Info Centre >> Fuel and Lube Oil Technical Manual >> 7. Lube Oil - Test Results >> 7.8 Spectrochemical Oil Analysis >> 7.8.14 Other Contaminants
Depending upon the circumstances, many different substances may be classified as contaminants. Silicon, in the form of silicon dioxide (sand), is one of the most common contaminants monitored with spectrochemical analysis. Similarly, the presence of grease contaminating an oil system may be indicated by increases in aluminium or barium if the grease contains metallic soaps. Although contamination is commonly associated with substances entering a component’s oil system from an outside source, wear metals themselves are also a form of contaminant.