THE METAMORPHOSIS OF OIL ANALYSIS

摘要

Oil analysis (OA) was considerably modernized in the late 1940s when American railroads began testing diesel engine oils for wear metals, shifting the focus of lube testing to machine condition, rather then the lubricant's condition. While the latter was still of importance for most effective diagnostics, maximizing machine protection and production was now the new goal. OA has, until quite recently, been mostly a remotely rendered service: the Customer sends a sample to a Lab and the Lab returns a report to the Customer. While this process has worked with good effect for over 60 years, it has always had inherent weaknesses due to its remoteness from the Machine. Technology over the last decade however has developed to a state where the OA model has shifted from a remote activity to a highly integrated concept, featuring three distinct aspects or "Tiers" in the testing paradigm, which includes real-time data acquisition. Tier 1 (Online): Real-time monitoring occurs when sensors of varying types are placed in the oil circuit, or a slipstream thereof. Immediate feedback is available. Tier 2 (Onsite): Though sensors produce a variety of information, it is almost always necessary to vet the readings, once they reach 'abnormal' levels. This can often be accomplished at the machines' location. As with the advent of sensors, modern technology has produced numbers of compact testing instruments and kits that function Onsite, requiring substantially less cost, sample volume, test equipment footprint and skills sets to utilize effectively. Tier 3 (Offsite): Offsite testing, the initial format in OA, consists of samples submitted to a foil-service Lab for analysis. While Tier 3 testing is still necessary, its position and role is, perforce, beginning to change. Ever-increasing complexity and costs in machinery and lubricants maintenance has fueled interest and demand for Tier 1 testing, adding fresh duties and importance to Tier 2 testing while re-defining the role of traditional Tier 3 testing.