Oil Cleanliness

Particle Counting

Performing oil analysis on a regular basis is of upmost importance. Oil analysis reports can give you a detailed insight of your oil condition, like the oil viscosity, Acid Number value, water content, additive concentration, and the amount of wear metals. Don’t forget to measure your Oil Contamination levels as well.

Particle counting - ISO 4406.

When using a particle counter, the number of particles ≥4 μm, ≥6 μm and ≥14 μm in a 100 ml oil sample are counted. The 3 particle amounts are then categorised in class codes which equates the cleanliness class.

For example: ISO 18 / 15 / 12 means that the oil contains 130,000 up to 250,000 particles ≥4 μm, 16,000 up to 32,000 particles ≥6 μm, and 2,000 up to 4,000 particles ≥14 μm, per 100 ml of oil.

Prolonging the Service Life of System Components. The service life of hydraulic and lubrication system components varies distinctly according to the cleanliness level.