AMETEK Spectro Scientific applications

Engine manufacturers use Spectro Scientific oil analysis instruments to assist in engine testing during new product development, testing engines during manufacturing run-in, and for qualifying new lubricants. Engines include: Gasoline and diesel automobile engines. Truck and other high speed diesel engines. Medium speed diesel engines such as those used for locomotives, marine and power generation. Extremely large low speed diesel engines for marine propulsion and power generation. Motorcycle engines. High performance race car engines.

Grand Prix racing utilizes cutting-edge high performance engines operation at extreme RPMs and temperatures. To keep the very valuable engines operational and competitive requires a team of mechanics paying careful attention to the engine and lubricant condition. To support this, engine condition monitoring based on oil analysis has become a widely practiced technique by Formula One racing teams. Not only do the racing teams themselves take Spectro Scientific instruments to races, but the companies that design, build and test racing engines also are Spectro Scientific customers. We welcome the opportunity to continue to be of service to existing customers and to assist new customers with their oil analysis instrumentation requirements.

Machine condition monitoring based on oil analysis has become an important, if not mandatory, maintenance practice by the transportation industry. An effective oil analysis program will keep important transportation industry assets such as engines in gearboxes in trains, buses and any other oil-wetted machinery in operation by reducing unexpected failures and costly unscheduled downtime.

Manufacturers of food and beverages typically have a high volume of product passing through their facilities at all times. For this reason, any unexpected downtime can be very costly in terms of lost production. In addition, many food and beverage facilities have difficult challenges associated with lubricant contamination. Many of these facilities have a lot of water or steam being used to clean and sterilize products and packaging. Water can get into the lubrication oil and become a very troublesome contaminant. Facilities also often deal with airborne contaminants like sugar and other fine, powdery foods that can contaminate oils. Often there are special oils used that comply with NSF standard like H1, H2 and H3. So any oil analysis must be able to handle these specialty lubricants.

Machine condition monitoring using oil analysis is a predictive maintenance solution for industrial environments. An oil analysis program allows for reduction in unexpected failures and costly downtime for manufacturing components such as gears, pumps, compressors, engines, bearings, hydraulic systems, and other machinery.

Metals processing industries employ large, critical assets, the reliability of which is absolutely essential to their business model. An undetected failure of a piece of processing equipment such as a rolling mill gearbox, or a 1000 ton extruder press not only involves the cost of equipment repair and line downtime, but the product quality may be severely impacted. Today more than ever, there is also less redundancy. Oil analysis is a critical aspect of a reliability based maintenance program, and for many large slow speed systems, it is the first line of protection. Spectro’s oil analysis solutions are designed to monitor this critical oil lubricated machinery, and provide the asset owners with timely information for reliability decision support.

Overview

Cities and towns are often responsible for maintaining critical assets such as water and wastewater treatment facilities and power generation plants. Oil analysis on this critical equipment as part of a robust maintenance program is a very cost effective way of failure avoidance. Additionally, greater emphasis on environmental conservation and a focus on delivering critical services while operating under reduced budgets leads municipalities to activate these programs. Spectro oil analysis solutions are used by many municipalities to monitor treatment plant gearboxes and backup diesel generators, and avoid costly lubrication mixups.

Power plants are expected to operate 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Downtime and equipment derating (when a generator fails to deliver power at its rated capacity) can cost a power plant thousands of dollars per hour. The cost of replacing failed equipment is also extremely high. Vibration analysis by itself is not enough to anticipate catastrophic failures. Oil analysis is often able to detect problems at a much earlier stage than vibration analysis. This is why more and more power plants are bringing oil analysis capabilities in house.

Machine condition monitoring based on oil analysis has become an important, if not mandatory, maintenance practice for pulp and paper companies. An effective oil analysis program will keep important manufacturing assets such as pumps, gears, bearings, compressors, engines, hydraulic systems and other oil-wetted machinery in operation by reducing unexpected failures and costly unscheduled downtime. For pulp and paper companies the drying roll is at the heart of production and downtime can cost many thousands of dollars an hour for larger facilities. Consequently the oil-wetted machinery, in a paper rolling machine, consisting primarily of gears and bearings is of critical importance.

Machine condition monitoring based on oil analysis has become an important, if not mandatory, maintenance practice by the marine industry. An effective oil analysis program will keep important assets such as engines, gearboxes, hydraulic systems, turbines, compressors, generators and any other oil-wetted machinery in operation by reducing unexpected failures and costly unscheduled down time.