Hand-held oil checker to revolutionise industry 01 February 2013

Engineering firm AV Technology has launched a hand-held oil condition checker that it claims will revolutionise the way plant engineers manage and monitor machinery lubrication.

Dubbed ROC 500, it enables technicians to check oil quality in plant and equipment on the spot, providing quick results and minimising the number of samples sent off to laboratories.

The device, which costs £1,925, uses a patented Tan Delta temperature-stable oil quality sensor to measure the permittivity of oil samples.

Steve Mottershead, managing director of AV Technology, explains that results are analysed against a database that draws on years of laboratory research investigating the correlation between oil permittivity and lubrication performance.

The results are shown as a simple green, amber or red icon, with green, fine, amber indicating significant oil deterioration requiring further analysis, and red meaning the oil is no longer fit for purpose.

"The Tan Delta sensor is 60 times more sensitive than a traditional dielectric sensor and, combined with the ROC 500 database of oil types, is a quick, accurate and low cost way to track the condition of oil, comments Mottershead.

"At the moment, engineers send all their oil samples to laboratories, which is an important maintenance discipline, but not all samples need to go to the lab," he continues.

"Because the ROC 500 can be used in-situ to provide fast, accurate readings, it enables firms to limit the number of samples sent away for in-depth testing and make significant time and cost savings."

Brian Tinham

Related Companies
AV Technology Ltd

This material is protected by MA Business copyright
See Terms and Conditions.
One-off usage is permitted but bulk copying is not.
For multiple copies contact the sales team.