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Better to be Blue: Improving Diesel Engines With BlueDEF®
Not all diesel exhaust fluid is the same. Learn how to improve your diesel engine performance with BlueDEF® from Keller-Heartt Oil.
No steadfast rule exists that can tell you when it is time to change your hydraulic oil. This depends solely on the quality of your oil, as it would be costly and wasteful to prematurely change fluid or filters that have very little contamination. A comprehensive fluid analysis, however, can give you an accurate picture.
Conventional wisdom dictates that your hydraulic oil should be tested, at the very least, quarterly. For systems that are exposed to other elements, including marine hydraulic systems, testing may be more frequent. Some operations that own their own testing kits will have an even better handle on preventative maintenance by finding contamination well before the oil needs changing, or worse, once a failure analysis is needed. While DIY testing is an excellent line of defense for your hydraulic system, additional lab testing offers an in-depth analysis of more than just contamination severity, but also the type and source of contamination. A lab analysis can give you information on three things: degradation, wear, and contamination. This information is deduced by testing the following:
- Additive depletion: Are anti-foaming or anti-wear additives degraded?
- Viscosity: Have particles increased viscosity, making the oil more difficult to pump? Has the pour point changed significantly?
- Metal wear and contamination
- Water contamination: Is water present, causing a decrease in fluid viscosity?
- Changes in acidity
- Particle Count: How clean is the oil?
Spectrometric analysis for additive and trace metal content, particle isolation for particle identification, and Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX) analysis for exceptional contamination, are all common tests performed by laboratories that provide much more information than an in-house, portable particle counter. Though some available technology offers elemental analysis of contaminants, portable particle counters often give information limited to the number of particles and their size. 
Furthermore, the analytical techniques in a lab have the added benefit of expert knowledge, and that knowledge frees up the ability to skirt costly and time-consuming employee training in your operation. The process is as simple as taking a sample while the system is operating, either from a valve on the system’s return line just before the filter, or in the midpoint of a reservoir, away from its walls and base. Once the lab receives and analyzes the sample, a thorough report will be sent back with helpful guidance and warning signs for your hydraulic system.
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