Steps To

Create A World-Class
Oil Analysis Program
InsightServices,Inc.|www.TESTOIL.com|@testoil1

2www.TESTOIL.com
TableofContents

#1IdentifyCriticalEquipment .................................................................................................................................................................. 4
#2DetermineTestPackages..................................................................................................................................................................... 5
#3ConsiderTestingOptions..................................................................................................................................................................... 6
#4ChooseanOilAnalysisLab................................................................................................................................................................... 7
#5InvestinTraining.................................................................................................................................................................................. 8
#6LearnHowtoInterpretanOilAnalysisReport.................................................................................................................................... 9
#7UseProperLubricationStorageandHandling .................................................................................................................................. 10
#8JustifyYourProgram.......................................................................................................................................................................... 11
#9EstablishandMaintainCredibility ..................................................................................................................................................... 12
#10ManageYourProgramUsingWebBasedTools.............................................................................................................................. 13
Conclusion................................................................................................................................................................................................. 14
ContactUs................................................................................................................................................................................................. 14

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WhyShouldIReadTenStepsToCreateAWorldClassOilAnalysisProgram?
Oilanalysiscanuncover,isolate,and
offersolutionsforabnormallubricant
andmachineconditionswhenusedas
apredictivemaintenancetool.These
abnormalitiescanresultinexpensive,
sometimescatastrophicdamage
causinglostproduction,extensive
repaircosts,andevenoperator
accidents.

Thegoalofaneffectiveoilanalysis
programistoincreasethereliability
andavailabilityofmachinerywhile
minimizingmaintenancecosts
associatedwithoilchangeouts,labor,
repairs,anddowntime.Accomplishing
thisgoaltakestime,training,and
patience.However,theresultsare
dramaticandthedocumentedsavings
andcostavoidancearesignificant.

Manyorganizationsthroughoutthe
worldhaveimplementedoilanalysis
programstohelpmanageequipment
reliability.Somehaveexperienced
substantialsavings,costreductions,
andincreasedproductivity,while
othershavereceivedonlymarginal
benefits.Asuccessfuloilanalysis
programrequiresadedicated
commitmenttounderstandingthe
equipment,thelubricant,the
operatingenvironment,andthe
relationshipbetweenthetestresults
andactionstobeperformed.

Themostsuccessfuloilanalysis
programsarethosethatare
thoughtfullydesignedaftercareful
evaluationanddevelopmentofclearly
definedgoals.Theemphasisshouldbe
ondesigningqualityandexcellencein
thebeginning,notforcefittingitin
alongtheway.

Thefollowing10stepswillprovidea
guidelineforimplementingan
effectiveoilanalysisprogram:a
programconsideredtobeoneofthe
criticaltechnologiestoincreasing
equipmentreliabilitywhile
maintainingasafeandcosteffective
plantoperation.

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#1IdentifyCriticalEquipment

Whenyoustartimplementinganoil
analysisprogram,youneedtodecidewhich
equipmentintheplanttosample.Thiscan
beadauntingtaskbutitcannotbe
overlooked.Supervisorsandmanagement
needtotakethetimetoidentifythe
targetedequipment,writedetailed
procedures,establishroutes,andsampling
schedules.

Equipmentcriticaltoplantoperations
shouldbeidentifiedfirst.Thisequipment
oftendoesnothaveabackupunitto
replaceitwhenitisnotinservice.In
addition,majorrepairsandoverhaulof
criticalequipmentoftenrequireacomplete
plantshutdown,substantialmanpowerand
subsequentlossofproductionactivities.
Criticalequipmentinplantstypicallyhave
thesecommoncharacteristics:

Theyrequireveryhighcapital
investmentandareexpensiveto
maintainandrepair.
Theyareengineeredforlongservice
liveswhenoperatedwithindesign
specificationsandinapredictable
environment.
Manyarequitelargeandaremadeup
ofseveralindividualcomponents.
Downtimeisquiteexpensive
sinceproductionisusually
haltedwhenunexpected
problemsorasystemfailure
isexperienced.

