Hydraulic systems counting

Particle count tests are important to anticipating potential system or machine problems. This is especially true in hydraulic systems. The particle count analysis made a part of a normal lube oil analysis is quite different from wear particle analysis. In this test, high particle counts indicate that machinery may be wearing abnormally or that failures may occur because of temporarily or permanently blocked orifices. No attempt is made to determine the wear patterns, size and other factors that would identify the failure mode within the machine. 

In addition to the spectrometric analysis, the oil laboratories eilso check the oil using common oil-analysis techniques. For example, the oil is usually checked for viscosity. Other types of standard oil analysis might include total add number, percent moisture, peuticle count (for hydraulic systems), total solids, or percent silicon (representing dirt from the atmosphere in the form of silicon dioxide or perhaps just from an additive). 

Fine particulate contamination is the number one cause of failure for close tolerance hydraulic and lubrication systems. Electronic particle counting is the preferred method to determine and monitor fluid cleanliness. 

The service restoration calculation methodology is as follows (1) identify the area (s) where services are not being met, (2) count the number of services (or people, businesses, etc.) in each area, and (3) calculate the ratio for number of post-earthquake services to pre-earthquake services for each category in Tables 2, 3, and 4. The water, wastewater, and inundation protection service restoration curves are plots of this quantification over time. For post-event restoration estimates, the calculation for all services except functionality is relatively independent of system layout and operations, whereas an assessment for an earthquake scenario may require an understanding of system layout and some hydraulic analysis. Functionality services, however, cannot be estimated in any case without a full understanding of systemic capabilities. For this reason the remainder of this section describes quantification of postearthquake functionality. 

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