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Daily checks of hydraulic systems, or checks at the time of employee shift changes, are good practices that should be part of the analyses a system engineer has to adopt as part of a successful maintenance programme. However, monitoring a system in real-time, or simply alerting an operator that system conditions have changed or are below required specification, can mean the difference between a simple fluid top-up or catastrophic starving of the pump and pump failure.

THE viscosity of oil in a lube system and its impact on system bearings if not filtered appropriately can adversely impact on system performance and have catastrophic consequences and system non-performance. SKF states; “as long as particles larger than the lubricant film are removed, bearings can have an infinite life”.  Lubricants must be checked for contamination when the lube oil is delivered at the plant. Whether it is offline filtration or online filtration engineers should ensure the lube oil is clean and meets the system specifications.

Contaminants such as solid, liquid, and gaseous particles are the bane of a hydraulic engineer. Systems over time become less efficient and ultimately will breakdown. This will be costly. These are neither generated externally or internally through fluids, component corrosion or wear and tear, or reduced systems maintenance and housekeeping. In difficult economic times, system maintenance is often relegated as a low priority. Cost savings exercises are adopted.