Lubricants are formulated, blended, labeled, packaged and transported by humans. When we talk about people, we must remember that they make mistakes. Sometimes through lack of vigilance, sometimes through lack of knowledge. Sometimes, on the other hand, through inconsistency.
As an example, take the American Petroleum Institute (API), which makes recommendations as to the quality of engine oils. In 2001, they tested 562 motor oils labeled as meeting any API standard. The report noted:
4% of the oils tested were classified as having significant deviations from the standards. Many had a poor concentration of additives and others failed to provide adequate freezing point. 16% were classified as marginally acceptable.
In our laboratory, we try to do everything possible to support and strengthen the quality of lubrication from both the supplier/manufacturer and end-user side. On the one hand, we don’t want to raise unnecessary alarm. On the other hand, we don’t want to live deceiving ourselves and others that everything is OK.
Over the years of gathering experience and direct customer contact, we have seen many failures where improper lubrication practices have contributed to expensive repairs and unplanned downtime. These were regrettable situations, but fortunately very rare.By performing oil analyses, we detect irregularities before serious damage occurs. Too much deviation from adequate quality can lead to catastrophic consequences. This creates the need for quality control of just-supplied lubricants especially when equipment reliability is critical. Suppliers and manufacturers should also be grateful for feedback, good and bad, from the customer who performs such tests. This should help to continuously improve quality and eliminate errors. Let’s look at what deviations can occur in new lubricants:
Formulation error
Changes in oil formulation are sometimes made on the fly, without adequate preparation, testing or checking the quality of the new additive supplier or base oils. This can contribute to improper dissolution of additives in the base oil or the conflict of different additives. The risk is greater when the oil is formulated for a specific order, or while the formulation has been changed in a hurry to solve a specific problem. Sometimes it happens that the purchased base oil has not been properly purified, and despite the exact same technology and the exact same recipe, the oil differs from the previous one.
Mixing errors
Mixing ingredients when making oil is not the easiest task. The right ingredients are prepared in the right quantities. For Oils, one or more base oils and a certain assortment of additives are prepared. For a variety of reasons, the concentration of ingredients can be slightly different and result in slightly different properties. Here, too, it is possible to add one ingredient too much, or too little, or in the wrong proportions by mistake.
Cross-contamination
Cross-contamination refers to the mistaken mixing of different incompatible oil formulations. Sometimes the effect may be negligible, but in some cases the properties of the oil may be affected. Cross-contamination can occur in a wide variety of cases. Since many oil manufacturers do not use separate tanks, hoses, lines, pumps and filters for incompatible oils there is always the risk of contamination from an earlier batch. Tanks are emptied by gravity between production batches. Some manufacturers try to get rid of residues by washing the tank with base oil, but even the best efforts can leave traces of concentrations of immiscible additives. For oils transported in tank cars, dirty tanks and tank compartments (or leaking compartments) can also create this type of contamination.
Contamination or degradation of raw material quality
Many manufacturers check the quality of raw materials regularly. Nevertheless, not all factories have the right equipment that can detect all irregularities and impurities. For example, it is rare to find a particle counter in quality checking departments. Even a spectrometer may not be available on site. Some factories only perform physical tests like viscosity, flash point, etc.
Contaminated packaging or transportation
The purity of new oils varies widely, depending on the manufacturer. Not often, but nevertheless, you can find very high-end filters used by top oil manufacturers. Unfortunately, it is also not uncommon to find manufacturers not filtering their oils at all.Often you can find open packages (drums, canisters, bottles) left on the packing line (exposed to dust from the atmosphere) long before filling and closing. Oil transported in a tanker is exposed to the additional possibility of contamination from atmospheric air while waiting to be filled with oil, during and after pouring. All of these conditions can lead to particle and moisture contamination.
Improper labeling
Due to the many different products in the portfolio of oil producers, there is a likelihood of mistaken labeling of the product, or placing the product in packaging not intended for it.
Another important benefit of checking new agents is to establish a baseline of wear for routine testing. Even while new lubricants are within acceptable quality limits, various physical and chemical variations can occur between batches. For example, viscosity can vary between batches +/- 10% from the ISO standard all the while staying within the viscosity class. The warning limit is about +/- 10% from fresh oil. Therefore, the specification of fresh oil must be known.
When testing fresh lubricants and giving feedback to the supplier, he should feel obligated to make incremental improvements. In addition – knowing that he is being tested and himself wanting to take care of the brand sensitizes the quality control department.Therefore, such tests are in the mutual interest of business partners.
