Take care with oil dispensing equipment
Selecting the right type of oil to match climatic and operating conditions is vital but it is also important to ensure sufficient attention is given to oil dispensing equipment in order to prevent contamination, according to fluid management specialists Techenomics.
Even when the correct lubricants are used consistently, Techenomics CEO Chris Adsett says cross-contamination can easily occur if dispensing equipment is used for multiple lubricants or the equipment is not clean.
“Contamination inhibits the oil’s effectiveness and can lead to poorly performing engines and equipment or even breakdown, thus impacting productivity.
“All dispensing equipment should be thoroughly cleaned and flushed between uses, regardless of whether the equipment is used with many lubricants or just one. Otherwise dirt, dust, old oil residue and other contaminants in unclean equipment may contaminate the new oil before it even reaches the machinery,” he says.
Also in regards to cleaning, he says the sealed area of a lubricant container should be wiped clean before opening it for dispensing while before filling a tank or other bulk storage container with lubricant, the empty vessel, fill lines and hoses should be cleaned and flushed.
“Labelling is important,” Chris Adsett says, “and ideally dispensing equipment such as pumps, transport containers, funnels, grease guns, filter carts and transfer carts should be labelled using the same system applied to the lubricants, matching each piece of equipment to the lubricant it is to be used with.”
Techenomics’ technology and product development manager Eka Karmila says that stored lubricants are not as idle as they appear.
“There is activity inside pails, drums, tanks and other storage vessels. Additives in stored lubricants may settle over time, so they might not be evenly distributed when the lubricant is needed. Also air, moisture and other contaminants may find their way into the fluid.
“For these reasons, prior to dispensing, stored lubricants should be agitated or circulated with a circulating rig in the case of bulk containers, to help ensure even, consistent concentration of additives throughout the fluid. Stored lubricants also should be filtered before dispensing,” she adds.
For more information about Techenomics contact Chris Adsett, c.adsett@techenomics.com; in Indonesia Eka Karmila, eka@techenomics.com; or in Mongolia Sugraa, sugraa@techenomics.com