Learn oil/fluid lab analysis & condition monitoring

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Learn Oil Analysis

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Secrets of OCM

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Latest & Popular Articles

See the latest and most popular articles on oil analysis that have been posted to find out more about how oil analysis works and the benefits it could be doing for you.

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Copper is one of the most interesting wear elements in my opinion as it requires more skill to interpret it's significance. Values in the thousands of ppm can be totally normal, yet a value of 50ppm can be a sign of serious component wear in the same machine.

This is not normally seen to the same extent with other wear metals, so what makes copper so special?
Engine LeachingWhen an oil is added to an engine, it usually contains an anti-wear additive. The most common of these is ZDDP or Zinc dia...

Copper the awkward wear element that can be high and normal and low and critical

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I'm sorry but it's a fact that not all lab analysis is equal.

I was recently on LinkedIn and saw a post where a filter supplier mentioned that over 80% of failures were contamination related. They were doing an offer to their customers of a free oil sample "no questions asked" using a lab that wasn't ours to identify the problem. I made a comment on the post that this seemed a great gesture, but pity it didn't include LubeWear and what he thought about that. 1 hour later my comment was dele...

Truth Hurts - not all analysis is the same

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The average sample that comes into the lab has around 30 to 60 different tests on it depending on the sample type and suite. However, labs can't always perform every one of them every time. This is sometimes because the customer hasn't provided enough sample so if you have a test that requires 50 ml and the customer only provided 30ml then the lab will naturally struggle to perform the test. However, today I want to talk about when a lab chooses not to perform a test because a sample is too cont...

What to do when your sample is too contaminated to test?

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This article will answer the following questions:

How dirty is my lube oil and how do I check my lubrcating oil cleanliness?

What are ISO 4406 and NAS SAE 4059 particle counts?
Everyone loves an underdog, but this is one example where you don't want them to win.

Dirt particles smaller than can be seen with the naked eye may appear small when compared to towering machinery. However dirt particles are one of the number one causes of premature machinery failures. Although the particles may ...

David vs Goliath. Why you want Goliath to win? How dirt can destroy your machinery and oil sampling can detect this early to prevent a failure.

inside ICP Learn used oil analysis sample testing, lubrication reliability maintenance, predictive lab diagnostics to reduce costs & boost profits.

Have you ever wondered what happens to your oil after you’ve sent it to our laboratory? In this blog series, we will be discussing some of the tests your oil may be put through and how they give us an insight into the health of your equipment.
A Day In The Life Of An Oil Sample.
Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES).
Big in name and big in nature, the ICP is one of the most important tests a sample will take in the laboratory, producing a wealth of...

A day in a life of an oil sample - Inductively coupled plasma (ICP)

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I had an interesting question the other day regarding a customer who uses both online field particle counters and sends samples for oil analysis that includes particle count. The question posed was:

"Why do you not always get the same result with field particle counting compared to lab particle counting?"
Answer:

When measuring oil cleanliness particle counts there are many methods that can be used. Assuming you are using a laser particle counter and using the same technology basis as lab part...

Why do particle counters differ in results?

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The other day in the lab I was asked to pick up this sample bottle on the desk from a truck engine oil. Normally it's one of the lab team asking my opinion on something to do with the sample. However, this time it was to see my reaction. I picked up the sample and had to tighten my grip as it was very heavy, which surprised me. The closest thing I could describe is when you have those magic trick baked bean tins one full of air and one full of lead. I looked at the sample closer and saw the samp...

Myth Busting: Does rubbing oil between your fingers actually work?

Why Oil Analysis Matters?

Oil Analysis is used by people just like you all over the world to reduce machinery downtime and improve equipment reliability. A small sample of oil from your machinery can provide as much information as a full machine strip down at a fraction of the cost and has been a proven technology for over 60 years to reduce forced shutdowns and failure repair costs. Want to understand how oil and grease analysis works and how it applies to you then watch this short video below.

How Much Can Oil Analysis Save Me?

Oil analysis is a brilliant tool that can save you money each time you sample. The returns on investment vary depending on your machinery type, so feel free to use our sister sites cost saving calculator at the bottom of their FAQ Page.

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By registering for free to our quarterly newsletter and logging in you can read the industry leading textbook series on oil analysis “Learn Oil Analysis”

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Ask a question on oil analysis directly to the site author. This can also include requests on how and with whom to start fluid sampling. You can also contact the author on linkedin.

See our Training Courses

Register for free and get access to some of our great short oil analysis training training courses. Content is updated regularly and includes explanation of tests, sources of wear, how to take a sample and the benefits of oil Sampling. You can also book a dedicated training day for you and your team too or enquire about our deluxe online training programmes.

Welcome to Learn Oil Analysis

Training Videos

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Get your oil tested

If you have never had your oil tested before then what are you waiting for and get in contact with a lab today. There are many reputable labs all across the world that offer excellent oil analysis services you can use including our sister lab – Oil Analysis Laboratories, which is the only lab in the world to offer the LubeWear test. LubeWear identifies abnormal wear far earlier than traditional wear metal analysis techniques meaning you can catch faults earlier to keep your machine reliability at its highest. A brief video explanation of the rest can be viewed below.