Predicting oil changes in industrial applications without interrupting operations
Predictive maintenance of hard-to-access plants, no unnecessary oil changes, no unnecessary laboratory costs and less environmental impact. These are just some of the benefits offered by a new system that can monitor the condition of lubricating oils, hydraulic oils and other fluids in industrial installations without interrupting ongoing operations. The method was developed by engineers from Saarbrücken in collaboration with project partners. The compact sensor system is available as a portable unit or can be built into industrial plants, wind turbines and other machinery. The system, which uses optical methods to measure the oil’s chemical makeup and the degree of particle loading, can also predict the best time for an oil change.
