustion efficiencies in engines and volumetric efficiencies in hydraulic and lubricating oil systems. The more energy and fuel consumed, the more waste stream that enters and pollutes our atmosphere.

3 Ways To Reduce Contaminated Caused Wear

1. Start Clean: Invest in clean lubricants. Before Isoclean Certified lubricants are delivered, Chevron marketers process, test, and certify every batch sold is up to par with ISO cleanliness specifications.
2. Optimize. Reduce. Protect. By analyzing oil samples regularly, you can optimize equipment life and oil replacement intervals. This knowledge helps in the precise scheduling of maintaining work that can reduce downtime or even eliminate the risk of equipment failure.
3. Understand OEM oil cleanliness specifications for your equipment. To learn more abut ISO Cleanliness codes, check out Know Your Numbers

Let the First Source Elite Marketers and lubricants experts at Brewer-Hendley Oil Co. assist in reducing the particle count in your lubricants. Visit us at www.BrewerHendley.com to get into contact with your sales rep  today!