The Adverse Impact of Suction Line Filtration

Filters in hydraulic systems are crucial for preserving fluid cleanliness, aiming to extend the lifespan of system components. However, it’s essential to recognize that certain filter placements, such as in the suction line, can have detrimental effects.

From a filtration standpoint, the pump intake serves as an optimal location for filtering media. This positioning minimizes both high fluid velocity, which can disturb trapped particles, and the high pressure-drop across the element, which might force particles through the media, thus enhancing filter efficiency. Yet, these benefits can be outweighed by the flow restriction the element introduces in the intake line, negatively impacting Car Lift Repair Orlando pump longevity.

However, the restriction caused by such a strainer, compounded by factors like low fluid temperatures and clogging, heightens the risk of a partial vacuum forming at the pump inlet. Excessive vacuum at this point can lead to cavitation erosion and mechanical damage.

Cavitation Erosion

The formation of gas or vapor bubbles within the fluid due to a partial vacuum can result in cavitation erosion when these bubbles implode under elevated pressures at the pump outlet. This erosion damages critical components and contaminates the Car Lift Repair Orlando hydraulic fluid with wear particles, potentially leading to pump failure.

Mechanical Damage

The mechanical forces induced by a partial vacuum at the Car Lift Repair Orlando pump inlet can cause catastrophic failure. In various pump designs, including axial and vane pumps, this vacuum-induced tension can lead to detachment of essential components, accelerated wear, and ultimately, system failure.

Considering the potential harm suction strainers can inflict on pumps, the rationale behind their use warrants scrutiny. While they are often fitted to exclude debris from entering the pump, alternative preventive measures and the limitations of strainer effectiveness raise questions about their necessity.

Trash Exclusion

While the argument for fitting suction strainers to protect pumps from debris seems reasonable, properly designed reservoirs with adequate pump intake positioning can mitigate this risk. Furthermore, the reliance on suction strainers to address maintenance negligence overlooks the more effective solution of preventing contaminants from entering the reservoir in the first place.

Warranty

The belief that the absence of suction strainers voids pump manufacturers’ warranties is another misconception. Manufacturer warranties typically exclude damage caused by foreign objects smaller than strainer mesh or cavitation resulting from strainer clogging. Thus, warranty coverage is unlikely to be affected by the presence or absence of suction strainers.

In cases where suction filtration is deemed necessary, careful consideration should be given to filter selection and maintenance. Filters located outside the reservoir are preferable to internal suction strainers due to ease of access for servicing. Additionally, proper sizing and monitoring, along with the incorporation of bypass valves, are essential to minimize pressure drop and safeguard pump integrity.

While a piece of machinery may endure without alteration throughout its lifespan, the same cannot be said for the lubricants it relies on.

Constant advancements in lubricant formulation and management underscore the importance of employing good manufacturing practices during their development to forestall breakdowns.

Ironically, many plant managers settle for merely adequate lubrication of machinery, considering breakdowns an inevitable aspect of operations, despite the considerable costs incurred from mechanical repairs, lost production, and downtime.

The Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance (JIPM) advocates for machinery breakdowns to be rare occurrences, asserting that proper and effective lubrication can avert the majority of mechanical failures.

Total Productive Maintenance

JIPM’s principles for total productive maintenance advocate for manufacturers to pursue perfection in production. It emphasizes achieving zero accidents, zero defects, and zero failures as the ultimate objective.

Such commitment necessitates wholehearted support from all employees, spanning from executives to factory floor workers, as well as engagement across various departments beyond production, including product development, marketing, and administration.

Nevertheless, ensuring correct and adequate lubrication for all machinery is paramount. Machinery failures frequently stem from the use of improper lubricants or incorrect application of the right ones.

Issues can arise from using the wrong type or amount of oil or grease, neglecting regular fluid changes or top-ups, experiencing oil contamination, or employing lubricants with unsuitable viscosity, weak oxidation resistance, or inadequate thermal stability.

Plant operators should demand assistance from their lubricant suppliers to ensure these requirements are met.

Reputable lubricant manufacturers typically offer a comprehensive range of oils and greases, backed by extensive technical support and research capabilities.

Their experienced specialists should dedicate time to understand a plant’s operations and address specific issues through services such as preventive maintenance advice, lubrication and equipment diagnostics, consulting and training, fluid conditioning, and lubrication program management.

These Car Lift Repair Orlando specialists should offer guidance on selecting products for particular equipment and applications, propose methods to streamline and reduce the number of products without compromising system performance, assess machinery lubrication needs, conduct lubricant diagnostics, train employees, and provide on-site lubricant reclamation and filtering services.

Supplier Responsibilities

It’s imperative for the supplier to foster a close collaboration with Car Lift Repair Orlando original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and industry associations to stay abreast of both current and anticipated performance requirements for machinery lubricants.

In many instances, the operational specifications set by manufacturers for their lubricants, such as water separation capabilities, may exceed the standards established by OEMs or general industry benchmarks.

In essence, the lubricants supplier should transcend the role of merely providing oil and grease drums and instead function as a strategic partner, continuously striving to enhance value within the manufacturing process.

The personnel of the lubricant company should possess the capability to assess entire plant systems, identifying services that optimize processes while yielding the highest return on investment.

This survey should encompass all machinery components, including equipment, motors, gearboxes, bearings, and bushings. Consultation with Car Lift Repair Orlando operating manuals or OEMs is essential to define lubrication requirements and frequencies, with critical equipment possibly necessitating additional analyses such as used oil or vibration assessments.

Software Solutions

Given the occasional deviation from lubricant specifications by employees, manufacturers should contemplate the adoption of lubrication management software to ensure precise application of the correct Car Lift Repair Orlando lubricant, in the appropriate quantity, and at the right intervals.