Contamination control is an important part of a proactive maintenance strategy. The first step in keeping lubricants clean, cool and dry is to address the existing contaminants and measure their potential impact on the machinery and oils (failure modes). With this information, it will be easy to take the appropriate actions to maintain lubricants in good condition.
A wide variety of contaminants may be present in a lubricant depending on the environmental conditions, the specific materials utilized in the production process and the substances existing or generated internally in the lubrication system. Once a list of potential contaminants has been created, it will be necessary to determine their origin, such as whether they are from the environment, from maintenance activities or are generated internally in the machine. This step will be helpful in designing a plan to control the root causes of the contaminants.
(Read Noria's entire article, "How to Find the Source of Contaminants in Your Machines"...)
