Municipalities

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.

• Examples of equipment monitored:
• Emergency Backup generators
• Wastewater pumps and gearboxes
• Pump station air compressors
• Power plants

In addition to oil analysis, municipalities often need to measure FOG for industrial wastewater and water entering public water treatment plants. Spectro Scientific offers this simplified procedure for monitoring FOG discharges to help customers avoid fines or regulators to catch high FOG discharges that can result in sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs). In most cases, treatment plants are forced to wait for days or even weeks before receiving off-site laboratory results. Now, they can have results in a mere 15 minutes. 

Challenges

Municipal water and wastewater plants, along with other municipal services typically run on a very tight budget. The costs of laboratory oil analysis and changing oil in expensive equipment can be quite large. Bringing oil analysis in house cuts down on testing costs. It also enables extending the drain interval on oil changes for expensive pieces of equipment. Without frequent testing, most municipalities change the oil on a time-based schedule according to the OEM's recommendations. This can lead to more frequent oil changes than necessary. On site testing allows you to change the oil only when necessary saving on operating expenses without sacrificing reliablity. 

FOG - It's difficult to monitor a waste stream for regulatory compliance if you have to wait days or weeks to receive test results from a laboratory. With the InfraCal2, a sample can be taken and tested in just a few minutes to get results in a timely manner.

The InfraCal 2 Analyzer is a compact, lightweight and battery operated, making it an ideal solution for operating in the range of ambient conditions typically found in field environments. The measurement by infrared absorption makes use of the fact that hydrocarbons such as fats, oils, and grease are extracted from wastewater or soil through the use of an appropriate solvent.

Typical Tests

Wear

Particle Count

A high particle count or a rapid increase in particles can foreshadow an imminent failure. 

Ferrous wear

Ferrous wear measurement is a critical requirement for monitoring machine condition. The high sensitivity magnetometer measures and reports ferrous content in ppm/ml, and provides ferrous particle count and size distribution for large ferrous particles.

Chemistry

Total Acid Number (TAN)

TAN is measured to determine the corrosive potential of lubrication oils. If the TAN gets too high the oil can induce corrosion of machine parts and should be changed.

Viscosity

The main function of lubrication oil is to create and maintain a lubrication film between two moving metal surfaces. Insuring the viscosity is within recommended ranges is one of the most important tests one can run on lube oil. 

Contamination

Water

Water contamination in industrial oils can cause severe issues with machinery components.  The presence of water can alter the viscosity of a lubricant as well as cause chemical changes resulting in additive depletion and the formation of acids, sludge, and varnish.

FOG

• Comparable to EPA 1664
• Complies with ASTM D7066
• Operable from vehicle for on-site compliance testing
• Test industrial wastewater before releasing
• Provides on-site results in under 15 minutes

Municipality Products

MiniLab 153 - Comprehensive Oil Analyzer For Industrial Machinery

Comprehensive Oil Analysis Solutions For Industrial Machinery With four simple test, the MiniLab 153 delivers comprehensive on-site oil analysis, providing immediate actionable results, saving time and reducing costs. Highlights of this system include:

• One product, delivering lab-quality analysis outside of the lab.
• Simplified workflow for the non-expert user, no chemist required. 
• Simplified data handling and report interpretation via OilView and Trivector reporting.

MiniLab 53 - Oil Analyzer For Industrial Machinery

With three simple test, the MiniLab 53 delivers comprehensive on-site oil analysis, providing immediate actionable results, saving time and reducing costs. Highlights of this system include:

• One product, delivering lab-quality analysis outside of the lab
• Simplified workflow for the non-expert user, no chemist required 
• Simplified data handling and report interpretation via OilView and Trivector reporting

Resources

On-site Oil Analysis for Machine Condition Monitoring

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