To really appreciate the value of clean hydraulic fluid, you first have to understand the six different equipment wear modes:
Of the six wear modes, the most common is abrasive wear, caused by foreign particles colliding with the two surfaces you are trying to lubricate. This creates more particles, which in turn create even more abrasion.
Particle contamination is a major cause of equipment downtime, with roughly 80 percent of hydraulic failures a result of fluid contamination. The good news is just a small amount of preventative maintenance can protect your equipment, your productivity and your bottom line, saving on equipment downtime and repair costs.
While hydraulic failures can be attributed to a number of different factors, most often they are related to hydraulic pumps, as they are most susceptible to contamination. And when a pump breaks down, it can cause a chain reaction and damage in a more complex system. Let's do the math. A 300-gallon hydraulic reservoir with an ISO 4406 cleanliness code of 24/21/18 contains about 8 grams of particulate contamination. Most of those particles are too small to see with the unaided eye but are the perfect size to interrupt the fluid film and cause abrasive wear within your equipment. But how much damage could 8 grams of particles really do to a hydraulic pump?
Turns out, the answer is a lot. Consider this: A 50-gallon-per-minute pump working eight hours a day for 230 days per year will have 3.4 tons of particulate contamination pass through it each year. Moreover, each time a particle passes through the pump, it creates added opportunity for even more abrasive wear, ultimately reducing the lifespan of the pump.
By using high-performance lubricants as part of your reliability program, you can reduce the amount of debris in your lubricant and increase the life expectancy of the pump by up to seven times. That translates to less downtime, less production loss, less maintenance cost and higher productivity.
For more information, visit www.suncoastresources.com or call (713) 844-9600.
