Minimac Systems Pvt. Ltd.

  Contamination is the major cause of failure for any lubricated mechanical element. Wear can easily be identified by monitoring the shape and composition of contaminants. To identify and monitor the source of contaminants, Particle Analyzer plays a very crucial role. It analyzes the solid contamination in a lubricant by counting the number of particles and categorising the degree of contamination according to the particle size. The particle analyzer is considered to be one of the most important tests in oil analysis, as it determines a wide variety of problems easily. It monitors the amount and size of the particles in an oil sample. There are many uses of particle analyzer including testing filter leaks, checking real-time cleanliness and filter efficiency, creating testing routines, etc. Benefits of Particle Analysis There are enormous benefits; some of them are as follows: It allows “real-time” analysis of oil It confirms the corrective maintenance, needs for ferrography, and syste

  Greasing is an important process that ensures the smooth functioning of machines. Let’s understand these two aspects first - Over greasing and Under greasing. To determine which of these is more problematic could be difficult but we can definitely decide which one is more damaging. Too much grease can generate excessive heat in the bearing and may result in seal failure. When the lip seals rupture because of over greasing, it allows the harmful contaminants to enter the bearing housing. This would create excessive pressure and may collapse the bearing race. On the other hand, not putting enough grease may cause damage to the rotating parts. Under greasing allows contaminants to enter the load zones. We can say that it's better to avoid both aspects of over and under greasing. How to determine the amount of grease a bearing needs? The factor responsible for determining the right amount of grease depends on the dimensions of the bearing or its housing. Greasing must be done based o

  What is a Turbine EH System ? Electro-Hydraulic Control system (EHC system) of a turbine is the most critical equipment of a power plant. It’s the heart of a turbine which controls steam flow into the turbine. A malfunctioning EHC system can lead to turbine stoppage and thereafter create a dominoes effect on the synchronized processes of the power plant. Breakdown-free and reliable operation of the EHC system is the biggest challenge of an Operation & Maintenance Manager. To learn more follow: https://www.linkedin.com/company/minimacsystemsprivatetlimited Due to high steam pressure & temperature in the vicinity of a steam turbine, as safety compliance, it is a mandate to use Fire Resistant Fluids (FRF) for hydraulic control of the EHC system. A specially designed synthetic fluid called tri-xylenyl phosphate ester demonstrates best fire resistant properties for the application. Phosphate esters are polar fluids with excellent lubricating properties that can operate under extre

  Routine Oil sampling and analysis are crucial for a successful maintenance program. It provides important information to determine the condition of the equipment. Sampling is a vital procedure for collecting fluid from machinery for the purpose of oil analysis. The results and reports of oil analysis depend on the quality of the oil sample. Thus, oil sampling must be performed keeping some important goals in mind - To MAXIMIZE the Data Density. To MAXIMIZE Consistency. To MAXIMIZE Relevance. To MINIMIZE Data Disturbance. There can be three ways of extracting samples from a component - drain port, drop-tube (in a vacuum pump), and a dedicated sampling point. A common mistake is taking an oil sample from the reservoir in circulating and hydraulic systems. Taking samples from the tank is not a best practice. If the sample is taken from the drain lines before emptying the tank, the concentration of wear metal would be much higher. Let’s discuss the common mistakes of oil sampling which c

  Oils are used to reduce friction, heat and wear between mechanical components that are in contact with each other. Lubricants are like the blood of your machines. As blood sampling represents the well being of a human body so does the lubricants in case of machines. However, a wrong sampling technique might not reveal the true condition of the machine and thus, leads to the wrong representation and pre-mature breakdown. Thus,  MINIMAC SYSTEMS  is starting this #knowyouroil series under which we will make you aware of: How to collect a sample Type of contaminants and how they are harmful for your machines Oil analysis and how to decode it Oil changes are mostly done under two conditions: On the basis of time or operating hours On the basis of oil condition Most of the time, changing oil based on time or operating hours is expensive and hence, changing based on oil condition is more viable. At this juncture, an Oil Analysis Report is key to decision making. For accurate oil analysis, c

  As Wendell Berry once said, "The Earth is what we all have in common." Earth Day is the only secular festival on the globe. This celebration aims to thank mother earth for nurturing us and giving us all it has. People swear to plant trees, restore the earth, and not exploit the environment. Every year we see many initiatives taken to save the earth on this day but do we really achieve it? Now we need to measure the changes after taking specific steps. From a recent survey, we can see that ten out of the 15 most polluted cities in the world are from India. It has not been six months since all the heads of 197 countries attended the COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. The primary concern of the billion-dollar event was to maintain the earth's temperature. As the theme of Earth day for this year suggests, ‘Invest in our Planet’, we need to invest instead of paying later for getting fresh air, pure water, organic food, etc. Do you know Contaminated oils are very harmful to the envi

