Many industrial operations struggle to maintain a clean operating environment. The resulting lubricant contamination can severely impact the performance and lifespan of machinery and lead to costly repairs and downtime. Filtering industrial lubricants to stringent cleanliness standards ensures optimal equipment performance, efficiency, uptime and service life.
Oil Cleanliness
Metal, carbon and dirt particles cause significant wear on machine components. Oil cleanliness refers to the amount of particulate contamination in machinery lubricants measured using the ISO 11500 test methodology. ISO 4406 is the globally recognized standard for classifying oil cleanliness based on the measured contaminant level. ISO 4406 quantifies the level of oil contamination by the number of particles per milliliter in different micron sizes.
The level of oil contamination directly correlates to the potential for component wear and equipment failure. Therefore, cleaner oil equates to extended equipment life. ISO 4406 cleanliness codes predict the lifespan of different components in industrial equipment based on oil cleanliness. Noria’s Equipment Life Extension Chart illustrates how improvements in oil cleanliness dramatically increase equipment life.
Contaminant Analysis
The ISO 4406 cleanliness code uses a set of three numbers that represent particles per milliliter of oil. For example, a cleanliness code of 18/16/13 indicates the number of particles equal to and larger than 4, 6 and 14 microns, respectively. Lower numbers signify fewer particles and cleaner oil.
Comparing apparently similar cleanliness codes like 22/20/18 and 18/16/13 reveals a significant difference in particle contamination. For example, when comparing large particles equal to or greater than 14-microns (i.e., 13 and 18), there are 32 times more particles in oil with a 22/20/18 cleanliness code than oil with an 18/16/13 cleanliness code. Fewer particles equates to less abrasion and fatigue, leading to longer equipment life. In fact, filtering the system from 22/20/18 to a cleanliness code 18/16/13 will result in four times longer lifespan for sensitive equipment components.
To better visualize the impact of oil cleanliness on equipment life, consider that oil with a cleanliness code of 16/14/11 carries approximately 19 lbs. (9 kg) of contaminants through a pump in 6,500 hours at 32 gallons per minute (gpm). In contrast, oil with a code of 22/20/18 circulates a staggering 1,216 lbs. (552 kg) of contaminants under the same conditions. That means the dirtier oil contains 64 times more contaminants. This dramatic difference illustrates the potential for equipment damage caused by higher levels of oil contamination. View our study on cleanliness comparison here.
AMSOIL Industrial ISO Cleanliness
AMSOIL Industrial filters several products to ISO 4406 cleanliness codes as high as 16/14/11 to ensure they are delivered to you with no additional filtration required prior to installation.
Filtered to ISO cleanliness code 18/16/13
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GB Series Synthetic Gear & Bearing Oil
Filtered to ISO cleanliness code 16/14/11
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PT Series Synthetic Power Transmission EP Gear Oil
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EP Series-S Synthetic Extreme-Pressure Gear Oil
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HELIOS-VR Synthetic Varnish-Resistant Hydraulic Oil
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HELIOS-ZF Synthetic Zinc-Free Hydraulic Oil
Cleaner oil dramatically improves your overall operational efficiency by extending equipment and oil life and reducing downtime and maintenance costs. Consult an AMSOIL Industrial Application Engineer to identify the best solutions for your specific applications.
