Oil Analysis

Oil analysis is an industry recognized tool to help you monitor the condition of a piece of machinery, from an automotive engine to a million dollar main line turbine generator.

The Value of Oil Analysis

Oil Analysis is a key component in a proactive or predictive maintenance program.  The process includes determining the correct analysis for the machine or component, establishing a historical baseline of data, and creating alarm limits (condemning limits) that would require actions ranging from additional testing to machine shut-down and/or tear down.  The goal is to prevent expensive catastrophic failures and be able to schedule downtime for extensive equipment maintenance that would not infringe on production time.

To help monitor your test data, the analysis companies have online data available to allow you to quickly access the information after the test is completed by the laboratory. The labs will also contact you by fax or e-mail if you should have a critical test result.  Complimentary to your analysis program, IPC monitors all customer test results and reviews abnormal or critical results with a follow up phone call to the customer.

Which Oil Analysis System is right for me?

The correct oil analysis test slate is dependent on the type of component you are testing.  A viscosity reading is always a key test for any piece of machinery.  Engines, whether diesel or gas usually take a  common battery of elemental analysis for wear metals, contaminants, and additive content, plus others pertaining to soot, glycol and water. Natural gas engines require a slightly different slate. Gear boxes, hydraulic pumps and transmissions will also require different test slates that will include information critical to their longevity. Turbine units require specialized analysis procedures that go into far greater detail than the prior tests.

An IPC sales professional can help you determine the correct test procedures for your specific equipment needs.

How do I get started?

Contact an IPC sales professional and we will set up an appointment to discuss your needs and help you establish a program. We will work with your service technicians, manufacturers and laboratory personnel to help establish the proper test slate for your equipment. We will also discuss the online data access and any other features that may be of benefit to your equipment reliability.

Our goal is to supply you with the finest in quality lubricants, analysis and information to help you reduce your equipment operating costs.