Water Contamination Control

By: Bill Needelman, Filtration Science Solutions, Inc. and Greg LaVallee, Donaldson Company, Inc.

Abstract together with other contaminants, especially hard particles (such as

Contamination of hydraulic and lube systems by water leads to major mineral dust and wear debris) and acids (often generated during oil
decrements in availability, productivity, and operating costs. Significant degradation). These problems are described in greater detail in the
problems include corrosion, microbial growth, metal fatigue, and references listed at the end of this paper, and are summarized here:
accelerated oil aging. In order to diminish these problems two target • Corrosion: Caused by Free Water Contamination. Results in
levels are recommended: a minimum level avoids free water and a more corrosion pits, rough surfaces, and release of abrasive flakes into
stringent yet realistic level minimizes problems due to dissolved water. the oil, such as rust and aluminum oxide.
How well fluid systems measure up to these target levels is revealed by • Microbial Colonization: Requires free water. Results in offensive
a recently completed survey of water contamination in industrial odors, acids, fouling slimes, and health problems such as
systems. Based on successful cases identified in this survey, the best respiratory distress and eczema.
water contamination control equipment and practices are described. As • Loss of Lubricity: Caused by Free Water entering loaded contact
an aid for selecting and specifying equipment for controlling water zones and allowing opposing surfaces to crash together. Results in
contamination, each type is matched with corresponding appropriate high friction and wear and seizure.
applications.
• Additive Depletion: Caused by Free Water retaining polar additives.

Introduction • Faster Oil Oxidation: Caused by Dissolved Water accelerating this

It is helpful to start by classifying water contamination into two principal form of oil degradation. Leads to oil acidity, oil thickening,
levels: dissolved and free. varnishes, sludges, and resins.
Dissolved Water Contamination: “Oil and water don’t mix,” except • Reduced Fatigue Life: Caused by Dissolved Water promoting the
they do, a little. Depending on the type of oil and additive packages, up propagation of fatigue cracks in metals.
to 5000 ppm of water can dissolve in an oil. More typical values for • Demolition of Ester-Based Fluids and Additives: Caused by
many hydraulic and lubricating mineral-based oils are 400-600 ppm. Oils Dissolved Water reacting with esters in a reaction called
containing only dissolved water are clear, as shown by the left-hand hydrolysis. Results in formation of acids, gels, and the loss of
bottle in Figure 1. ester-based additives.

The kinds of problems caused by water depend on the form of water

contamination in the oil. If the oil is clear, then only dissolved water
problems occur. If free water is present, then both free and dissolved
water problems can occur. Free water, dissolved water, and percent
saturation are discussed further in Appendix A.

Recommended Target Levels

1. Preferred Level of Protection: Maintain water contamination less
than or equal to 50% of saturation. This prevents all free water
problems and minimizes dissolved water problems. It also
provides a cushion against the formation of free water in the
event of a spike of water ingression. Furthermore, this level is
practical and achievable in most hydraulic and lubricating
systems.
Figure 1. Dissolved & Free Water Contamination in Oil.
2. Minimal Level of Protection: Maintain water contamination at or
Free Water Contamination: Once an oil is fully loaded with all the just below 100% saturation. This prevents free water problems.
water it can dissolve, any additional water is in the free state. There are
two forms of free water: Survey of Industrial Equipment
• Emulsified Water: Small droplets on the order of 1-10 microns in Eighty-three separate systems were sampled from a wide range of
size. Oils containing emulsified free water appear hazy or cloudy, industrial lubrication and hydraulic machinery. Samples were then sent to
as does the bottle on the right-hand side of Figure 1. an independent laboratory (Analyst Inc.). The water content was
• Bulk Water: Clumps of water that have separated out from an oil. measured by both a Percent Saturation Meter and Karl Fischer. Automatic
Since water is more dense than most oils, the water settles to particle counts were also performed and reported as ISO counts.
the bottom of reservoirs, low points, and to the base of the The water contamination results for all systems surveyed are shown
middle sample bottle in Figure 1. in Figure 2. Water concentrations are categorized into four levels along
Both free and dissolved water contamination lead to serious the x-axis, and the percent of systems in each level is shown by the
problems in hydraulic and lubricating systems. Water can act alone or bars. These results are simultaneously gratifying and disturbing. The