Appropriatetestingforcritical
equipmentincludes,butisnot
limitedto:

Wearmetalanalysis
Moisturecontent
Viscosity
Acidnumber
Analyticalferrography
Particlecounting

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#2DetermineTestPackages

Oilanalysistestpackagesshouldbe
carefullyconsidered.Differentequipment
havedifferenttestprofilerequirements.
Whendeterminingwhattestpackagesto
choose,theactualequipmentandthe
surroundingenvironmentshoulddictate
whattestsareappropriate.

Keepinmindthatwithoilanalysisyourgoal
istoincreasemachinereliabilitythrough
improvedfluidconditionandearly
detectionthatotherwisewouldnotbe
obviousunlessitcausesmachinefailures.
Havinganideaaboutwhatthevarioustests
are,whattheycanaccomplish,andtaking
intoaccountthemaintenancephilosophy
beingpracticed,testpackagescaneasilybe
drawnuptoaccomplishthedesiredresults.
Forexample,youmayknowthatsome
equipmentcanberuntofailuremuchless
expensivelythanthecostofperforminga
regularoilanalysis.Ontheotherhand,on
machineswithsmallerreservoirswhenoil
qualityisallthatwouldbemonitored,it
maybebesttocontinuewithregularor
evenincreasedfrequencyofoilchanges.

Ifyouarenotsurewhattestsarerightfor
yourequipment,itisbesttoconsulta
qualitylabforassistanceinthisarea.

Whendeterminingwhattest
packagesyouneed,askyourself
thefollowingquestions:

1. Whatisbeingmonitored,the
machine,thelubricant,or
both?Thesethreeitems
requireadifferentsetoftests.
Eachtypeofmachineshould
haveatestpackagetailoredto
itsneeds.Youshouldalsobegin
adialoguewithanoilanalysis
labtohelpyoudeterminewhat
testpackageswillhelpyou
reachyourgoals.
2. Howoftenwillsamplesbe
takenfromeachmachine?
Dependingonthecriticalityand
typeoftesting,frequencyof
samplingcouldrangefrom
onceaweektoannually.

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#3ConsiderTestingOptions
Whendesigninganoilanalysisprogram,youhaveafewchoicesonhowtohaveyouroilsamplestested.Thissectionoutlinesthese
optionsandhelpsyouseewhichoneisbestforyourorganization:

Pros Cons
Maintainanonsitelab

Turnaroundtimeforresultscanbecontrolledinhouse.
Notdependentonanoutsideresource.
Testingpackagescanbeeasilychanged.
Quickresponseforemergencysamples.
Costofpurchasingandmaintainlaboratory
instrumentation.
CostofLIMSsoftwareandupdates.
Labtechniciansmustbetrainedforeachtestprocedure
andinterpretationofresults.
Lackofcomprehensivetesting.
Useyourlubricationvendor

Theyhaveexpertiseinunderstandandknowing
lubricationformulations
Lubesuppliersoftenoffertoperformoilanalysisforfree
tolargevolumecustomers.
Convenienceofusingonesupplier.
Lubricantmanufacturersareinbusinesstoselllubricant,
notanalyzeit.
Noaccesstoanalyststodiscusstestresults.
Turnaroundisnotapriority.
Notabusinesstheynecessarilyinvestresourcesinto.
Contractanoutsidelab

Fullcomplementoftestingservices
MostlabsmaintainISOcertification
Highlytrainedlabstaffperformingthetestsina
controlledenvironment.
Experiencedanalystsavailabletodiscusstestresults.
Continualinvestmentinresourcestomaintainthe
highestqualityofservices.
Thecostpersample.
Eachtestperformedonanoilsamplecostsmoney,so
somelabsmaylookatwaystosavemoneyand
potentiallycutcorners.
Someoutsidelabscanbecostlyandslowtodeliver
results.
InsightServices,Inc.|www.TESTOIL.com|@testoil1

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#4ChooseanOilAnalysisLab

Ifitisdeterminedthatcontractingan
outsidelabisthebestcourseforyouroil
analysisprogram,caremustbetakento
insurethatthelabisagoodfitforyour
company.Itisimportanttomatchalab
withthepredictivemaintenancestrategies
thatyourplantemploys.

