Caterpillar Bulk Oil Filtration Procedure

Contamination Control Guidelines
Caterpillar Bulk Oil Filtration Procedure{1348, 3080, 4070, 429F, 5095, 7542}

Media Number -SEBF9087-01

Publication Date -03/03/2009

Date Updated -03/03/2009

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Caterpillar Bulk Oil Filtration Procedure{1348, 3080, 4070, 429F, 5095, 7542}

SMCS - 1348; 3080; 4070; 429F; 5095; 7542

Caterpillar Products: All

Introduction

This Guideline enables dealers and the dealer's customers to benefit from cost reductions which were made possible through an established Contamination Control Program. Fluids used in Caterpillar machines are highly effective unless the fluid contains damaging amounts of contaminates. Therefore, every effort must be made in order to reduce the contamination level within Caterpillarfluid systems. Caterpillar makes ongoing changes and improvements to the Caterpillar products. This guideline must be used with the latest technical information available from Caterpillar in order to ensure that such changes and improvements are incorporated when applicable.
For questions or additional information concerning this guideline, submit a feedback form in the Service Information System website. In order to address an urgent need, please use the following to relay your request to Caterpillar Repair Process Engineering:

• Cat Dealer Technical Communicator
  
• Dealer Solution Network
  
• Cat Technical Representative
  
• Knowledge Network (on-line)

If a Contamination Control Guideline is required, but not available in SIS Web, submit a feedback form in the Service Information System web site.

Summary

The following special instructions explain the use of the Caterpillar filter system 285-8095 filter system to prepare bulk quantities of new Caterpillar oils to meet fill oil requirements. The filter system combines a 1249 L (330 US gal) non-metallic storage reservoir with a filtration system. This filtration system has been validated by Caterpillar to remove contaminants that may be found in new oils shipped to Caterpillar facilities and dealerships. By following the instructions in the Filtration Procedure section below, new oils can be filtered to a cleanliness level of ISO 16/13. Caterpillar recommends that an automatic particle counter be used to initially verify the performance of the filter system in preparing fill oils. After the initial validation, automatic particle counts do not have to be completed every time, but audits should be routinely completed to assure the filter system continues to perform to specification.

Important Safety Information

Most accidents that involve product operation, maintenance and repair are caused by failure to observe basic safety rules or precautions. An accident can often be avoided by recognizing potentially hazardous situations before an accident occurs. A person must be alert to potential hazards. This person should also have the necessary training, skills and tools in order to perform these functions properly.
Improper operation, lubrication, maintenance or repair of this product can be dangerous and lead to injury or death.
Do not operate or perform any lubrication, maintenance or repair on this product, until you understand the operation, lubrication, maintenance and repair information.
Safety precautions and warnings are provided in this manual and on the product. If these hazard warnings are not heeded, bodily injury or death could occur to you or to other persons.
All hazards are identified by "Safety Alert Symbol" and followed by "Signal Word" such as "WARNING" as shown below.

References

Table 1

References
Media Number	Title
NEHS0957	Tool Operating Manual for Bulk Oil Filtering System
PEJT5025	Reporting Particle Count by ISO code
PEVN4831	Count on Caterpillar Particle Analyzers
SEBF8482	Obtaining an Oil Sample for S O S Analysis
NEHS0799	Tool Operating Manual for S40 Portable Particle Analyzer

Tooling and Equipment

Table 2

285-8095	Bulk Oil - Cart Group
281-7046	Water Separator
281-7047	Water Removal Element
272-5131	Desiccant Breather
1R-1809	Element Assembly
190-8320	Quick Disconnect Nipple

ISO 4406:1999 Method for coding the level of contamination by solid particles

ISO (International Organization of Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies. The ISO 4406:1999 specifies the code to be used in defining the quantity of solid particles in the fluid used in any given hydraulic fluid power system. An automatic particle counter derives the equivalent size of a particle from the particle's cross sectional area. Particle counts are affected by a variety of factors. These factors include procurement of the sample, the sample container, particle counting accuracy and where used and its cleanliness. Proper care should be taken during sample procurement to ensure that the sample obtained is representative of the fluid circulation in the system.
The code for contamination levels using automatic particle counters comprises three scale numbers. ExampleX/Y/Z.
"X" is the number of particles equal to or larger than 4 microns. "Y" is the number of particles equal to or larger than 6 microns. "Z" is the number of particles equal or larger than 14 microns.
At this time Caterpillar does not require the reporting of the "X" scale number since the hydraulic tolerances exceed the 4 micron value, therefore a "-" is used in its place. For example, a particle count is read as -/Y/Z, meaning that there was no requirement to count particles equal to or larger than 4 microns.

Filtration System Description

The complete bill of materials and instructions for operating the filter system are included in the Tool Operating Manual, NEHS0957. Following is a brief description of the major components of the filter system and why they are an important part of preparing new oils to fill Caterpillar machines and engines. A schematic is also attached at the end of this guideline.

330-Gallon Non-Metallic Reservoir

An essential requirement of the Filtration Procedure is that fill oils must be contained and stored in clean reservoirs during and after the process. The best way to accomplish this is by using a non-metallic reservoir or tote. One such tote is included with the filter system and additional units may be added to meet the specific needs of different Caterpillar facilities and dealers. See the 3-Way Inlet and Outlet Valves section below.

Centrifugal Pump

A centrifugal pump driven by a 3-phase electric motor is used to steadily circulate the oil through filters that remove debris and water contamination. Steady flow without interruptions and flow surges can be achieved by using centrifugal type pumps that maintain a uniform fluid velocity across filter elements. The steady flow of the centrifugal pump is preferred over the interrupted flow of a reciprocating pump. This uniform fluid velocity is necessary for the Filtration Process described below.

