Why can't the brand of lubricant be changed casually?
author: Leila
2024-07-16
In equipment and vehicle maintenance, various lubricants are necessary. It is common sense that different lubricants cannot be mixed, especially in the field of industrial lubrication. Noria, an American company, is a well-known equipment lubrication and equipment maintenance expert in the United States and internationally. According to Noria's many years of experience, blindly changing or mixing lubricants often causes subsequent failures. Therefore, it is best to carefully choose a suitable oil product from the beginning when using lubricants, so as not to change it frequently due to unsatisfactory performance.
Of course, this does not mean that lubricants cannot be changed. In actual use, some situations do require the replacement of lubricants, such as:
1) Streamlining lubricant brands: reducing and merging the lubricant brands in use - if the brands are too mixed, it will increase the risk of mixing and misusing oil products.
2) Changing lubricant suppliers.
3) Not satisfied with the performance of existing lubricants (too short oil change period, not resistant to high temperature, wear resistance, etc.), want to change to a better brand.
4) Existing lubricants are out of stock.
5) The price of existing lubricants is too high.
These factors all involve changing the brand of lubricants, so they should be changed when it is time. It is just that when changing, the compatibility of the new oil and the old oil should be fully evaluated, and the replacement should be carried out in the correct way. Before changing to a different brand of lubricant, if it is not handled in the correct way, the possible consequence is that the performance of the new oil will be affected, which will affect the operation of the equipment and cause equipment damage, and you will still be dissatisfied after changing it.
1. What are the hazards of changing the brand of lubricant?
Different brands of lubricants, even if they are of the same type and series, have different ingredients. Lubricants are chemical products, and different chemical components may react adversely after contact, resulting in adverse consequences. If you really need to change the brand of lubricant, you must first understand the risks of changing to a new oil. There are mainly the following risks when changing the brand of lubricant:
1) The new lubricant is incompatible with the current lubricant, and the old oil is difficult to clean. If two incompatible oils are mixed, the performance of the new oil will be affected.
2) The sludge, sediment, paint film, etc. left by the old oil are incompatible with the new oil.
3) The new oil is incompatible with equipment parts (oil seals, coatings, hoses, sealants, filter media, etc.)
4) The new oil is not suitable for the use environment: temperature, impurities, gases, chemicals, process products, etc.
Under different circumstances, changing the brand of lubricant has different risks. The following circumstances are more risky:
1) Old equipment: The original lubricant has been used for many years
2) The new oil and the old oil have not been strictly mixed, and the chemical composition of the new oil and the old oil is not understood
3) The equipment is under heavy load during operation
4) The new oil or the old oil formula contains special ingredients
5) Use at high temperature
2. How to detect the compatibility of two lubricants:
The mixing experiment of lubricants can be used to detect the compatibility of two lubricants. There are many industry standards, and the most common one is ASTM D7155. In the test, the two lubricants to be tested are mixed in a ratio of 50:50, 95:5 or 5:95 (the specific mixing ratio is determined by the mixing of the two oils in actual use).
After the two lubricants are mixed, they are kept at a certain temperature for full reaction. If there are problems such as precipitation, floccules, uneven mixing, reduced transparency of the oil, stratification, discoloration, etc., it means that the two lubricants are incompatible and no further testing of various properties is required. If none of these conditions exist, then it can be decided whether further testing is needed based on whether the equipment is important.
If the equipment is more important, further testing of various properties is required. For the mixed lubricants, test the filterability, anti-foaming, anti-oxidation, anti-rust, anti-emulsification and other properties. According to the operating conditions of the equipment, select certain items for key testing.
3. Cleaning the lubrication system:
If the new lubricant is incompatible with the old lubricant, equipment, or operating environment (such as gas generated during the process), and the oil does need to be changed, then choosing the correct oil change method can reduce the risk of replacement. Specific measures include completely removing the original oil, removing the remaining sediment, sludge and paint film.
Pay attention to carefully checking the cooler, oil filter equipment, various oil circuits, oil cylinders, etc. to find residual oil. After draining the oil, flushing oil (new oil or flushing oil) is then used to remove the remaining old oil. The flushing oil must be compatible with the new oil. The flushing oil should be properly heated and passed through the area where the internal residual oil is attached at high speed for the best effect. Many companies provide oil flushing services separately, which is worth considering. Chemical flushing fluids should be used with caution because they may be incompatible with the new oil, and residual flushing fluids may affect the performance of the new oil.
