May-June-July 04
Your partner for all your On-site Proactive Oil Monitoring Programs
Dear Fluitec Contact: We are glad to send you this edition of the Q2 Fluitec International Newsletter, which will allow you to discover new information and benefits regarding the RULER.

The Role of Antioxidants in modern lubricants In modern lubricating systems 3 main drivers result in high requirements on the lubricant’s protection against oxidation: ·        Extended lubricant life time ·        Higher equipment load factors and operating temperatures ·        Increased uptime of equipment To meet these performance requirements, lubricant and additive suppliers are continuously improving the base-oil quality, the type of antioxidants, as well the combination of both.   What is oxidation?  It is the chemical reaction of a lubricant at elevated temperatures between the dissolved atmospheric oxygen and the base-oil. What is now the role of the antioxidants? A chemical compound added to the lubricant to retard the oxidation to the lubricants, or help prevent the lubricant degradation.	If a lack of antioxidants is occurring, reactive oxidation compounds (known better as C-radicals) formation will increase, and result in excessive base-oil degradation (secondary degradation mechanism). Varnish, sludge and lacquer formation are typical phenomena of this secondary degradation.  In modern maintenance strategies the reliable detection of the antioxidants, to monitor the lubricant’s oxidative health, is a key success factor. Existing standards addresses the voltammetric test method (Linear Sweep Voltammetry), and at the latest NORIA Lubrication Excellence conference a paper was presented by Fluitec, entitled: Achieving Better Lubricant Life Economics through Antioxidant monitoring.  If you wish a copy of that paper, mail us at info@fluitec.com, with reference: AO/newsl/Q2	PERFECT- a new ASTM test D-6447 for Peroxide testing in Fuels Jet fuels as well diesel fuels are undergoing hydrotreatment to remove the compounds responsible for producing engine deposits and poor emissions (NOx, SOX, and particulates).  Recently ASTM approved a new Standard Test Method, ASTM D 6447, which applies also Voltammetric techniques. Linear Sweep voltammetry performed in the presence of added chemical compounds, potassium iodide, require less than 3 minutes to perform a test to quantify the presence of peroxides in fuels, and is a much more users friendly test. If you wish to have more information on the PerFect, mail us at info@fluitec.com, with the reference: PERFECT/newsl/Q2.

NEW PRODUCT – NEW PRODUCT – NEW PRODUCT RULER and R-DMS © LAB Version Software With the increasing implementation of RULER into used oil laboratories, FLUITEC is launching soon a fully new software, R-DMS LAB Software: To meet more stringent requirements on the software and data management, and to generate faster more added value. This new software will be using the innovative and state-of-the art technology of ActiveX Object as a server for this new lab software. The R-DMS Lab Software ( ActiveX Object) will allow other programs (like databases) to: Recall tests from Ruler R-DMS Databases Update tests in Ruler R-DMS Databases Command an attached Ruler CE320 instrument to run a test and store it in the current Ruler Database Delete tests from Ruler Databases If you are interested in more information on the new laboratory software module, mail us at info@fluitec.com, with reference: LAB- RDMS/newsl/Q2/04

Looking Forward to Lubricant Oxidation – A publication by Drew Troyer – Noria Magazine
		In the March-April 2004 issue of the Practicing Oil Analysis Magazine, a technical article was published by Drew Troyer, entitled “Looking Forward to Lubricant Oxidation”. This article presents the value of monitoring the Remaining Useful life on lubricants, as one of the basic characteristics of modern Maintenance Techniques, requiring Root Cause Failure analysis. In order to extend fault free machine life, trending of oxidative health or antioxidants concentration (or RUL), will be able to look at the root causes of lubricant failures. In this article you will learn more about the value of RUL%, from small, over medium-size to large oil reservoirs, and by combining it with excising analytical techniques as FTIR and RPVOT. If you wish a reprint of that article, feel free to mail us at info@fluitec.com with ref Noria/newsl/Q2

Did you know that: RULER, a reliable Test Method for Transformer Oil Monitoring – Transformer oil condition monitoring can become interesting if you wish to monitor the remaining concentration of phenolic antioxidants in the class of inhibited transformer oils. Throughout the world Fluitec has achieved several applications with the RULER, contributing to the on-site condition monitoring programs by monitoring the phenolic antioxidants (into the RULER Yellow Test solutions). Faster than FTIR, and not influenced by water and oxidative compounds, it offers users a lot of benefits not only for lab operators, but also field operators. We hope to publish soon technical papers on this high-technology application.

Responsible editor: Jo Ameye, RULER Newsletter.

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