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Extending the life of Hydraulic Oil
19 DECEMBER 2023
How do you effectively extend the life of hydraulic oil?
Irrespective of industry oil is a finite and at times expensive commodity to obtain, so the opportunity to reuse rather than replenish is one that holds lasting material benefits right across the supply chain.
Not withstanding the obvious benefits such as OPEX reduction and tool life extension, the added benefit comes from the environmental perspective. The effective reuse of hydraulic oils will considerably improve a company’s environmental position - the more hydraulic oil that can be effectively cleaned and recycled, the less there is to dispose.
The process
To prove the concept and further understand just how much oil could be effectively cleaned and reused Osso undertook a series of trials on a Hydraulic Power Unit (HPU) using one of our high-speed oil separators and the results were powerful indeed.
Prior to commencing the test, samples of the fluid were taken and underwent particle analysis first by Osso and then by an independent third-party company to validate findings. The hydraulic oil in its current state was registering at NAS level 12.
The HPU used, had a tank capacity of 550 litters and utilised Black Gold HyTask S VG oil with a viscosity reading of 68 cSt at 40° and a density reading of 0.88 S.g. at 15.6°C
Comparable results
On completion of the cleaning process, samples were taken for a two-stage analysis, firstly by Osso and then independently by a third-party company validating our original results. the findings proved beyond question that the process and equipment used significantly improved the quality of the fuel, reducing the feed from NAS level 12 to NAS level 6. Furthermore, the analysis showed that for every 100ml of processed hydraulic oil the water content reduced significantly, with 100% of particles of 50 microns removed and almost 99% of particles between 5-15 micron were removed. The removal of the unwanted particulate and free water enabled 500 litters of hydraulic oil to be reused with a NAS level 6 reading, thus extending the life of the oil and reducing OPEX by more than 50%
Strong results
- Provided 500 litters of oil re-use
- Removed 100% of particles over 50 microns
- Removed 99% of particles between 5-15 microns
- Moved from NAS level 12 to NAS level 6
- More than 50% reduction on OPEX
Our methodology
Our approach is a full-service scalable model, starting from initial onsite inspection and oil analysis to equipment install, process management through to output discharge analysis and recommendations. By adopting a full-service model, we have the ability to move seamlessly from one unit to the next therefore avoiding lengthy downtime for ourselves and our clients.
