SGS Herguth Laboratories an Industry Leader in Oil Compatibility Testing


SGS Herguth Laboratories is not just an industry leader in specialized and innovative oil analysis and tribology testing. The company is also an expert in compatibility testing, and can make a crucial difference in a customer's success.



The compatibility of oils can be important for users of oil-lubricated equipment. It is well known that the mixing of two oils can produce a substance markedly inferior to either of its constituent materials. A mixture of incompatible oils most often creates a precipitate that will form unwanted deposits in the lubrication system that can plug filters and oil passageways. Such events can lead to catastrophic equipment failures.



To avoid such occurrences, lubricant suppliers recommend evaluating compatibility of lubricating oil of different formulations and sources prior to mixing. Equipment users most often do not have the resources to evaluate oil compatibility and must rely on their suppliers.



Although new turbine oils may be compatible, in-service oil of the same type may be degraded or contaminated to such an extent that the new oil added may not be compatible with the system oil. In-service oil compatibility with new oil additions should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The oxidation resistance of different oils of the same type can vary widely, and compatibility does not imply equivalent performance.



As one of the nation's leading oil testing laboratories, SGS Herguth acknowledges that the mixing of oils is a highly imprudent practice without first determining the compatibility. Not only do they perform the ASTM D7155-Standard Practice for Evaluating Compatibility of Mixtures of Turbine Lubricating Oils, but as an ASTM D02.C0 Turbine Oils Committee Member and Contributor, SGS Herguth helped author the methods and procedures used to create the compatibility practice which has been in place since 2005.



If there are issues with a product's compatibility, SGS Herguth's team of experts will work to decipher the problem; these tests are the company's "central area of expertise," said Mindy Villalba, the Special Projects Coordinator and Evaluator for SGS Herguth.



"Our technical team brings 50 years of experience and solutions to our customers on a daily basis.  Compatibility testing is just another means of determining whether oil is experiencing some detrimental effects, and we help our customers determine what can be done to fix it."



SGS Herguth provides compatibility testing for numerous government entities and many other private companies to give them the satisfaction and peace of mind they need. With offices in the Chicago and San Francisco areas, SGS Herguth has a full complement of state-of-the-art testing equipment. All equipment is calibrated to the most demanding industry standards to provide customers with quality decision data.



For more information about SGS Herguth Laboratories, visit their website at www.herguth.com or call 1-888-HERGUTH (1-888-437-4884)




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