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Mark Barnes
One of the most fundamental truths that many oil analysis users learn is that elevated silicon
levels from elemental spectroscopic data equate to dirt ingression. The logic is simple: common
dirt from road dust and other sources contain high levels of silica. Therefore, elevated silicon from
spectrometric analysis means dirt ingression. But is this true in every situation? What other
possible sources of silicon exist in a lubricating oil environment that may cause silicon levels to
rise?
Depending on the environment in which the equipment is operating, silicon may appear in the
lubricant for various reasons.
In addition, silicon, in the form of polymeric methyl silicone, is a common antifoam additive used
in many types of oils. How can the educated oil analysis user differentiate between silicon in all
these different forms, without expensive and elaborate chemical analysis? The key to identifying
the silicon’s form and source is lock-step trending. Lock-step trending refers to the process of
observing multiple parameters rise and fall simultaneously. This type of trend pattern often
indicates a correlation between the two parameters, pointing toward the real root cause. An
example of lock-step trending can be found in the following case.
Acid number is usually measured to indicate oil degradation due to oxidation. While prolonged dirt
ingression can lead to oil degradation as a result of increased friction and the associated increase
in temperature, it seemed unlikely that was the cause for rapid oxidation in this case. After a
meeting in which individuals were invited to share their views, they decided that some silicon-
containing contaminant, other than dirt, was entering the engine and causing acids to build up in
the oil. What was the contaminant?
The team decided to analyze a fuel gas sample to help identify the type of silicon. The fuel gas
showed high levels of siloxanes, an acidic gas, which is commonly found in North American
landfills. The question about the source of the silicon-containing contaminant was revealed; the
siloxane gas in the fuel was accumulating in the oil, resulting in an increase in silicon levels, and
the resulting acid was corroding the bearing. The solution was to scrub the fuel gas with activated
charcoal to remove the siloxanes, which resulted in more normal acid numbers and a decreased
antimony levels, suggesting that bearing wear rates were also back to normal.
Although this case study illustrates a rather unique situation (unless of course you’re maintaining
a waste gas cogeneration facility); it does illustrate the idea that lock- step trending, together with
lateral thinking can lead to problem solving and root cause analysis.
Elevated silicon levels should always raise concern. However, just like every other oil analysis
alarm, the root cause of the problem should be investigated in order to formulate an appropriate
maintenance response to address the root cause of the problem, without jumping to the obvious,
but sometimes wrong assumption. Get into the habit of using all the data from an oil analysis
report.
Tracing the Source of Silicon
The following examples illustrate some of the likely causes of increasing silicon in a diesel
engine, and how through simple lock-step analysis, the root cause can be determined. For the
following examples, read the parts per million (ppm) for each element. See if you can identify the
cause of the distribution.