AMSOIL Industrial: Setting the Standard in Hydraulic Oil Cleanliness

 The efficiency of your operation, longevity of your hydraulic systems and life of hydraulic oil often hinge on one simple factor – oil cleanliness. Contaminants in hydraulic systems can have disastrous effects, leading to increased wear on pumps, causing valves to stick and causing equipment failure and expensive downtime. Dirty oil may also hamper the efficiency of the system, reducing its overall performance and productivity. Clean hydraulic oil is crucial for your equipment, optimizing its lifespan and reducing maintenance costs.

Clean hydraulic oil benefits:

• Improved performance – Reduces friction, runs cooler, and provides efficiency.
• Reduced wear – Fewer wear-causing contaminants that damage your equipment.
• Less downtime – Reduces valve sticking and wear that cause system failures.
• Lower maintenance costs – Extends component and oil service life for fewer repairs.

Maintaining the cleanliness of hydraulic oil is critical for optimal performance and prolonging the life of your hydraulic equipment. Cleanliness is measured using the ISO 4406 standard, where each three-digit ISO code represents a range of particles of different sizes in the oil. For example, an ISO code of 16/14/11 indicates: 

1. ISO code 16 means 1ml of oil contains 321 to 640 particles 4 microns or larger. 
2. ISO code 14 means 1ml oil contains 81 to 160 particles 6 microns or larger.
3. ISO code 11 means 1ml oil contains 11 to 20 particles 14 microns or larger.

The maximum number of particles doubles for every single digit increase in ISO code. For example, an ISO code of 17/15/12 indicates an effective doubling of particles from ISO code 16/14/11. This effect compounds, so dirty oil with an ISO code of 21/19/16 has up to 32 times the maximum particle counts of ISO code 16/14/11.
Different types of pumps (gear, piston, vane) and control valves (directional, proportional, servo) have specific oil cleanliness requirements. Hydraulic pump cleanliness requirements are shown in the chart below.

The Equipment Life Extension Chart from Noria is a valuable tool for understanding the direct relationship between cleanliness and equipment life. This chart provides a visual representation of how increasing hydraulic oil cleanliness can significantly prolong the life of hydraulic equipment. It's a roadmap to extending the lifespan of your machinery, reducing operational costs, and optimizing productivity. For example, increasing the cleanliness of hydraulic oil from ISO 4406 code XX/21/18 to ISO 4406 code XX/16/13 can extend the life of hydraulic pumps by up to 400%.

The AMSOIL life extension chart can be found here.

AMSOIL Industrial Hydraulic Oils are formulated to protect equipment and extend service life by delivering an industry-leading level of cleanliness. These products meet or exceed hydraulic pump cleanliness requirements as manufactured, including the severe contaminant limit for servo valves. 

AMSOIL Industrial Synthetic Zinc-Free Hydraulic Oil (HSNZ) and AMSOIL Industrial Synthetic Multi-Viscosity Hydraulic Oil (HASZ) are both manufactured in state-of-the-art facilities to an ISO 4406 cleanliness code of 16/14/11. Filling a tote raises the cleanliness code to 17/15/12 and filling a drum to 18/16/13. This means most customers do not need to pre-filter before installing into their hydraulic system. Customers with servo valves who need greater cleanliness may need to filter briefly before installing compared to oils with a higher cleanliness code that may need to recirculate in an off-line filtration system for many hours to reach the target cleanliness code.

"Ensuring that hydraulic oil remains clean and free from contaminants is a straightforward way to protect your investment,” emphasized AMSOIL Industrial Sr. Tribologist Kevin Dinwiddie, a seasoned expert in industrial hydraulic systems. “This is especially important for high-performance hydraulic systems, where even small amounts of contamination can cause considerable damage and performance degradation. AMSOIL Industrial hydraulic oils are manufactured to exceptional cleanliness standards, helping to protect equipment and extend service life."

"Hydraulic equipment is a significant investment and its longevity is often a top concern for operators,” added AMSOIL Industrial Account Manager Jim Pezoldt, an authority on industrial lubrication programs. “The high cleanliness level of these oils is a key factor in achieving increased uptime and reduced maintenance costs. Our customers experience significantly improved performance and fewer equipment failures after switching to AMSOIL Industrial hydraulic oil. * We're not just selling hydraulic oil; we're offering a solution that helps extend the life of their equipment and improve their bottom line."

AMSOIL Industrial Synthetic Zinc-Free Hydraulic Oil (HSNZ) and AMSOIL Industrial Synthetic Multi-Viscosity Hydraulic Oil (HASZ) meet or exceed hydraulic pump cleanliness requirements, including the severe contaminant limit for servo valves, with an ISO 4406 cleanliness code of 16/14/11 before packaging. In a single year, a cleanliness code of 21/18/16 will circulate 32 times more dirt and wear particles than ISO 16/14/11, as shown in the visualization below:   

In the world of industrial machinery and hydraulic systems, one thing remains constant – cleanliness matters. Cleaner hydraulic oil improves performance and helps reduce wear, component failure, downtime and maintenance costs, extending the life of hydraulic equipment. AMSOIL Industrial hydraulic oils are formulated with premium synthetic base oils and packaged with a low ISO cleanliness code, reducing or eliminating additional filtration time before installation. If you are seeking solutions that save you time and help protect your equipment and extend its service life, contact the AMSOIL Industrial team today.

*Customer must continue equipment filtration to the target cleanliness code to help extend equipment and oil life, which is dependent on the type of pump and system components.