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Figure 2. Water Contamination Survey Figure 4. Comparing Lube & Hydraulic System Water Contamination.
- Summary of Results for All Systems

Figure 3. Comparing Particle Contamination with Water Contamination. Figure 5. Water Contamination in Gearboxes.
good news is that nearly 8 out of 10 systems (79%) are in the preferred
range, ≤ 50% saturation. The bad news is that 1 out of 9 systems (11%) ingression. Figure 5 shows the results only for gearboxes. Interesting,
contain free water. The remaining systems were in the marginal zone although 85% of the gearboxes surveyed are in the preferred range of ≤
greater than 50% saturation but with no free water. The fact that no 50% saturation, 11% of the gearboxes surveyed had free water. This
systems are in the 75% - 100% saturation range is a bit mysterious. This may be because many gearboxes run hot and drive off water from the
may simply be a statistical quirk, and larger numbers of samples would lubricant; these gearboxes run dry. However, most gearboxes are also
have turned up some results in this range. It may also be that systems open to the environment. Open gearboxes exposed to high levels of
close to saturation are being exposed to sufficient water to push them water ingression are likely to become wet. Sources of water ingression
over the top into the free water range. include: rain, hoses, and humid air.
Figure 3 compares particle contamination with water contamination. Figure 6 compares results between systems with and without water
In the 3-digit ISO Code, the middle digit represents numbers of particles contamination control equipment. Water contamination control
greater than 6 μm. We chose this 6 μm size to represent particle equipment included: standard desiccant breathers, regenerable
contamination for each system, as shown on the Y-axis. The X-axis lists desiccant breathers, water absorbing cartridges, centrifuges,
water contamination as percent saturation. A 6 μm ISO Code of 20 and coalescers, and vacuum dehydrators. Surprising, the same percentage
greater is considered highly contaminated. Approximately one-third of (79%) of protected and unprotected systems are in the preferred range
the systems sampled were in this particle contamination range, which of ≤ 50% saturation. Shockingly, more of the protected systems
is disturbing in itself. Interesting, the majority of these dirty systems contained free water than unprotected systems, 13% to 11%. At the
were dry – less than 50% saturated. In contrast some of the cleaner very least systems with water contamination control equipment should
systems, with 6 μm ISO Codes of 18 and less, contained copious not contain free water, yet more than 1 out of 8 did! To investigate this
amounts of free water. In general, it appears there is little correlation - contradiction we assembled the results for water protection equipment,
a disconnect - between particle contamination control and water but excluded systems protected by the regenerable breather drier, the
contamination control. The message is that to avoid contamination T.R.A.P.™ Results are shown in Figure 7. More than one out of five
problems, both good particle control and good water control are (21%) of these systems had free water! We now have our answer.
required, and they are not the same. Many water contamination control products are hassles to operate and
Figure 4 compares water contamination results for lube and hydraulic maintain. They may be installed, but they are too much trouble to
systems. The main difference is the greater number of lube systems operate properly. In contrast, results for the hassle-free regenerable
containing free water. This is probably because many lube systems are breather are shown in Figure 8. 90% of these systems are in the
more open to the environment, increasing the likelihood of water preferred range. No free water is found in any of them.

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 Table A. Strategies to Prevent Water Ingression.
Figure 6. Comparing Systems With and
Without Water Contamination Equipment.

Figure 7. Results for Traditional Water Contamination Equipment.

Table B. Summary of Water Contamination Control Technologies.

