Filter carts vs. 220 vis?

Hi Pete,
80 ppm of Fe isn't overly bad....but in keeping with your questin we are using a Zinga cart that works well with an ISO 220 at ~ 90F. On a good week we can get down to a 15/13. On a bad week with the same system we are running at a 22/18 (lots of contamination ingress.)
However whenever you are looking at specifying a fltration system for a specific application it is better to know exactly what you are trying to remove. For instance if the reason you are getting such a high PC is because of water in the oil then a standard filter with a high Beta rating won't do anything for you. If the issue is air bubbles in the oil then filtration will not improve the situation.
You can get a 120 filter cart for an ISO 220 at low temperatures, just about anywhere but getting one to suit your application is what you need. I might suggest you consider 1> working with a filtration cart company to analyse and identify your application and contaminent or 2> get your lab to investigate the cause of the high particle count and then proceed to put together a specification to send to several portable filter cart vendors for quote.

regards....

Thanks Alan,

We are averaging appx. 60 to 90 ppm of H2O. We are using Des-case breathers on the gear boxes. We have not tried the new Vent Guard breather they just came out with. These gear boxes are about 15 feet from the Pacific ocean which does make for some interesting moisture problems.

Hi Pete,
The water in your oil could very well be a contibuter to your high particle count. The Des-Case breathers are highly regarded, but they may or may not be appropriate for your application. If you are experiencing numerous temperature cycles(per day) {so heating up and expelling air then cooling down and inhaling air} ,with these gearboxes then you might want to consider a bladder air reservoir instead of a filter breather. For testing purposes, take a clear plastic garbage bag, remove the Des-Case and install a pipe nipple and use a rubber band to attach the plastic bag to the pipe nipple. When the gearbox heats up if should cause the bag to inflate when the gearbox cools down it should collapse. If you start out with the bag partially inflated but the cooling cycle causes the bag to collapse or stay more inflated than when you started then you are sucking and dispelling air from the seals. In which case the best desecant breather manufactured won't totally remove the water in oil situation. Other alternatives will have to be found. Additionally if there is moisture in the gearbox then some of it will condense inside the plastic bag. and hence remove it from the gearbox, remember to keep the bag attached low on the pipe nipple.
As you indicated you are close to the ocean, therfor you should be getting some sodium present in the oil analysis if not then the water is due to condensation inside the gearbox and not primarily to air breather/seal etc ingress. Of course you still need the air to carry the moisture to condense in the gearbox.

I'd still suggest you consider asking the lab to do a filter patch and identify what the particles present in the oil are made of.

regards....

Hi Pete

We manufacture filter carts for two northern climate coal fired power generators. We filter ISO 320 gear oil through 3 micron, BETA 200, micro glass spin on filters, every day. In one application we use: 1HP, low amp draw 115V motor with with a 3 GPM gear pump, through twin stacked, 3 micron nominal filter then through twin stacked 3 micron, BETA 200 micro glass filters. The basis for functionality is: the right motor, volume per minute (pump), suction restriction loss, filter flow loss -surface area/filter media type/GPM/viscosity/temp and discharge restrictions. We consistantly see 19/16/13 in ISO 320 oil after filtration. Iron at 80 PPM is not useful unless trended, at the same time intervals. You most likely will find that the Iron will not reduce much with offline filtration. The root cause of the wear generation process, should be eliminated with the use of effective filtration. It is only common sense to filter new oil prior to insertion, use at least a 2 or 3 micron air breather and use closed site glasses to monitor oil levels.

Pete,

After completing an audit for PC in a paper mill, for gearboxes, we are generating procedures for elimination of contamination.
First, I would ask how the sample(s) were drawn? If the samples were taken from the drain on the gearbox, I would suggest using a vacuum sampler through the fill hole and resample. Note of caution, avoid contact with the rotating elements.
I would also investigate the cleanliness of your oil containers & storage methods. This
would assure you are not directly contributing to contamination by topping off the gearboxes.
I believe the target baseline regarding Industrial gearboxes is 18/15/12.
The contamination can be reduced with offline filtration. You can replace the standard filler cap with a filler/breather cap that has ports for offline filtration & oil sampling. I am reluctant to recommend a supplier online, but you may email me for information if you wish.
This would eliminate any improper oil sampling methods. You attach the suction of the pump to the drain and the inlet to the gearbox at the filler/breather cap as mentioned above, so the system remains closed.
If the contamination is due to water, you might consider the usage of a water removal filter, assuming this is free water in the system.
60-90 ppm is an early warning sign but not at alarm levels.

Just food for thought.

When filtering high viscosity oil say 460 at ambient temperature say 20 C oil viscosity increases to 2000 cSt and you need either slow flow or large filter area or both. We use Hydac OLF 5/4 that can filter this oil down to 3 micron at 4litres/min
Frank

LOW TEMPS? How low?
The lower the temp, the heavier the oil becomes.There is a point where all oils could become "non-filterable", depending on temperature.

Our best results for gear boxes, is keeping them closed & not opening them, unless absolutely necessary!

DO NOT USE A FILTER CART THAT REQUIRES THE OPENING OF THE GEAR BOX.

Quick disconnects will allow safe & clean connections.

If the gear boxes have two breather ports (atop the gear box), my preference is to put a breather in one and a quick disconnect in the other. That allows the air & oil to have seperate passages.

Off-Line filtration is exceptional for gear boxes, in most instances, off-line filtration can be performed while the gear box is running or idle (off-line filtration, is where you connect a filter cart directly to your gear box. The filter cart will draw oil out of the drain plug on the gear box, filter it and return it back into the gear box).

As a start, hope this helps you...... Without sales pitches......

We have 3000 Ltrs./ hr. Capacity filtration trolley mounted with Laser Particle Counter. It is very much compact unit and I carry it in my car. Weight is approx. 65 Kg. and I get oil cleanliness level even up to NAS - 4 Level. YOu visit ARGO Hytos web site through Google and check the details. It is worth for large equipments like gear boxes, Injection moulding machines. If you have any difficulty send me an e mail at hymatservices@yahoo.co.in / zankruti@mtnl.net.in
V.S.Dave

Hi Pete,

The advice on filtration before hand is all relevant,
check the oil by WDA so you are aware of the type of contaminants as its easy to remove identified contaminants,

if you wish to put bladders on the drives to reduce water we have attached a pdf of how make a bladder,

Downside of bladders is take they often longer to install and can work out as expensive as filters,

upside is nothing gets past, water or air,

Regards Rob S

Sorry Pete Attachment did not go,
email me at lab@rttech.com.au
and can send to any folk interested