Above: Water damaged bearings showing cavitation erosion of the bearing overlay material.
Above: The DIGI cell provides a simple electronic test for water in oil .
Below: Bearing damage from water induced corrosion during storage.
Info Centre >> Fuel and Lube Oil Technical Manual >> 7. Lube Oil - Test Results >> 7.2 Diesel Engine Oil >> 7.2.3 Water Content and Salt/Fresh Water
Water Contamination in Lubrication Systems
Water is an important contaminant in all lubrication systems because of its potential to cause system failure via a number of mechanisms. Water will:
Water contamination within lubricating oil (especially crankcase and system oil) storage tanks can lead to microbiological growth, forming yeast, mould and bacteria that will clog filters and rapidly corrode fuel systems.
In highly loaded lubricated contacts, particularly where oil films are thin, water contamination can result in rapid failure through localised or general breakdown of oil film conditions. Alternatively, the mode of failure could be progressive resulting from local or generalised corrosion of components within the systems and/or through effects which impact on the functionalities of the lubricant itself.
There are many potential sources of water contamination in any shipboard system including:
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