Engine Oil Analysis and Fuel Testing

Engine oil and fuel analysis

Oil analysis can tell you a lot about how your equipment is being used and what condition it's in. Oil that has been inside any engine or moving mechanical apparatus for some time reflects the exact condition of that assembly. As moving parts make contact, wear occurs and introduces minute metal particles to the oil. These particles are so small that they remain in suspension. Many products of the combustion process also become trapped in the circulating oil.

In addition, the oil may be exposed to external contamination. Identifying and measuring these impurities indicates the rate of wear and level of contamination. so, the oil becomes a working history of the machine. Oil testing will also suggest methods to reduce accelerated wear and contamination.

A typical oil analysis can indicate the presence of contaminants and tell you if you've been using the appropriate lubricants. An oil analysis can detect the following:

• Fuel dilution of lubrication oil
• Dirt contamination in the oil
• Antifreeze in the oil
• Excessive bearing wear
• Misapplication of lubricants

The other major advantage of an oil analysis program is being able to anticipate problems and schedule repair work to avoid downtime during a critical time of use. Sampling and analysing on a regular basis establishes a baseline of normal wear and can indicate when abnormal wear or contamination occurs.

Early detection through a oil analysis program can:

• Reduce repair bills
• Reduce catastrophic failures
• Increase machinery life
• Reduce non-scheduled downtime

Here at OCLS, we use a variety of different testing methods to analyse your oil to the highest possible standard. The following articles in this sub section, provide a little insight into some of our oil testing methods we carry out and what you can gain from them.

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