Demulsibility is the ability of oil to separate from water. Oil and water naturally separate because like molecules attract each other. Oil sticks with oil, water sticks with water. Oil is "hydrophobic", or "afraid of water," which is a benefit when it comes to fluids like turbine oil.
At the end of Part 2, we discussed the winning nature of vacuum dehydration. If you missed Part 1 in the series, you can find it here.
Did you know that hydrogen is the friendliest molecule - meaning that it is most likely seeking partners to attach to? Similarly, the suspended particles in oil actively look for particles to join forces, so they pair with the water.
This particulate contamination is the catalyst guilty of continuing the degradation of the oil and the increase of emulsified water. The more water there is, the more oxidation that occurrs. This also increases various acids that form as the molecules break down. These acids attack seals, hoses, pumps and metal.
If you're just tuning in and didn't catch the first part of our steel mill and lube oil series, click here.
When we left off, we just determined how the high levels of emulsified water and high particulate contamination levels work together to cause bearing failure and reduce oil life. So, how do we prevent this expensive combination from happening? We're glad you asked!
Premium oils keep steel mills running. It's crucial to protect their quality in order to keep the mills fully functioning.
In both hot and cold steel mill production, high-demulsibility lubricant is used for backup roller bearing lubrication. Some of these oils are referred to as SD, which stands for super-demulsibility. Not surprisingly, these SD oils are a premium product and come at a premium price. If a manufacturer wants to invest in these big-ticket oils, they obviously want to go to great lengths in order to keep them clean and fully functioning.
Join us for this three-part series as we take an in-depth look at improving rolling mill lube oil performance and useful life.
