A condition monitoring program in which samples from running equipment are tested on a schedule and trended. The core slate covers viscosity, elements by spectrometry, water, particle count, acid number and FTIR, with ferrography, MPC or RPVOT added for critical assets. The results answer three questions: is the oil still fit for service, what is getting into it, and is something inside the machine wearing. Trends matter far more than any single number.
Oil analysis flagged silicon and aluminum on the crusher, that breather is letting dust straight in.
A bad sample is worse than no sample. Same port, same bottle type, same running condition every time, or the trend line means nothing.
Also heard as
- used oil analysis
- UOA
- lube oil analysis
Related terms
Elemental analysis
Spectrometric measurement of wear metals, contaminants and additive elements in oil, in parts per million.
Particle count
Count of solid particles per volume of oil, sorted by size, used to track dirt and wear debris.
Analytical ferrography
Microscope study of wear particles pulled from oil by a magnet, used to identify how a machine is wearing.
Live zone
Spot in a circulating system where oil is moving and well mixed, the right place to pull a sample.
TAN
Total acid number: milligrams of potassium hydroxide needed to neutralize the acids in one gram of oil.