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How to Read the POLARIS Laboratories® Oil Analysis Report
Reading an oil analysis report can be an overwhelming and sometimes seemingly impossible task without an understanding of the basic fundamentals for interpreting laboratory results and recommendations. Referring to the report descriptions and explanations below will help you better understand your results and, ultimately, better manage a productive, cost-saving reliability program.
Customer, Equipment and Sample Information
The information submitted with a sample is as important to who is reading the report as it is to the analyst interpreting the test results and making recommendations. Know your equipment and share this information with your laboratory. Accurate, thorough and complete lube and equipment information not only allows for in-depth analysis, but can eliminate confusion and the difficulties that can occur when interpreting results.
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Recommendations
A data analyst's job is to explain and, if necessary, recommend actions for rectifying significant changes in a unit's condition. Reviewing comments before looking at the actual test results will provide a roadmap to the report's most important information. Any actions that need to be taken are listed first in order of severity. Justifications for recommending those actions immediately follow.
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Elemental Analysis
Elemental Analysis, or Spectroscopy, identifies the type and amount of wear particles, contamination and oil additives. Determining metal content can alert you to the type and severity of wear occurring in the unit. Measurements are expressed in parts per million (ppm). Consult the POLARIS Laboratories® Wear Metals Guide for a quick reference to possible wear metal sources.
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Test Data
Test results are listed according to age of the sample - oldest to most recent, top to bottom - so that trends are apparent. Significant changes are flagged and printed in the gray areas of the report.
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Special Testing
Special testing is often done when additional, or more specific, information is needed. For example, an Analytical Ferrograph might be requested when a ferrous metal larger than 5 microns has been detected by Direct Read Ferrography. The AF can determine actual size of the particle, its composition - iron, copper, etc. - and the type of wear it's creating - rubbing, sliding, cutting, etc. Additional special testing could include Water by Karl Fischer and RPVOT (Rotating Vessel Oxidation Test).
Summary
At POLARIS Laboratories®, our data analysts place a wealth of information at your disposal. We provide timely, accurate reporting through our free Internet service, HORIZON. COMPASS, our PC-based data management software, makes that information work for you. Make a habit of reading your analysis reports regularly. Know your equipment and share as much information with your laboratory as possible. Understanding your reports and being able to utilize analysis results to schedule downtime and productively manage your reliability programming, is a vital part of successful predictive and preventive maintenance.
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