Oil Analysis and Thermography

Condition Based Monitoring (CBM) is a growing trend in the industrial world, rightfully so.
In regards to your question it will definitely narrow down the metallurgy to a specific component of the machine which can be scheduled for inspection. However, this is not a program you can just jump into and expect immediate results. Many steps must be accomplished before you can rely on the results you see from oil analysis.
I have been working on implementing a CBM program in a paper mill for the last eight months. My first suggestion, “YOU MUST FIRST ELIMINATE ALL VOLUNTARY CONTAMINATION.” Contamination is easiest and cheapest to control starting at the source. First, open oil cans should be eliminated. I did a particle analysis on several oil cans I found in this mill and none were lower 22/19. We were contributing to contamination by topping off the oil level. You must filter all oil from your supplier prior to usage. Ensure you are properly storing your oils. Install a header pipe with desiccant breathers on all oil drum vents. You must ensure no contamination can enter a system. This particular mill did not even use breathers on any gearboxes or reservoirs. Therefore, you must check these types of systems and make any corrections. Oil analysis particle count results (at this site) on gearboxes that used goose neck pipe for vents averaged 23/22/19. Industrial average is 18/15/12. Breathers were installed on all systems.
By eliminating voluntary contamination, we can gain an average life of over two years per gearbox. By documenting voluntary contamination & the costs associated with equipment repair due to contamination, I have secured funding to go full bore with CBM showing over 200% ROI in one year.
My point, you must eliminate all voluntary contamination to assure accurate oil analysis results regarding wear debris.

Jim

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Originally posted by sm:
Has anyone come across a client asking as to can oil condition monitoring (used oil analysis and ferrography) pin point from which part or which of the many similar bearings in a moving machine (say engine, compressor or hydraulic system, gearing and transmission, etc.) is the generation of these wear particles taking place?

Kindly enlighten me.

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The condition you describe is pretty much the normal responce/request from an internal or external client. Pin pointing the material source is fairly simple when you get down to the analysis of the component. For example of the components you mentioned above..... they all (normally) are lubricated by seperate and different systems and compartments. So they end up being analysed seperatly. So now if you get wear or contamination in the oil sample you already have it narrowed down to the metalurigical make-up of the components in that machine. So if it looked like it was a bearing in an engine (either spark or compression), you might see some copper some lead and some silver etc. Who cares which bearing on the crankshaft that is wearing or if is a little bit from each bearing. If the ferrography does not show signs of increassed wear rates and pending failure and or the spectro doesn't show abnormal wear generation rates. Then the condition needs to be monitored until the condition changes. Having said that of course the consequences have to be weighed against the cost of inspection and overhaul etc.
So once a history and metalurigical understanding of the component if developed it then becomes fairly easy to provide that type of analysis to a client regarding the most likely source to assign as the source of the analysis results.

regards.......