How To Prevent Water Contamination In Your Industrial Lubricants

January 21, 2022

Industrial lubricants and oils make your machine last longer and improve its function. Therefore, knowing which type of lubricant to choose for your equipment is important as improper lubrication can affect your machine badly. Poorly maintained and mishandled lubrication can be exposed to water contamination and other problems. One of the critical qualities of an effective lubricant is its cleanliness. If the industrial lubricant is contaminated and you keep using it, it can lead to corrosion and part failure in your machines. Moreover, choosing the right industrial lubricant supplier is critical, so you know you are getting quality oils for your machines. Water contamination can cause many issues with your lubricants and machines. If you notice that your lubricant is getting contaminated due to water condensation, it is necessary to take the preventive steps. This blog post highlights the ways which can help you overcome water contamination in your industrial lubricants.

How Can Water Damage Your Machine?

Water ingression is a destructive contaminant in any lubricant. It can wreak havoc on your mechanical systems. The presence of water in the lubricant can cause rust and corrosion inside the machines. It diminishes the fluid’s load-carrying capacity and the ability to keep them separate. This leads to increased friction and abrasion between the surfaces and thus, leads to more wear and tear. Water contamination in the industrial lubricant leads to many corrosive acids such as carboxylic acid. The water vapor formation causes metal pitting, which is known as cavitation. Moreover, water contamination can also lead to metal cracking, making the machine weak and brittle. The vapor formation in the lubricant also causes the proliferation of microorganisms that may cause corrosion, sludge.

How To Prevent Water Contamination In The Oil

Water contamination can be avoided by taking special care and steps. The most basic step to avoiding water contamination is regularly scheduled oil analysis. This way you can find out whether the lubricant is contaminated or not and perform the required treatment timely. Such laboratory inspections and analyses give you better and more accurate results as compared to any other testing method or visual inspection. These analyses may also help you prevent water contamination.

Draining Settled Water

You can reduce free water contamination that is not emulsified or dissolved by the draining settled water method. However, for this method to work, certain technical conditions have to be met.

Vacuum Dehydration

This is another method of removing water contamination from industrial lubricants. It works by applying heat and reducing pressure, allowing the water to boil. This creates vapors at moderate temperatures. This method helps to dissolve the emulsified and free water, which makes it ideal for low-moisture tolerance systems.

Using Absorbent Filter Media

Some absorbent filter media can also help remove emulsified or free water content from your lubricants. Although this method might be effective if you only have to remove a small amount of water contamination, it is not suitable for removing substantial water contamination from the lubricant.

Using Centrifuge

This method uses spinning to remove water content from the oil. This method is suitable for oils with low specific gravity relative to water. Therefore, the greater the difference is between the specific gravity of water and oil, the more effectively it can remove water contamination from the oil.

Educate Your Team

The most basic step towards avoiding water contamination in your industrial lubricants is to educate your team about the proper placement and safety measures of its usage. Help them know which types of contaminants can be in the lubricants and how to analyze the oil’s condition. Ensure that they know when to change the oil and filters to avoid any sort of contamination. Test new lubricants before introducing them to the machines to ensure they are contamination-free. Monitor the machinery performance to predict the machine’s behavior and changes happening.

About Micro-Lube

Get your hands on top-quality industrial lubricants and oil filters at Micro-Lube. We have a complete range of high-grade industrial lubricants designed to meet all the requirements of its clients. Our expert team can help you apply correct lubricants for your machines while making significant cost savings and improving your equipment’s reliability and efficiency. Contact us here for further information.