Interlaboratory programme aims to help users and suppliers of oil analyses monitor and determine the quality of their testing, evaluate methods, train analysts, and certify equipment
Environmental Reference Materials offers what it says is the most comprehensive programme of its kind to companies which perform used oil testing or use the data from such testing to make important decisions.
If you are a commercial oil analysis lab, in-house industrial oil lab, or end user of oil analysis data for engine predictive maintenance, lube oil predictive maintenance, or regulatory compliance testing, ERM says you may benefit from this programme.
Its goal is to help users and suppliers of oil analyses monitor and determine the quality of their testing, evaluate new methods, train new analysts, and certify testing equipment.
Each quarter, laboratories receive a set of two to four samples of used oil taken from machinery (engines, lubricated systems, etc) to be analysed for the parameters of interest.
Parameters covered include ash content, BTU heating value, chlorine, flash point, fuel dilution, glycol, nitration, oxidation, particle count, pH, soot, specific gravity, sulfur, TAN, TBN, viscosity, water, wear and contaminant metals, additive package elements, and EPA metals.
Although many laboratories use them, ASTM methods are not required for this programme.
All participants receive a comprehensive report showing their results, coded to preserve anonymity, the method used, the mean of all results, and the Z-score for each parameter after removal of outliers.
The Z-score is the number of standard deviations of a laboratory's result from the mean and is recognised as an appropriate way to compare results for samples without expected values, making it ideally suited for used oils.
Participants also receive customised individual reports to facilitate corrective action.
Interpretations of recommendations for equipment maintenance by participants are also compared.
Nearly 50 companies are reported to have benefitted from this program since 1998, including Ameren UE, American Electric Power, Arizona Public Service, Cinergy, CTC Analytical Services, Duke Power, Jet Care International, Lubrizol, Niagara Mohawk Power, Polaris Laboratories, Predict DLI, Sound Analytical Services (Severn Trent), and Tekniker.
