As the "blood" of industrial equipment, industrial lubricating oil failure = equipment failure. Therefore, the maintenance of equipment should pay special attention to the role of lubricating oil, select high-quality oil products, select regular supply channels, do a good job in the acceptance of new lubricating oil, do a good job in sealing and pollution control, and avoid mixing lubricating oil. When changing oil, pay attention to clean up the old oil to avoid pollution of the original deteriorated oil to the new oil. Pay attention to oil detection, check the quality of new oil through oil detection, and guide the maintenance and fault diagnosis of equipment in use.
So what are the reasons for the deterioration of lubricating oil?
1. High temperature
Special attention should be paid to avoid high temperature when using lubricating oil. High temperature is one of the main causes of lubricating oil deterioration. In addition to the function of lubricating protection equipment, lubricating oil also cools equipment components. High temperature operation will accelerate the loss of additives and base oil. Generally, the working temperature of lubricating oil is 30-80 ℃, and the service life of lubricating oil is closely related to its working temperature. Experience tells us that when the working oil temperature is over 60 ℃, the service life of oil will be halved for every 18 degrees Fahrenheit (7.8 degrees Celsius) increase. Therefore, in the process of using lubricating oil, it is helpful to control the temperature of lubricating oil as much as possible to prevent the deterioration of lubricating oil, such as using heat exchanger to control the oil temperature.
2. Oxidation of lubricating oil
The oxidation of lubricating oil is the reaction between oil molecules and oxygen molecules. Oxidation will increase the viscosity of lubricating oil, form paint film, sludge and precipitate. Oxidation can also accelerate the depletion of additives, leading to the decomposition of base oil. Once the lubricating oil begins to oxidize, the acid value will start to rise. In addition, the oxidation will cause rust and corrosion of the equipment.
3. Contaminated lubricating oil
Lubricating oil shall be free from pollution in use, including water, dust, air, various impurities, other lubricating oil, etc. All kinds of metal materials in some metal equipment, such as copper and iron, will play a catalytic role in accelerating the oxidation and deterioration of oil products, promoting the viscosity of lubricating oil to rise, and generating acid substances to corrode mechanical parts. In particular, copper and lead have a greater impact, while the impact of metal salts depends on the ion type and concentration of metal salts. Air and water will also aggravate the oxidation of lubricating oil. Through oil detection, the oxidation degree of oil can be monitored to guide equipment maintenance.
4. Additive depletion
Most additives are consumed in the process of use. It is of great significance to monitor the additives through oil detection. Through the monitoring of additives, we can know whether the oil is "healthy". At the same time, oil detection can also tell us the reason why additives are exhausted.
5. Bubble + pressure (micro diesel)
The problem of oil products caused by bubbles is very common in hydraulic system. When the bubbles in lubricating oil reach the high pressure area from the low pressure area, the bubbles in the oil are compressed, which will cause the oil temperature around the bubbles to rise and cause oil oxidation. Therefore, the high-quality lubricating oil should have good antifoaming property. In addition, the air should be avoided in use.