Itshouldbeunderstoodthatsomelabs
catersolelytoindustrialapplicationswhile
othersareprimarilyfocusedonengineoils.
Youshouldbeawareofthis,asitisbestto
contractwithalabthatfocuses100%of
theirtimeservingtheindustrialsector.The
labthatfocusessolelyonindustrial
applicationswillbefamiliarwithyourtype
ofequipmentandtheanalystswillhave
muchmoreexpertiseinanalyzingyourtest
results.Whileanylabwillagreetoperform
yourtesting,thequestionthatmustbe
askedisDoesthelabhavetheexperience
requiredtobemyoilanalysisproviderand
willIreceivethecorrecttests?

Customerserviceisanotherimportant
aspecttoconsiderwhenchoosingalab.In
ordertoresolveissuesquicklyyourlab
shouldbeavailableonyourfirstcall.Itis
importanttonotethatsomelabshave
limitedaccesstoanalystandrelyheavilyon
voicemailservices.
Whenevaluatingalab,consider
thefollowingquestions.

Whatisturnaroundtimeon
samples?
Whatdoespricinginclude?
shippingcost
sitevisitsfromlab
training
rushsamples
supplies
lubeaudits
Willtechnicalhelpbe
available?Doesitcostextra?
Howlongwillthecontract
last?Isthereachargetobreak
thecontract?
Howwillmyresultsbe
communicatedtome?
Doesthelabofferunlimited,
onlineaccesstomydata?

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#5InvestinTraining

Oneaspectofareputable,selfsufficientoil
analysisprogramthatisoftenoverlookedis
training.Trainedtechniciansthat
understandhowimportantquality
lubricationproceduresarewillbekeyin
maintainingaprogram.

Staffingofalubricationprogramis
extremelyimportant.Youmayconsider
hiringsomeonewithaproventrackrecord
ofsuccess,howeverdonotoverlookthe
talentyoualreadyhaveinyourplant.There
arelikelyseveralpeoplealreadyinyour
organizationthatwouldbegoodfits.

Onceyourstaffisinplaceyoucanlookat
outsideresourcestoassistwithtraining.
Thereareseveralcompaniesthatoffer
excellenttraininginlubrication
fundamentalsandpracticesandmostwill
bewillingtocometoyoursiteifyouhave
enoughpeopletofillaclass.Donotforget
toincludesupervisorsandmanagers.They
needtobeonboardandbeawareofwhat
isrequiredandthebenefitsthatcanbe
achievedbyimplementinganoilanalysis
program.

Oilanalysisisaneverchangingtechnology
andtoreapitsbenefits,onemust
continuallyreceivequalitytraining.
Trainingoptionsmayinclude:

Classesand/orcertifications.
Tradeshowsandconferences
areanotherwaytohelp
personnelstayontopof
recentadvancesintheirfield.
Departmentbudgetshould
reflecttheseeducational
opportunitiesfromyearto
year.

Foroilanalysistrainingoptions
visit:www.testoil.com

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#6LearnHowtoInterpretanOilAnalysisReport

Theoilanalysisreportisavitaltoolfora
smoothrunningoperation.Goingdeeper
thanthereportsummariesandknowing
howtoanalyzetheoilanalysisreportcan
helppreventequipmentbreakdownand
unnecessaryequipmentteardowns.

Typicaloilanalysisreportsfeatureproblem
summaries,lubricantandmachine
conditionstatus,andcriticalalerts.They
shouldalsoincludegraphicaldepictionof
varioustests,aswellasothervisual
elementstoassistintheinterpretationof
thetestresults.

Readinganoilanalysisreportcanbe
overwhelmingunlessyouknowwhatyou
arereading.Tooofteninlubeanalysisthe
failureofaprogramcanbeattributedto
thelackofinterpretationoftheconditions
reportandaninappropriateresponsetothe
results.Whenthishappens,valuable
informationislost.Thereasonforthiscan
largelybeattributedtothelackoftraining
ofyourmaintenanceprofessionals.
Withoutasolidunderstandingofthe
purposeoflubeanalysisandtheabilityto
interprettestresultstheycannotbe
expectedtocarryoutthisduty.