  In our last #knowyouroil segment, we had discussed about   Particle Contamination   and its effect on the life of rotating parts. Companies spend a lot of money on installing filtration units to counter particle contamination but never take preventive measures towards water contamination. Water is a worse and silent killer for the life of machinery as it slowly degrades the oil properties and one only gets to know about it when the machine fails pre-maturely. In this article, we will try to understand the basics of Water Contamination. We will also try to answer the following questions. What water does to oil properties? Can we see water contamination as soon as it starts? What to do if our oil is contaminated? To check your machine's, follow:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/minimacsystemsprivatetlimited  There are three phases in which water can exist in oil i.e. dissolved water, emulsified water, and free water. Dissolved Water:  It is characterized by individual water molecu

  A bypass filter, also known as a pressure relief valve, is a very important part of an oil filter. When oil is too thick or the filter is clogged, the valve opens. If the valve doesn’t open then the filter may eventually burst. Bypass filters are designed to remove fine organic and inorganic particles. It also increases the total volume of oil used. Thus, if you have contamination issues and want to extend operating equipment life, extend lube oil & service intervals, and consider adding bypass filters. We can say that Bypass filtration can be considered another aspect to save money and downtime. Most of the existing manufacturers use ‘full-flow’ oil filters which are designed to protect the component from large particles but they cannot remove soot, water, or silt. Full-flow filters alone cannot keep oil clean for a long-term period. The fine particles which account for most of the contamination can be removed by the bypass filters. It is advised to do the homework before buying

  Did you know that how we maintain our machines can be classified in various types and what is interesting to note is each technique has some benefits and some consequences. In this article, we will understand different types of maintenance techniques their pros and cons along with a brief guideline on how they impact a company’s cost structure with some interesting facts. Contact Minimac to schedule maintenance: +91 7030901266 There are four types of maintenance strategies: Reactive Maintenance:  Maintenance is scheduled in response to operational failure. This type of maintenance is very useful for lowering initial cost, reducing manpower cost as you need fewer staff members and doesn’t require any planning. On the contrary, this strategy compels you to keep more inventory to brace for unexpected failure. This not only leads to a higher cost but also makes the project budgets unpredictable. Preventive Maintenance:  Maintenance is scheduled according to historic trends, experience or

  Challenges and Problems are the fuel of Success. Such a challenging problem was faced by the UMPP (Ultra Mega Power Project) 2*800MW thermal power plant. In 2021, the plant called an annual shutdown, just before unit start-up, they found oil quality is not up to the mark to circulate it within the system. They had to run the plant within 3 to 4 days after cleaning 72 thousand liters of Oil to maintain the quality as per standard. The head of maintenance of the unit searched for a reliable and trustworthy name in the market for the task and then contacted Minimac Systems Pvt. Ltd. for the rescue. Minimac is involved in manufacturing, supplying, exporting, and trading a range of oil purifications and reconditioning plants, allied machines, and laser particle counters. The Minimac team accepted the challenge to filter 72 kiloliters of Oil within 72 hours. The team knew its skills, but the enormous provocation was to transport the machine to the site and complete the task within time. Th

  We concluded in our last article on Beta Factor. In this article, we will talk more about BETA Factor for buying new filters. What is the Beta Ratio? The beta ratio refers to the efficiency in which a given filter element removes the particle of a given size. The Beta Ratio is calculated using the ISO multi-pass test standard 16889:1999. How is it measured? The test involves adding particles of a known size to the test fluid until the fluid reaches a saturation point and then bringing the filter online to remove particles in one pass through the element. It is important to consider that the beta ratio is valid for a particular size of the particle. For Example for a 5-micron filter, how many particles are above 5-micron mark in upstream of the filter and how many are downstream is measured. And then by using the below formula, the Beta Ratio is calculated. Each Beta factor corresponds to an efficiency of the filter, the same can be matched as per the below chart. Get your filter chec

  A lubricant filter cart is an important tool that can be used in many ways. From filtering all types of new and used oil to taking samples and transferring oil, filter carts are considered to be a must-have for an effective lubrication program. Oil filter carts have many benefits; they can be customized to fit any plant as per the uses and specifications. If designed, it can also give a warning if the unit needs servicing. The uses and importance of filter carts are as follows For cleaning the lubricants stored For transferring the filtered oil to a machine or containers For reconditioning of oil (currently in use) For flushing (power, line, wand, etc.) For contamination control functions (hose cleaning) For meeting cleanliness standards Subscribe to our Website Blog for more insightful Articles and Case Studies:  Click here How to select the right filter cart? If you don’t want your money to get wasted, select the right filter cart considering the below check-points: Check the type