Lubrication Management:

Gearbox Contamination Control

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Robust and reliable, gearboxes are designed to provide many years of service with very limited maintenance requirements. Recent trends in equipment design require them to operate with increased power requirements, higher speeds and higher stresses. This adds to the importance of initial equipment set-up, maintenance operating conditions, and the quality and performance of the lubricant to ensure reliable operation. While incorrect operating temperatures, misalignment and resonant vibrations typically provide a slow path of component degradation, lubrication condition and contamination will lead to rapid and unnecessary wear, and the eventual failure of the unit itself.

Controlling Contamination
A contaminant is any substance that enters a system and adversely affects its function or reliability. Contaminants such as solids, water and gases (primarily air) will react with lubricants also decreasing the life of rotating equipment. Fluids must be protected from these contaminants by a comprehensive contamination-control program. Understanding the contaminants and their origin will provide clues as to how they can be excluded, removed, or their effects neutralized. Contaminants can be built-in due to manufacturing or maintenance processes, or they may enter a system while parts of it are open during construction or repair. They can also be internally generated as a result of system operation, such as wear debris, compounds of chemical reactions, or substances resulting from decomposition of the fluid or its additives. The most common source of entry is through breather caps, imperfect seals, or other unplanned openings during normal operation of the equipment. This includes

the addition of fluid during initial fills or top-ups. Original Equipment Manufacturers will provide their own equipment specific requirements for targets and limits of contamination in their maintenance manuals or service bulletins. In most cases, these targets are not adequate or even meet the specifications of the bearing manufacturers.

TYPCIAL GEARBOX (OEM) REQUIRMENTS Gearbox (OEM) 25 =200 Max 21/15 Max. 0.05% (500 ppm) Bearing (OEM) 6 = 200 Max 14/11 Max. 0.05% (500 ppm)

Filtration (ISO 4572) ISO Particle Count (ISO 4406) Water Concentration

As system or environmental temperatures change, the lubricant and air inside the sump will expand and contract; forcing air into or out of the housing.

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When inhaling, the air carries the contaminants of the local environment into the gearbox or bearing housing. Managing this source of contamination is the first step towards controlling the quality of lubricant inside the gearbox. Typical methods to allow for this breathing are a small hole in the cap, or a very poor quality strainer style vent that will not adequately protect the gearbox or maintain the OEM specified fluid requirements.

METHODS OF EXCLUSION Open Vent Metal Screen Cellulose Filter Filter Pads Microglass Filter Desiccant Silica Gel 3m Filter/ Desiccant Silica Gel Activated Carbon Activated Carbon / 3m Filter 3m Filter,/Silica Gel /Activated Carbon Expansion Bladder Systems

X X X X X

X X X X

< 5 MICRONS

X X X X X

X X X

X X X

X X X X X

Note: All breathers must be properly sized and

Choosing the proper breather starts with understanding the environment around the housing. Oil sampling and testing, coupled with investigating the surrounding environment, will ensure that the type of contaminants and source of entry are addressed. The following chart lists some of the breather exclusion methods along with the contaminants that they restrict from entering the housing headspace.

Breathers that contain filters or desiccant can become plugged with debris or saturated with water. When this happens the sump will have no other option but to exhaust the air through the seals causing leakage and a new source of contamination. It is important to monitor the condition of the breather frequently to ensure that it is operating properly and change it when it is not. Filter minders or breather condition monitors are highly effective to provide a quick and easy visual indicator of the breather condition.

Closing a system completely with an expansion chamber or bladder system will eliminate the need to change drying agents, however must be sized according to the amount of expansion within the sump.

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FUMES/ODOUR X X X

CONTAMINANTS EXCLUDED SOLID PARTICLES > 50 MICRONS < 10 MICRONS AIR BORNE WATER

These chambers capture the air inside the sump as it expands then allows the bladder to retract as the air contracts. If not properly sized these units can cause any excess expansion of air to occur through the seals causing leakage and allowing contaminants to enter the system.

Lubrication Management for Gearboxes/Reducers combines: Maintaining headspace quality Operating within the designed operating conditions Use of dedicated and/or portable filtration for contamination control A competent oil analysis program for maintaining the specific physical, chemical and cleanliness standards throughout the life of the lubricant

SUMMARY
Temperature, pressure, contaminants, aeration, water, metal particles, and agitation accelerate the oxidation process (destruction) of lubricants. Combine that with the destructive nature of solid particles trapped between rolling elements, raceways and gear teeth, and the result is the sacrifice of equipment performance and reliability.

Controlling contamination will help extend the life of equipment and the frequency of lubricant change outs. A few simple to install, value added parts can provide improved reliability and lower costs for all rotating equipment.

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Products
Expansion Chambers
Expansion Chambers are commonly used to replace a breather. They effectively closes off environmental contamination on small reservoirs, gearboxes, reducers, bearing housings, pump housing, etc. Note: proper sizing is imperative.

Desiccant Breathers
Desiccant Breathers are commonly used for reservoirs, gearboxes, reducers, bearing housings, etc. They available in various sizes and configurations including: microglass, activated carbon, silica gel and by-pass options. Note: proper sizing is imperative

EX Series Desiccant Breathers

In addition to the features of our standard desiccant breathers these also include a check valve to extend the life of the desiccant and are re-buildable. Note: proper sizing is imperative

Filter Minder
The filter minder serves as an indicator of the service life of the fiflter. The indicator will provide a quick visual check whether the filter is performing properly.

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Condition monitoring programs require equipment specific knowledge to set-up and execute an oil analysis program that is effective and efficient. Completely understanding the fluid path(s) of a lubrication system will allow for the identification of the optimum sampling location(s) for critical locations and/or components of the system. This location in many cases can appear inaccessible or samples in reducing maintenance costs. =

For more information about reducing the amount of contaminants entering your gearboxes please contact us

Maximum RPM
1000 Windmill Road Suite 38 1.902.444.4252 www.maximumrpm.ca sales@maximumrpm.ca

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