The Hidden Dangers of Particles in New Oil

Q: What role does the Mexican mining industry play in your company’s portfolio?
A: Mining is one of the top two industries for Des-Case and we continue to bet on the Mexican and Latin American markets through our support and distribution team. In Mexico, we have several distributors who specialize in mining. We make sure that we provide a holistic solution, not just products. Anyone can provide manufacturing services. We are expanding on our 35 years of innovation in the industry, entering the IIoT era with the market’s first connected breather with IsoLogic sensor technology. We recently acquired a Dutch company called RMF Systems that specializes in new technologies for monitoring particle counts in lubricants. Many mines are adding particle counters to monitor their lubricants and how they are performing and affecting the equipment. We are looking at standard interfaces for standalone units or the integration into systems. Today, our most popular solution for the industry is portable filtration systems, such as our TC Series.
Q: How do you differentiate from similar options in the market and why must Mexican markets choose Des-Case?
A: We can help increase the lifespan and reliability of any equipment in a mine that uses lubricants. Our contribution keeps equipment running three to eight times longer, depending on the application. We are the only company that provides solutions to protect lubricant throughout its entire life cycle. Simply focusing on protecting the lubricant while it is in use or being stored does not fully address all the ways lubricant can become contaminated. We teach people how to receive, store, transport and clean lubricants safely by employing best practices. We also train them to monitor the health of the lubricant and remove it safely from the plant when replaced. We establish a strong partnership with our customers to make sure their oil is clean and fully protected from the moment it arrives at their plant.
The key difference between someone who manufactures reliability products and a solutions provider such as Des-Case is that we will work with the mines face to face alongside our distributors to ensure that our clients have the right solution from start to finish, without wasting energy on improperly installed or incorrectly selected products. We will not suggest any solution that we believe will not yield at least a 30 percent return on investment. I have yet to see a return of anything less than 90 percent for the projects I have worked on and I once oversaw a project with a 2,000 percent return on repair costs alone.
Q: What is the mining industry taking for granted about breathers and what is your message for miners?
A: I think that there are three things that people misunderstand regarding lubricants and equipment. First, they believe that new oil is inherently clean. Many people believe that looking through an oil sample and seeing clear liquid means that the oil is not dirty. But the human eye by itself cannot see the particles that actually cause the most damage, whereas those we can see usually will not cause damage until broken into smaller particles. Most major oil manufacturers will say that new oil is not clean enough to put into service without filtering. Second, that the equipment’s onboard filter is always going to achieve the desired cleanliness level, which is more the exception than the norm. Many filters are only designed to prevent catastrophic or immediate failure. Third, that the factory breather cap is going to keep dirt and moisture out of the oil, which is not usually what it is designed to do.