Ultra-High Efficiency Filter Elements

Removal of fine debris down to particle sizes of 6 microns and smaller is necessary to provide the cleanest possible fill oils. This cleanliness level is accomplished with filter elements designed specifically for Caterpillar. They have the same quality construction and excellent dirt holding capacity as the elements used on Caterpillar machines and engines.

Water Removal Filter Element

In many cases new oils have been found to contain free and emulsified water. Water vapor may also be present in new oils and depending on ambient conditions, it may change phase and become emulsified in the oil. Water droplets in lubricating oil will interfere with automatic laser particle counters and should be removed if possible. In addition, water levels of 0.1 percent by volume may be harmful to Caterpillar machines and engines and must be removed from fill oils. The water removal element included in the filter system has been selected and placed in a location where it will work in conjunction with the Ultra-High Efficiency filter elements to remove water contaminants.

Water Absorbing Tank Breather

The importance of water removal is addressed above. A tank breather is necessary to allow the air motion that occurs when filling a reservoir or when using the Filtration Procedure. The breather included with the filter system will remove airborne contaminants down to 4 microns and absorb some of the moisture present due to local ambient conditions. A desiccant color indicator is used to determine when the breather needs to be changed. Breather life will vary depending on the level of contamination and moisture in the air.

Filter Restriction Indicators

The filter system includes a pressure differential gauge on the ultra-high efficiency filter bank and a pop-up restriction indicator on the water removal filter housing. These can be used to indicate when filter element service is required. Refer to the Tool Operating Manual, NEHS0957.

3-Way Inlet and Outlet Valves

3-way valves on the centrifugal pump inlet and the return line to the non-metallic reservoir are included with the filter system. These can be used to change the flow path of the oil. Oil may be drawn from or returned to an external reservoir other than the 1249 L (330 US gal) tank included with the filter system. With proper positioning, the 3-way valves can be used to initially fill and filter oil in an additional reservoir. If the additional reservoir is another 1249 L (330 US gal) non-metallic unit, the filtration procedure below can be used for as many of these units as desired. For instruction on the proper settings for the 3-way valves refer to the owners manual and operating instructions for the Caterpillar filter system. Refer to the Tool Operating Manual, NEHS0957.

Filtration Procedure

Oil that will be prepared to fill Caterpillar machines and engines must first be transferred to the 1249.1853 L (330 US gal) non-metallic reservoir. The centrifugal pump of the filter system may be used to accomplish this if the oil temperature (viscosity) and the hose length to the storage reservoir are each low enough to prevent pump cavitation. Refer to the Tool Operating Manual, NEHS0957. During the process of transferring oil a sample bottle of the oil that will be prepared must be taken. This sample should be examined carefully with the naked eye. If visible debris or water is apparent an automatic particle count will be required at the end of the filtration time specified in Table 1. The particle count will verify whether or not the oil is ready to fill Caterpillar machines and engines. Heavily contaminated oil should not be run through the automatic particle counter.

Estimated Filtration Time

If the oil is below 25 °C (77 °F) the oil must be warmed for the following instructions to be valid. In order to reach fill oil cleanliness levels of ISO 16/13 for fluid power circuits, the oil in the filter system reservoir must be cycled through the filters 12 to 14 times. The process has also been shown to work on engine oils. With a proper pre-treatment procedure to reduce particle counts caused by additives in the oil, ISO cleanliness levels of 16/13 or better can be achieved for engine oils, which contain the most additive by volume. To achieve the 12 to 14 cycles through the filters, the following table of minimum estimated filtration times has been developed. See table 3 below, which lists the required filtration time for different volumes of oil contained in the storage tank of the filter system filter cart. Once the oil in the reservoir of the filter system filter cart has been cycled through the filters for the minimum time interval specified in table 3 it is ready to be used as a fill oil for Caterpillar machines and engines. The oil will remain in this condition for up to 14 days.

Table 3

Required Filtration Time (minutes) using 25 °C (77 °F) Oil
Oil Volume		Straight Grades			Multi-Grades
Gallons	Liters	10W	30W	50W	10W30	15W40
55	208	16	36	83	24	42
110	416	31	71	167	48	83
165	625	47	107	250	71	125
220	833	62	143	333	95	167
275	1041	78	178	416	119	208
330	1249	94	178	500	143	250

It is important to note that these are the minimum filtration times. Studies have shown that oil additive levels will not be harmed if these minimum times are slightly exceeded. However, extremely long periods of filtration are not recommended. Oil stored in the reservoir for periods longer than 14 days should be cycled through the filters again for the time interval indicated in 3. Do not exceed a total filtration time of 30 hours for a 1249.1853 L (330 US gal) or smaller volume of any Caterpillar fill oil.

Automatic Laser Particle Counters

Caterpillar facilities and dealerships that want to accurately measure the fill oil ISO cleanliness level using an automatic particle counter should use a pre-treatment procedure to offset the possibility that oil additives may be counted by the automatic particle counter as contaminant debris. Instructions for the pre-treatment procedure are detailed in Caterpillar publication oil sample pre-treatment procedure,Contamination Control Guideline, SEBF9086. It is recommended that this procedure be used initially to verify the performance of the filter system. The automatic particle counter should also be used to routinely audit the cleanliness of the new oils.

View Image
Illustration 1	g01229540
(1) 330 gallon reservoir (2) centrifugal pump (3) 3-phase electric motor (4) ultra-high efficiency filter elements (5) water removal element (6) moisture absorbing tank breather (7) 3-way valve

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