The FLUITEC OIL Detective -
RULER Technology for Paper Plant Reliability Programs
 

The FLUITEC Oil Detective has been very active at its latest project: Paper and Pulp Industry. Modern paper plants are using high technology paper machine lubricating oils, to meet the demands and requirements from modern paper lubrication, where oxidation and aging is becoming a day-to-day problem for this industry.

Ø     Paper machines, faster, cleaner and … tighter than ever!

 

With continuously increasing speeds of paper machines at paper & pulp plants, oil aging by oxidation is a hot topic due to the following operating parameters:

  • Contamination (particulate, water, chemicals) of lubricants

  • Higher Operating temperatures on drying parts (super heaters) of the paper machine

  • The combination of the latter is even more exhausting for the lubricant.

Source: Colly Filtr. AB

Add to that the fact that at these paper machine lubricating and hydraulic oil systems are become tighter to reduce oil leakages, the stress on the oil will also increase. This results also in higher overall operating temperatures, beside the possible created hot-spots in the circulating oil systems.

With modern oil Condition Monitoring strategies, as part of root cause failure analysis strategies, these issues can be addressed by applying the correct lubricant analytical techniques. Antioxidant additive depletion is one of them, although it has until now always be underestimated and only with a limited amount being applied. Certainly not on the field, as it was wrongly perceived as a technique solely applicable for researcher and chemists.

Ø     ANTIOXIDANTS  and Avoid base-oil degradation, by RCFA

As part of Root Cause Failure Analysis consists of 3 steps: analyze/monitor the oil’s parameter, define the condemning limits , and select the appropriate corrective actions to avoid the root cause failure. By monitoring the antioxidant depletion (primary oil’s parameter), with the RULER we will be able to avoid excessive base-oil degradation.

Lubricant degradation products are better knows as insoluble oil degradation products, where the antioxidants will perform their job by neutralizing these oxidation products. Once a lack of these antioxidants will start to occur, the oxidation products (polar oil degradation species) are very active compounds, and continuously inter(re)act with each other.

Figure: RULER graph from synthetic PMO ISO VG 220

 

But at the same time, as a combination of these polar products, with the degraded/depleted antioxidants, they become insoluble compounds and depose or corrode on internal metallic surfaces of the lubricating or hydraulic system.

Ø     OIL ANALYSIS At your Fingertips! Become an Oil Detective

It will be key to a lubricating professional to keep the antioxidant concentration above their condemning limits, to avoid excessive base-oil degradation and corrosion.
Several oil laboratories on the market are offering their oil analysis services, including RULER to be able to predict the varnishing problems with PMO’s and hydraulic fluids.


The figure below shows a typical graph from a paper plant through several months of operating time and

  • show significant depletion of antioxidants after 36 months of operation

  • water starts to increase along with sodium

  • resulting in the first formation and appearance of varnishes, when acid number starts to raise

 

At this paper plant the RULER is now for many years part of the day-to-day maintenance activities as

Ø     An ASTM approved field test, resulting in solutions into the field

o      Bring the oil analysis at your fingertips

Ø     An easy and convienent test to perform

o      In less than 1 minute you have a full view on the condition of your in-service oil

Ø     A RULER test which monitors individual antioxidants consisting of aromatic amines, phenols, ZDDP, phenates, salicylates

o      Differentiate Antioxidant depletion, and take corrective actions from the differences in AO depletion

Ø     The RULER test allows to perform a Trending curve, as part of CBM-strategies

o      Enables users to become the Oil Analysis Detective, by Looking at the Root Causes of the Oxidation Process.

 

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