Oil Cleanliness

Cecep Kurniawan - Shell LTA Mining

Nov 2012

PT Shell Indonesia MOST CONFIDENTIAL 1

Topic of discussion

- Recent condition of oil

- Contamination sources
- Particles size
- Coding method
- Testing method
- Bench marking
- Preventing contamination

2
 Contamination Control

• Today’s fluid systems are more sensitive to

contamination

- Hydraulics
- Transmissions / Final drives
- Fuel systems
- Engines

3
Contamination sources

4
How well (small) our
can eyes
our eyes
can see ?

(1 micron = 0.000001 meter or 0.001 mm)

5
Coding method

6
Coding method

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Coding method
ISO 4406:1999 – Hydraulic fluid power – fluid – method for coding the
level of contamination by solid particles

 Intended for
Hydraulic oils
 Often expressed as
2 numbers
e.g. 18/16/13 will
be expressed as
16/13
**it is the last 2
figures reported

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TESTING METHODS – Automatic Particle Counters
 ISO 11500 - Hydraulic fluid power – Determination of the
particulate contamination level of a liquid sample by automatic
particle counting using the light-extinction principle

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TESTING METHODS – Automatic Particle Counters

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TESTING METHODS – Automatic Particle Counters

 Hydraulic Oil test method – not designed for engine oils

 Accuracy – Only accurate to within 1 or 2 ISO codes – 2 different
machines will produce 2 different results for the exact same oil
 Errors - The machine counts ALL light blockages – this includes air
bubbles, water droplets & ADDITIVES in highly additivated oils like
engine oils – can be up to 4 ISO codes different

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TESTING METHODS – ISO 4407 (NOT 4406)
 ISO 4407 Hydraulic Fluid power—Fluid Contamination –
Determination of particulate contamination by the counting method
using an optical microscope.

•Counts every particle

•Uses ISO 4406 CODING
•Can be labor intensive
•Accuracy – 1-2 ISO Codes

DOES NOT COUNT ADDITIVES, AIR

BUBBLES OR WATER DROPLETS LIKE
THE AUTOMATIC PARTICLE COUNTER,
THEREFORE FAR MORE ACCURATE FOR
ENGINE OILS
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TESTING METHODS – ISO 4407 (NOT 4406)

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TESTING METHODS – PATCH TESTS

•Preparation the same as ISO 4407,

•Results compared to Particle Atlas
•Accuracy – 1 to 2 ISO Codes

DOES NOT COUNT ADDITIVES, AIR

BUBBLES OR WATER DROPLETS LIKE
THE AUTOMATIC PARTICLE COUNTER,
THEREFORE FAR MORE ACCURATE
FOR ENGINE OILS

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Benchmarking

• Samples sent to: Indonesia Lab –APC

Australia ALS WearCheck – Patch Test

• Oils tested: Shell Rimula R3 MV 15W-40 (engine oil)

Shell Donax TC 30 (transmission oil)
Shell Donax TC 60 (diff/final drive oil)
Shell Spirax 85W-140 (gear oil)
Shell Tellus 68 (hydraulic oil)
TEST LAB

ALS WearCheck Indonesia

PRODUCT LOCATION (Australia) Lab APC
Spirax A 85W-140 Drum 18/16/13 20/13
Rimula MV 15W-40 Bulk tank 19/17/14 19/11
Donax TC 60 Bulk tank 19/17/14 22/16
Donax TC 30 Drum 20/18/15 22/17
Tellus 68 Drum 19/17/14 15/11
4m/6m/14m 6m/14m
Patch Test 15
 Preventing contamination

 Housekeeping
 Oil storage and transfer
 Change filters carefully
 Parts handling and storage
 Hose assembly and storage
 Care in maintenance and repair
 Adhere to proper maintenance intervals
 Particle counting

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