Important of Oil Filtration in Systems

As hydraulic technology has advanced over the years, keeping the hydraulic fluid free from impurities and particle contaminants is more important than ever before. With tighter tolerances and ever-increasing pressure loads, contaminated hydraulic fluid can have tremendous detrimental effects on the equipment.

That’s why having the right filtration equipment for hydraulic systems is so critical. The filters remove many of the contaminants that could otherwise compromise the performance of your system or cause significant damage to your equipment.

However, not all hydraulic fluid filtration systems are the same. By familiarizing yourself with the various types of filtration available, you can be sure that your hydraulic machinery will keep working at its best.

Of all these roles, lubrication is the most often overlooked — but it’s also one of the most important functions of hydraulic fluid. As component parts move in close proximity to each other within hydraulic equipment, the fluid provides a thin cushion between them, preventing components from rubbing against each other. Friction can quickly result in decreased performance and early equipment failure.

This is especially true for newer machinery, which can contain clearances of only 1 to 2 microns. These components are typically very sensitive. Maintaining that slim clearance is necessary to keep them working accurately.

There are a number of different kinds of contaminants, each of which can negatively affect your hydraulic systems. However, when it comes to filtration systems, the primary target is particles

As you use your hydraulic equipment, you’ll encounter several different kinds of particle contamination in your hydraulic fluid. These particles are often too small to see, measuring less than 40 microns in size, which is not visible to naked eye. Especially work hardened particles are almost as hard as a diamond. However, that’s more than enough to cause problems with your equipment, where tight tolerances are increasingly common.

Dirt, sand, grit, and other particles often make their way into your equipment over the course of operation. No matter how well your components are sealed, there’s almost always some way for these particles to make their way into your system — including through the hydraulic fluid itself. degrade, and components will occasionally come into contact with each other, generating small particulates that enter your hydraulic fluid. This effect tends to accumulate by a magnitude: These particles lead to the creation of more wear and more particulates.

Finally, it’s not uncommon to encounter particulates remaining from the process of manufacturing the equipment. Luckily, this contamination can be easily removed by flushing the equipment before assembling.

Other particles are created by the natural function of your equipment. Over time, seals begin to wear out and and components may occasionally come into contact with each other. Some seals get hardened over a period of time, depending on its properties.

When it comes to particle contamination, the first step is exclusion. The more particulates you can keep out of your system, the less chance there is that your system is going to suffer degraded performance or damage

However, as stated before, even the best-sealed system can’t keep all external particulates out, and the day-to-day wear and tear of operation will inevitably lead to the generation of particles. That’s what makes hydraulic fluid filtration systems so vitally important.

As particulates enter your hydraulic fluid, they can start to cause problems almost immediately. Large particles can end up in the tight spaces between components, compromising the ability of the hydraulic fluid to provide proper lubrication. This can lead to the generation of more particles. In more severe cases, it can cause parts to seize or jam, which usually leads to expensive and time-consuming repairs.

Particles can also clump together in the fluid, creating sludge or precipitates. These substances can cause even more problems, gumming up the operation of moving components and potentially clogging nozzles, jets, and other parts that rely on suction.

When these particles become trapped in tight clearances, they can wear away at the components, acting like sandpaper and grinding away at the surface of bores, pistons, valves, and other vital parts. This damage can quickly lead to severe mechanical problems, along with the need to replace parts prematurely.

Hydraulic fluid filtration systems are designed to strain out the vast majority of these particles, keeping them from entering vulnerable areas of your hydraulic systems. While filters can’t remove every single particle from your hydraulic fluid, the amount they do trap can help to ensure that your equipment lasts as long as possible, while reducing the need to replace the hydraulic fluid in your system.

On the most basic level, hydraulic fluid filtration involves passing the fluid in your equipment through a strainer, typically made of fiberglass or cellulose. As the fluid passes through the filter, larger particles become trapped, while the fluid continues to pass through. The filters continue to accumulate particulates until they become saturated, at which point they’re either cleaned or replaced.

Of course, there’s more to it than that. With the increased demands of modern hydraulic systems, keeping your hydraulic fluid clean is more important than ever before.

There are several different types of filters, and most systems will incorporate several different strainers throughout their system to increase the effectiveness of their hydraulic fluid filtration.

These filters are located in the discharge line of the pump. Particles which escape the suction strainer are trapped in this filter. Generally in such filters a 10 micron element is used.

The element of this filter can clog due to particle entrapment and so it essentially must have a clogging indicator to diagnose the clogging level.

Clogging indicator also known as Pressure differential indicators, comes in two variants

Off-line filters are quickly gaining in popularity as a hydraulic fluid filtration option. These filters work independently of the primary hydraulic unit. They include a separate pump and plumbing hardware, where they can pump fluid from the reservoir through the filter and return it directly to the reservoir.

While ensuring that you have the right hydraulic fluid filtration equipment installed in your hydraulic system is the first step, the most important thing is to maintain those filters over the course of normal operation.

Start with Clean Fluid -

Hydraulic fluid filtration systems aren’t designed to restore fluid that already has a high concentration of particles. The filters would quickly clog, and you’d be left with a new problem.

Instead, filters are intended to preserve fluid, which means you’ll get the most out of your filters by starting with fresh hydraulic fluid.

Change or Clean Your Filters -

As particles become trapped in your filters, the volume of fluid that can pass through will continue to decrease. This leads to increased pressures in your system, and that can lead to a number of problems, including lowered performance and pump damage.

Keep Records -

No matter what maintenance you’re performing on your hydraulic machinery, you should keep accurate notes. This is especially true for your hydraulic fluid filtration system. A simple method is to use a Milipore paper and pour a drop of the fluid before & after filtration.