Is Your Oil Clean?
Most users of industrial oils and lubricants use a filter cart in one capacity or another. Typical uses for filter carts are filling oil reservoirs or transformers or routine processing to remove solid contaminants or water. How do you know if your oil is actually clean? Most lubrication and hydraulic components, such as bearings and valves, have a specified ISO cleanliness code.
Machine Lubrication has an oil cleanliness calculator to help users that do not have OEM recommendations. Here are some basic guidelines:
| Application | Target ISO Cleanliness Code | Target Dryness |
| Bearing Lubrication | 16/13/11 | 50 ppm |
| Blowers | 16/13/11 | 300 ppm |
| Compressor Lubrication | 16/13/11 | 100 ppm |
| Diesel Engine | 17/14/12 | 200 ppm |
| Industrial Gearbox | 17/14/12 | 300 ppm |
| Industrial Hydraulics | 15/12/10 | 100 ppm |
| Mobile Hydraulics | 16/13/11 | 200 ppm |
| Paper Machine Lubrication | 15/12/10 | 100 ppm |
| Phosphate Ester Hydraulic Fluid | 15/12/10 | 250 ppm |
| Steam Turbine Bearing Lubrication | 14/11/9 | 50 ppm |
| Steam Turbine EHC Fluid | 14/11/9 | 250 ppm |
| Hydraulic Servo Valves | 14/11/9 | |
| High Pressure Hydraulic Systems | 15/12/11 | |
| Medium Pressure Hydraulic Systems | 16/13/11 | |
| Low Pressure Hydraulic Systems | 19/16/15 |
So you pull out your filter cart and hook it up for routine maintenance. How do you know when you’ve achieved the desired oil cleanliness? Additionally, how do you know if the filters selected will remove contamination to the desired level?
Here are some basic guidelines for selecting filter efficiency based on ISO Cleanliness Code:
| Filter Rating = x (ßx(c)=1000) | ISO 4406 Cleanliness Code |
| 2.5 | 12/10/7 – 14/12/10 |
| 3 | 14/12/10 – 16/14/12 |
| 6 | 16/14/12 – 17/16/13 |
| 12 | 17/16/13 – 19/17/14 |
| 25 | 19/17/14 – 21/19/17 |
Addressing the first question above, we know what we should be filtering to, but how do we know when we get there? Particle counters have come along way, both in price and performance. MP Filtri’s ICM 2.0 and 4.0 are best in class inline contamination monitors. These units can be installed on filter carts and alert the user when contamination levels have been reached. We offer units with ICM contamination monitors already installed that will shut the system down when the desired reading has been achieved.
For applications where constant kidney loop filtration is required, we offer a panel mount filtration system with an ICM particle monitor.
ICM Particle Monitors are very useful on Oil Flushing Equipment, Vacuum Dehydrators and other types of oil conditioning equipment. One standard feature is a moisture sensor to alert the user of % of water saturation in the oil.
Newer versions have wifi capabilites.
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