4. Monitoring after oil change:
After completing the rewashing and adding new oil, pay attention to subsequent monitoring. Increase the frequency of sampling bottles for oil testing, as well as machine inspections, and pay attention to whether there is an increase in foam, whether the oil becomes turbid, whether the transparency changes, whether there are signs of increased sludge, whether the oil temperature rises, whether the equipment runs smoothly, and whether there is no abnormal noise, etc. In addition, don't forget to update the information of the new oil.
Of course, this does not mean that lubricants cannot be changed. In actual use, some situations do require the replacement of lubricants, such as:
1) Streamlining lubricant brands: reducing and merging the lubricant brands in use - if the brands are too mixed, it will increase the risk of mixing and misusing oil products.
2) Changing lubricant suppliers.
3) Not satisfied with the performance of existing lubricants (too short oil change period, not resistant to high temperature, wear resistance, etc.), want to change to a better brand.
4) Existing lubricants are out of stock.
5) The price of existing lubricants is too high.
These factors all involve changing the brand of lubricants, so they should be changed when it is time. It is just that when changing, the compatibility of the new oil and the old oil should be fully evaluated, and the replacement should be carried out in the correct way. Before changing to a different brand of lubricant, if it is not handled in the correct way, the possible consequence is that the performance of the new oil will be affected, which will affect the operation of the equipment and cause equipment damage, and you will still be dissatisfied after changing it.
1. What are the hazards of changing the brand of lubricant?
Different brands of lubricants, even if they are of the same type and series, have different ingredients. Lubricants are chemical products, and different chemical components may react adversely after contact, resulting in adverse consequences. If you really need to change the brand of lubricant, you must first understand the risks of changing to a new oil. There are mainly the following risks when changing the brand of lubricant:
1) The new lubricant is incompatible with the current lubricant, and the old oil is difficult to clean. If two incompatible oils are mixed, the performance of the new oil will be affected.
2) The sludge, sediment, paint film, etc. left by the old oil are incompatible with the new oil.
3) The new oil is incompatible with equipment parts (oil seals, coatings, hoses, sealants, filter media, etc.)
4) The new oil is not suitable for the use environment: temperature, impurities, gases, chemicals, process products, etc.
Under different circumstances, changing the brand of lubricant has different risks. The following circumstances are more risky:
1) Old equipment: The original lubricant has been used for many years
2) The new oil and the old oil have not been strictly mixed, and the chemical composition of the new oil and the old oil is not understood
3) The equipment is under heavy load during operation
4) The new oil or the old oil formula contains special ingredients
5) Use at high temperature
2. How to detect the compatibility of two lubricants:
The mixing experiment of lubricants can be used to detect the compatibility of two lubricants. There are many industry standards, and the most common one is ASTM D7155. In the test, the two lubricants to be tested are mixed in a ratio of 50:50, 95:5 or 5:95 (the specific mixing ratio is determined by the mixing of the two oils in actual use).
After the two lubricants are mixed, they are kept at a certain temperature for full reaction. If there are problems such as precipitation, floccules, uneven mixing, reduced transparency of the oil, stratification, discoloration, etc., it means that the two lubricants are incompatible and no further testing of various properties is required. If none of these conditions exist, then it can be decided whether further testing is needed based on whether the equipment is important.
If the equipment is more important, further testing of various properties is required. For the mixed lubricants, test the filterability, anti-foaming, anti-oxidation, anti-rust, anti-emulsification and other properties. According to the operating conditions of the equipment, select certain items for key testing.
3. Cleaning the lubrication system:
If the new lubricant is incompatible with the old lubricant, equipment, or operating environment (such as gas generated during the process), and the oil does need to be changed, then choosing the correct oil change method can reduce the risk of replacement. Specific measures include completely removing the original oil, removing the remaining sediment, sludge and paint film.
Pay attention to carefully checking the cooler, oil filter equipment, various oil circuits, oil cylinders, etc. to find residual oil. After draining the oil, flushing oil (new oil or flushing oil) is then used to remove the remaining old oil. The flushing oil must be compatible with the new oil. The flushing oil should be properly heated and passed through the area where the internal residual oil is attached at high speed for the best effect. Many companies provide oil flushing services separately, which is worth considering. Chemical flushing fluids should be used with caution because they may be incompatible with the new oil, and residual flushing fluids may affect the performance of the new oil.
4. Monitoring after oil change:
After completing the rewashing and adding new oil, pay attention to subsequent monitoring. Increase the frequency of sampling bottles for oil testing, as well as machine inspections, and pay attention to whether there is an increase in foam, whether the oil becomes turbid, whether the transparency changes, whether there are signs of increased sludge, whether the oil temperature rises, whether the equipment runs smoothly, and whether there is no abnormal noise, etc. In addition, don't forget to update the information of the new oil.
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