UV light source shows up lubricant leaks
A
Shell Lubricants product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Sep 6, 2007
Although UV flood lights have been used to detect oil spillages and leaks for some time, they have never really been accurate, powerful or flexible enough for widespread application.
Shell Lubricants has developed UV light source, which helps food manufacturers find oil leaks and identify their location.
It accurately and conveniently detects oil leaks in plants where equipment such as hydraulic pumps, gear boxes, can seamers and compressors operate.
It can also keep a check on areas such as work surfaces, conveyors and floors.
Although UV flood lights have been used to detect oil spillages and leaks for some time, they have never really been accurate, powerful or flexible enough for widespread application.
The traditional equipment required a 240V power supply and was cumbersome to operate.
The new UV light source is portable and convenient to use and has a powerful light source which can be manoeuvred into tight spaces.
It is battery-operated and lasts up to two hours.
Dr Paul Savage is a member of the Shell lubricants development team responsible for introducing the new UV light source.
"We recognised the need to refine UV detection so it can be used in all industrial settings".
"Plant operators used to be put off by the need for a separate power supply and the difficulty of gaining access with the old technology".
"A UV inspection would often cause significant disruption to the production processes".
"We have overcome all these problems and made UV leak detection a much easier option for plant operators".
"We have shocked some sceptical plant managers, who assumed their processes were leak-free, by showing them exactly what is happening in their factories".
The new UV detection method with be of particular benefit in food processing plants where stringent regulations govern permitted spillage levels.
For example, the US FDA regulations state that for food grade lubricants, the maximum contamination level permitted is 10 parts per million.
For nonfood grade lubricants, zero parts per million is the permitted level.
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