Maintenanceprofessionalsshouldreceive
trainingandeducationinlubeanalysis.In
fact,trainingandeducationshouldoccurat
severaldifferentlevelsandwitheveryone
whocontributestomachinereliability,from
managementallthewaytocraftsmen.
YourLabsResponsibilities

Yourlabshouldalsobeadeptat
interpretingresults.Manylabs
advertisethattheiranalystshave
degrees,butwhenitcomesto
analyzingtestresults,experience
inthefieldisparamount.Make
suretheanalystseducationis
relevantandnotetheexperience
ofthetechnicalpeopleinthelab
aswell.

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IFHgroup.com
#7UseProperLubricationStorageandHandling

Havinglubricationstorageandhandling
systemsinplaceisimportantaswell.
Lubricationproductsareexpensive,sothey
needtobehandledinafashionthat
maximizesthereturnoninvestment.

Makesureyourstorageandhandlingareas
areclean,wellorganized,andclimate
controlled.Youareresponsibleforensuring
thenewoilandgreaseplacedinyour
equipmentiscleananddry,andhasnot
beenexposedtoextremetemperature
variations.

Ifyouhaveoilstorageracks,consider
separatepumpsandfiltersforeach
differentlubricant.Furthermore,makesure
yourtransfercontainersarecleanandbe
surenottoexposelubricantsto
contaminationinroutetotheequipment.

Testallyouroilforacceptancebefore
placingitintoyoursystemforuse.Doingso
isespeciallyvaluablewithbulkshipments,
becauseyouneverknowwhatwasinthe
tankerbeforeyourloadofoil.
Reasonsforusingproper
lubricationhandlingandstorage:

Protectlubeproductsfrom
environment
Protectfromplant
dirt/moisture/sunlight
Filternewlubesorlubesas
youusethem
Keeplubesseparatefrom
otherplantchemical/products

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#8JustifyYourProgram

Asyouputtogetheranytypeofpredictive
maintenancetechnology,likeanoilanalysis
program,youneedtojustifytheprogram.

Onecommonwayofjustifyingoilanalysisis
keepingrecordsofallpredictiveoilchanges,
filtrationrequests,dehydrationrequests,
andsoon.Forexample,thegoalmaybeto
improvetheoverallfluidcleanlinesslevels
intheplantshydraulicpressbyusing
improvedfiltration.Inthiscase,oilanalysis
andspecificallytheparticlecountdata
becomesaperformancemetricthatcanbe
usedtomeasurecompliancewiththe
statedreliabilitygoals.

Themetricsprovidejustificationand
accountability,notjustforthosedirectly
involvedwiththeoilanalysisprogram,but
alsoforthewholeplant,sendingaclear
messagethatlubricationandoilanalysisare
animportantpartoftheplantsstrategyfor
achievingbothmaintenanceandproduction
objectives.

Youalsoneedtoannuallyevaluateyouroil
analysisprogramseffectiveness,which
includesacostbenefitevaluationofmoney
savedbyavoidingmaintenanceissuesor
machinedowntimeduetooilanalysis.

Evaluationallowsforcontinuous
improvementoftheprogrambyrealigning
theprogramwitheitherpreexistingornew
reliabilityobjectives.

Considerthefollowing
justificationsforoilanalysis

Somereasonstouseoilanalysis
are:toavoidcatastrophic
failures,extendlubricantlifeand
toextendequipmentlife.
Agoodoilanalysisprogramcan
savebigdollarsforareallysmall
investment.Youcanlearnto
predictconditionsthatarethe
precursoroffailurethroughoil
analysisandtrending.
Asolidanalysisprogramresults
inmakingconditionbased
decisionsbothonthestateof
theequipmentandthelubricant.

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#9EstablishandMaintainCredibility

Probablyoneofthemostessentialelementstoanysuccessfuloilanalysisprogramiscredibility.Afteryouestablishcredibilityina
program,youmustmaintainthecredibility.Anyknowledgeablepredictivemaintenancepersonwillagreethathowinternal
customersviewtheprogramcandetermineiftheprogramisaheroorazero.Whenestablishingcredibilityinanyoilanalysis
program,considerthesepoints:

Credibilityinanyoilanalysis
programissomewhatpolitical.

