Oil analysis starts with a sample. But where & how?

March 05, 2020

by The GVS Team

Oil analysis is about consistency.

Consistent Location

Consistent Procedure

Consistent Frequency

This can also be said for most other CM methods such as vibration, ultrasound & thermography, however, most of these have certain known signatures or patterns of failure.

Oil analysis is a little different as it often relies on a trend or an overall picture. So, if a sample is taken from a different location it could potentially lead to false data resulting in unnecessary repairs, chasing your tail OR worse, miss the actual issue that is present.

So where are you taking the sample from?

The dipstick, the breather cap or perhaps a mid flow sample from the drain valve?

Yes, all these have direct line to the reservoir however how can you be sure this is a ‘TRUE’ sample? When you fed the tube in, did you hit the side or bottom collecting dirt/debris (old data)? Did you introduce contaminants? When you took the mid flow sample from the drain valve, was it done in time before the debris settled?

A proper sample should be taken from an area of turbulent flow or the ‘Live Zone‘. The only way this can be done ‘consistently‘ and eliminate the potential for contamination is to use a dedicated sampling valve with pilot tube. We understand that most OEM’s don’t provide this hardware so in most cases this will need to be retrofitted. This can be troublesome however Luneta’s flagship product, the Condition Monitoring Pod or CMPOD, is a multi inspection tool which can be easily installed into existing ports. Not only does it give you the ability to take samples direct from the ‘Live Zone’ but enhances daily visual inspections via the 3D sight glass, corrosion indicator & magnetic plug.

Luneta Industry Photo