Professional Documents
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Lubrication Program
Noria Corporation
Tags: industrial lubricants
You've taken the course, read the book, passed the exam, bought the T-shirt
. . . now what?
For many, the first stage in establishing an effective oil analysis or lubrication program is attending a
training course to understand what best practice really means. Unfortunately, some leave the
course just as confused as when they started, overburdened by the amount of information to
comprehend, digest and apply in order to become a world-class organization. The phrase foremost
in their minds as they leave the classroom on the final day of training is, Where do we go from
here?
Whats required is an individualized roadmap or blue print for the months and years ahead. A
document that acts as a starting baseline from which current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and threats can be assessed, providing a clear direction for short, medium and long-term goals is
called a Lubrication and Oil Analysis Survey.
For a lubrication management program to be effective, all of these areas must be assessed, and
improvements made to bring current practices in line with industry best practices if necessary.
The lubrication and oil analysis survey process is an incremental approach to assessing the
strengths and weaknesses of a plant lubrication program and charts a course for ongoing,
sustained improvement.
Figure 1. In this approach, scores ranging from 1 to 4 require immediate improvement, scores
ranging from 4 to 7 represent average conformance to industry best practices, while scores greater
than 7 represent good compliance with industry standards.
Overall, the more complete the spider web, the better adherence to best practices, with blank areas
indicating a need for improvement. The goal for continued improvement should be for the web to
expand each year, with annual audits conducted to measure the effects of continued improvement.
These improvements should continue until all facets of lubrication management score in the 7-andabove range.
management program is far more broad reaching and significant. For example, the lubrication
survey may indicate the need for improved contamination control. But how are problems identified?
How are corrective measures to improve fluid cleanliness monitored? The answer is regular, routine
oil analysis, whether performed onsite, offsite or a combination of both.
Setting-up oil analysis Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is an excellent place to start. For
example, assessing ISO fluid cleanliness, either as a plant-wide composite score, or more
frequently based on component type allows a measure of current levels of fluid cleanliness and
annual improvements to be gauged. The goal is to reduce the KPI, in this case the composite ISO
fluid cleanliness rating, on an annual basis until no further improvements can be made. Other oil
analysis KPIs include:
In addition to oil analysis KPIs, data from other condition-monitoring technologies such as vibration
analysis, thermography and ultrasonics can be used for a multifaceted, multidimensional feedback
mechanism. In this scenario, oil analysis and other condition-monitoring tools are simply yardsticks
by which lubrication management success or failure is
measured.
If oil analysis is to be used as a metric for lubrication
management, it is important that the lubricant analysis
program is designed with this goal in mind. As such, the
initial lubrication audit should review each critical
component and provide feedback on the key areas of
concern. These include:
Although this approach may appear a daunting proposition, it is a vital step to ensuring
improvements in other areas of lubrication management can be assessed and evaluated on an
ongoing basis.
Summary
Having taught courses on oil analysis and lubrication management best practices for a number of
years, it always amazes me the relative proportion of course participants who leave the classroom
with big plans to revitalize an ailing lubrication program to those who, one to two years down the
road, have actually made significant changes.
While many realize that improvements in areas such as lube storage, contamination control and oil
analysis can significantly improve equipment reliability and help overall maintenance costs, they
lack focus simply because defining a starting point is difficult. It is also slowed by the daunting tasks
necessary for improvement, which are perceived as impossible. However, the simple task of
conducting a comprehensive lubrication survey may be all it takes to get an organization on the
path of lubrication excellence, and will provide a roadmap for continued success.
Further Reading
Troyer, D. (1999). Reliability-Centered Maintenance and Its Meaning to the Oil Analysis
Professional. Practicing Oil Analysis magazine, January - February.