Oneofthebestwaystoavoidthis
phenomenoniseducation.Management,
operations,maintenance,andothersmay
viewtheprogramdifferently.Theoil
analysisprogrammaybeforcedonthem
justbecauseitspartofthecurrent
maintenancestrategy.Asaresult,you
wanttoeducateeveryoneonwhatoil
analysisisandisnt.Tailoryourmessage
toeachlevelwithinthecompanyto
reduceanypoliticalissues.
Havingpersonnelwhocan
communicateclearlyisofutmost
importance.

Whensomeoneasksaquestion
concerningtheprogram,givetheman
answerthattheycanunderstand.Most
managersdontwantalessoninoil
analysis,theyjustwanttoknowiftheiroil
isgoodandiftheirequipmentisgoingto
failorbereliableuntilthenextsample
frequency.Forexample,simplystating,
Contaminationlevelofforeign
particulatesexceedsourdesiredleveland
oxidationhascausedtheviscosityofthe
oiltoraisepastasafelevelforthis
machineismucheasiertounderstand
thanatechnicalexplanation,suchas,The
PCis21/19/16andtheVIShasraised20
percent.
Youearncredibilitybyhavinga
programthataddsvaluetothe
companyanditsusers.

Youwanttoensurethatbenefitsare
ongoing.Iftoomuchtimelapsesbeforea
managerseesvaluefromoilanalysis,trust
intheprogrammaydecline.Ontheflip
side,makesurethateverymaintenance
actionrequestedfromoilanalysisresults
bebackedupwithdata.

Theprogramneedstostandonitsown
merit.Theprogramsmanagermustalso
havemeritofbeingknowledgeable,
truthful,andeasytoworkwith.Without
this,theprogrammanagerisnomore
thananoutsideconsultanttryingtosella
solutiontoaproblemthatmayormaynot
exist.

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#10ManageYourProgramUsingWebBasedTools

Onceasampleistestedandthedataisin
placetheremustbeawayforthelabto
communicatethedatatoyou.

Manylabsnowofferwebbasedtoolsthat
enablecustomerstoeasilyprocessthe
informationcontainedintheiroilanalysis
reports.

Webbasedprogrammanagementcanhelp
yourstaffmakebetter,moreinformed
decisionsaboutyouroilanalysisprogram
andtakenecessarystepsrequiredtoavoid
catastrophes.

Byusingawebbasedmanagementtool,
youandyourmaintenancestaffcan
collaborateandmanagereportsbecauseall
thedataisinoneeasytouseinterface,
whichallpartiescanaccessatalltimes.

Ideally,thewebbasedprogram
shouldoffertoolstoquickly
managesampleresultsand
monitorequipmentinthese
importantways:

Reviewequipmentsampling
history
Analyzemachinecondition
Accessandreviewrecentand
pastreports
Graphtrendsand
inconsistenciesthrough
interactivegraphs

Formoreinformationonwebtools
goto:www.testoil.com/datasight

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Conclusion

JustsendinganoilsampletothefirstlabfoundontheInternetmaynotguaranteeaqualityoilanalysisprogram.Simplytakingafew
precautionary,wellplannedstepsshouldminimizeanyunforeseenproblems.Withagoodvision,correctcommunication,andan
understandingofwhattoexpectfromoilanalysis,aprogramcanbeestablishedthatwillbecredibleandamerittothereliabilityof
anycompany.

ContactUs
Call:2162512510
Email:info@testoil.com
VisitourWebsite:www.testoil.com
Visitourblog:http://oilanalysis.testoil.com/
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AboutTESTOIL
TESTOILisafullserviceoiltestinglaboratoryownedby
InsightServices.Since1988thelaboratoryhasbeen
providingfastandreliableoilanalysisresultsacrossall
industriesthroughouttheAmericas.

Thefirmscomprehensiverangeofoilanalysisservices
assistsreliabilityengineerswithconditionmonitoring
andidentificationofmachinewear.

TESTOILemploysasophisticateddiagnostictechnology
thatassiststheirMachineConditionAnalystsinmaking
equipmentandlubricationconditionassessments.