Impact of Water Contamination on Lubricants

Learn about the effects of contamination, the oil analysis tests to indicate their presence, the recommended corrective actions and best practices for minimizing contamination.

Water can be present in lubricants as free, dissolved or emulsified water. Because of the different chemical properties, oil and water do not mix but separate in two distinct layers. As water has a higher density than oil, free water accumulates at the bottom of the lube system. However, depending on the composition of the base stock and the type of additives, different lubricants can hold very different amounts of water in dissolved phase (note that temperature and pressure also have effects on how much water a fluid can hold).

Download the white paper to learn about the sources and effects of water contamination and how to test and control them.