FILTERS: Enabling a BETTER and SAFER EQUIPMENT

It is convenient to keep your equipment filters in good condition, and even more the hydraulic ones, since it is in this system where the hardest work is concentrated, and it is the one which demands the highest effort from the equipment. Equipment Times looks at the growth of the market, high investment in infrastructure, technological trends and innovations and government regulations in the Construction Equipment and Heavy-duty Filter space.

Today’s heavy-duty oil filtration has been impacted by several new trends that can improve a vehicle’s efficiency, extend drain intervals and positively affect a company’s bottom line.

Filter media that use synthetic fibers are not new, but recent technology has developed that dispenses highly effective liquid additives into synthetic media filters, a combination that provides impressive results. This technology—combined with the important insights gained from regular oil analysis—offers contractors and fleet managers oil filter options that can help improve the efficiency of their fleets.

No longer can one kind of filter meet the needs of every heavy-duty truck or machine. Instead, today’s best oil filters can be matched to a vehicle’s oil analysis profile. Once oil analysis has been completed on a vehicle, owners can select the ideal filter to provide optimum additional protection, supply additional additives to extend change intervals and increase filtration levels for severe service environments. Filter options are available for both soot-challenged engines and acid-challenged engines.

A universal truth in filter fiber science is that finer fibers are required to attain finer filtration. With 100 percent synthetic (micro-glass, polyester, etc.) media, durable filtration with high-filtering efficiency that does not increase flow restriction is now commonplace. This filtration can offer extended drain intervals and more efficient vehicle operation.

Every element which accentuates the wear of the hydraulic system is actually reducing the efficiency of the machine, and thus, increasing the work cost. It is therefore advisable to replace the hydraulic filters as often as necessary. And this applies to any type of heavy equipment: excavators, backhoe loaders, bulldozers, loaders, dump trucks, graders, pavers, tunnel boring machines etc.

The construction machinery filter market is expected to grow as these machinery filters protect the system components from the damage caused due to contamination. The work of each type of filter used in construction machinery is to enable flows and catch impurities such as dust (contaminants in the air), impurities in the fuel. Expanding construction activities in various parts of the world coupled with increasing investment in infrastructure is expected to drive the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Growing road construction

The growth of the market is attributed due to the increasing road and paving construction which uses heavy machinery. The use of construction machinery filter reduces the maintenance costs, therefore a significant increase in the efficiency of construction machinery for road construction across the various developing economies due to the fact the heavy investments are being done in countries such as China, India, and Indonesia for the construction of highly advanced and durable road transport networks.

In addition, the development of rural areas has led to the construction of new roads and highways networks for the connection of rural and urban communities.

High investment in infrastructure

Growing infrastructure investment across countries is expected to boost the demand for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems due to the benefits they add pertaining to the sustainability of structures and low cost in maintenance and inspection after being built. Emphasis on superior infrastructure is a key policy factor in both the developing and the developed world as a robust infrastructure forms the base for overall economic growth and high productivity in public as well as private sectors. Be it the building of bridges, dams, buildings, stadiums, flyovers, railway stations, and shopping malls, or be it applications such as diagnosing vessels and platforms in marine industries, aircraft frames in aerospace and defense, and inspection of large machines, heavy investments are being made in all the above, hence, likely to give a push to the adoption of premium quality construction machines filters at an even larger scale.

Technology, New emission norms

Based on the challenges of new oil formulations and emissions compliance, ensuring engine oil health has become a major priority for owners of heavy-duty vehicles. Engine lubricant quality is critical to ensure engine durability and performance. Increased oxidation and acidity accelerate degradation rates, which shorten the oil’s useful life.

Modern technology has provided effective engine protection in the form of oil additives including antioxidants that control oxidation and over based detergents that control acidity. Unfortunately, additives have finite life spans that are affected by many variables encountered during the operation of a heavy-duty vehicle. The challenge is making additives last as long as the oil’s useful life.

The original oil additive that protect an engine from oil degradation are steadily depleted during engine use. If allowed to weaken, degraded oil can lead to deposits on engine components, premature wear caused by those deposits, acid buildup and its debilitating effect on engine operation.

Acid-challenged engines are at high risk for premature engine component wear.

Acids, including sulfuric by products of combustion from sulfur in the fuel, nitric by products of combustion and organic by products of oxidation, are critical symptoms of engine oil degradation.

The total base number (TBN) is engine oil’s acid-neutralizing reserve. The TBN represents how much protective acid-neutralizing capability an engine’s oil has remaining before it must be changed. Oil’s acid level naturally occurs as oxidation and oil degradation increase. Engine oil’s acidity level is measured as its total acid number (TAN). The TAN represents how much acid has built up in an engine’s oil.

As oil TBN declines, the oil’s TAN increases. If plotted on a graph, the intersection of the TBN/TAN lines corresponds to the optimal oil change interval. All original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) specify oil management parameters for soot, viscosity and acid levels. Using these OEM guidelines, fleet managers can plan critical oil maintenance and establish regular change intervals.

To address the challenge of ensuring the appropriate levels of oil additives, adding more additive on the front end might seem like a simple fix. However, this practice will not garner prolonged oil life or additional protection from the hazards of acid or oxidation. The effectiveness of oil additives rests solely on how they are dispersed into the oil and over what time span they are utilized within the system.

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