Lab oil analysis and online monitoring
Lab analysis shows the oil's condition in detail. Online monitoring reports a change the moment it appears. The two methods complement each other. A plant that does not monitor its oil usually learns about a fault when the machine stops.
The methods compared
| Lab oil analysis | Real-time online monitoring (DataMonitor) | No monitoring | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to result | The sample is shipped. The result comes days later. | The reading is on screen as it is measured. | The fault is noticed when the machine stops. |
| Test range | Broad, including metal type and TAN/TBN | Viscosity, water, particles, ageing | — |
| Cost model | You pay a fee for every sample. | You invest in the equipment once. There is no per-sample fee. | The cost arrives with the breakdown. |
| Early warning | Only for the sampling day | Continuous. An alarm sounds when a limit is crossed. | — |
| Trend | Tracked by hand from report to report. | The trend chart builds itself. | — |
| Workload | Sampling, shipping, follow-up | It runs on its own after set-up. | Low effort, high risk of surprises. |
| Best use | Detailed checks at set intervals | Daily monitoring and early warning | — |
Plants that use a lab can also monitor the days between samples.
How to choose a monitoring system
There are four common ways to start monitoring machines. The right one depends on your maintenance team, your infrastructure and the number of machines.
| Sensors only | Cloud subscription | Lab sampling | DataMonitor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you get | A measuring device only | A ready dashboard and cloud service | A test report for each sample | Oil, vibration and temperature in one system |
| Screen and alarms | You build them yourself. | Ready-made, via the cloud. | None. You receive a report. | Monitoring screen and alarms are included. |
| Oil tests | Limited to what the sensor measures. | Depends on the package. | Widest range of tests | Viscosity, water, particles, ageing |
| Internet and data | Data stays in your own system. | Internet is required. Data is in the cloud. | The report comes by email. | In your plant or online. You choose. |
| Cost model | One-off. Integration costs extra. | Recurring subscription fee | Fee per sample | Quoted by monitoring level |
| Set-up and workload | You do the integration. | Sensor installation is required. | Sampling, shipping, follow-up | Installation and limit set-up are included. |
| Limitation | Alarms and trends need extra work. | Internet and a subscription are required. | Results are delayed. Gaps between samples are not covered. | Fault diagnosis is out of scope. |
| Best fit | Plants with a strong automation team | Teams that monitor many sites remotely | Detailed checks at set intervals | Plants that want to start with a ready system |
The columns show typical features of each approach. Individual products may differ. Plants using DataMonitor can keep using lab analysis as well.
The right approach for the plant is assessed on site.
The cost of unplanned downtime
The figure most often overlooked is the hourly cost of downtime. Get it from your finance team. Then build your own example in the savings calculator.