Oil and lubricant analysis for industrial plant

Oil analysis answers questions vibration cannot. It sees wear at a microscopic scale, before a defect is large enough to change a spectrum, and it distinguishes between a machine that is wearing out and a lubricant that has simply reached the end of its service life. Applied to gearboxes, hydraulics, compressors and turbine systems, it typically extends drain intervals while reducing wear-related failures.

Sampling matters more than the test suite. Samples are drawn from a consistent live zone, mid-flow where possible, with the machine at operating temperature and using clean sampling hardware, so results are comparable between visits. Where a sampling point does not exist or is poorly placed, its relocation is recommended as part of the report.

Results are interpreted against the machine, its duty and its history — not just against generic laboratory limits. A rising iron trend on a gearbox with a known bearing fault means something different from the same trend on a newly rebuilt unit, and the report says so.

Conditions commonly identified

• Abnormal wear metal generation and its likely source component
• Water ingress, free and dissolved
• Particulate contamination against ISO 4406 cleanliness codes
• Oxidation, nitration and additive depletion
• Viscosity drift and cross-contamination of lubricants
• Coolant and process fluid ingress
• Transformer oil dielectric and dissolved gas concerns

What you receive

• Full laboratory report with wear metals, contamination and fluid condition
• Trend comparison against previous samples on the same asset
• ISO 4406 cleanliness coding where relevant to the machine
• Plain-language interpretation of what the numbers mean for the machine
• Recommended actions: continue, resample, filter, drain or investigate
• Sampling point and lubrication practice recommendations where required