Analyzing Oil Analysis: Part One

Some years ago this author coined the term “After Test Support” to indicate the need to look more deeply into Condition Monitoring test results in order to glean maximum value from a sampling program, specifically test results for Oil Analysis. The Oil Analysis industry has burgeoned over the last four decades, adapting information technology to its processes on a steady, ongoing basis, and with noteworthy success. But most of the technology has been applied to instrumentation improvements and to data acquisition, storage and delivery. On the other hand, very little technology has been applied to data evaluation and interpretation beyond statistical limit and trend setting. In particular, there is little in the way of expert system development to render routine maintenance advisories, let alone to assess component wear and other complex condition scenarios. This presentation will explore the development of Oil Analysis and its somewhat misdirected emphasis on testing rather than data interpretation, wherein the Oil Analysis process has nearly become a commodity. Next data analysis will be discussed, along with a unique software approach to rendering highly nuanced scenario analyses and other after-test support concepts, thereby creating a platform for truly maximized return on the Oil Analysis investment.