Three important cases are worth highlighting:
1. Many systems exchange air with their environment by ‘breathing.’
This can be due to changes in reservoir liquid level, such as for
hydraulic cylinders. Breathing can also be driven by temperature
cycling, such as on-off duty cycles and nighttime shutdowns,
common for many lube systems. To keep humid air out of systems
Figure 8. THE TRAP™ EFFECT. Results for Systems
that breathe, the low hassle and relatively inexpensive solution is
Protected By Regenerable Breather Driers
the regenerable breather drier shown in Figure 9. Mode of
Water Contamination Control operation for this device is illustrated in Figures 10a and 10b.
First, keep the water out. Best practices are summarized in Table A. During inhalation water vapor is absorbed out of the air onto a thin
Second, employ low hassle water contamination control equipment. film of material. During exhalation the same water vapor desorbs
In principle, all contamination control equipment performs well when from the thin film and is released back into the atmosphere. The
properly maintained. However, some of this equipment is not only result is a regenerable breather drier with greatly extended life in
expensive but also a hassle to operate and maintain. Hassles include humid environments.
frequent replacements, faulty operation, and temperamental controls. 2. To keep humid air out of systems that do not periodically breathe,
Hassle Factors, along with Cost of Ownership Ranking, for water such as lubricant reservoirs and storage tanks, a blanket of dry air
contamination control technologies are summarized in Table B. It should is ideal. A system using regenerable cartridges that runs off
be noted there are variations for each type of equipment listed in the compressed shop air is illustrated in Figure 11.
Table. Table B summarizes reports from end users as well as the
authors’ 50+ years of combined experience. 3. The vacuum dehydrator is an old standby for removing large

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Figure 9. Regenerable Breather Drier.

Figure 12. New Technology Vacuum Dehydrator. Photo courtesy of Oil

Filtration Systems, Inc. Note the large chambers facilitating monitoring
and controlling foam.
Conclusions and Recommendations
1. Along with particles, water is one of the two most damaging
contaminants for lube and hydraulic systems.
2. The recommended target for water contamination control is less
than or equal to 50% of saturation. This preferred range is realistic
Figure 10. Regenerable Breather Drier and effectively reduces water contamination problems. For
minimum protection against water, the target is less than or equal
to 100% saturation. This level of protection prevents problems due
to free water.
3. In a survey of industrial equipment, approximately four out of five
systems had water levels in the preferred range of ≤ 50%
saturation. This demonstrates that this is a practical and realistic
target level for water contamination control.
4. The same survey found one out of nine systems contained free
water. More troubling, one out of five systems with high hassle
water contamination control equipment had free water. This is
attributed to difficulties operating and maintaining many of these
units. Hassle Factors and relative expenses for water
contamination control equipment are summarized in Table B.
5. Low hassle and cost effective water contamination control
equipment is available, including a regenerable breather drier and
newer technology dry air blankets and vacuum dehydrators. As
found in the survey and termed the TRAP? Effect (Figure 8),
employing low hassle units facilitates maintaining water levels in
Figure 11. New Technology Dry Air Blanket System. the preferred range, and easily prevents free water contamination.
amounts of water from oils. There are many different models. All
are relatively expensive and complex. All pull water out of oil with References
vacuum. As water flashes out foaming and frothing result. Afton Chemical, “Hydraulic Industry Under Pressure,” Tribology &
Because of excessive foaming and low reliability, older technology Lubrication Technology, Vol. 61, No. 9, Sept. 2005, pp. 24-27.
vacuum dehydrators have high Hassle Factors. However, newer Armstrong, R., Hall, C., “The Corrosion of Metals in Contact With
versions have recently emerged that are much more user-friendly Ester Oils Containing Water at 60 and 150 ?C,” Electrochimica Acta,
and reliable. One model, shown in Figure 12, facilitates foam 40, 9, 1995, pp. 1135-1147.
control and nearly automatic operation.

2008 Conference Proceedings 465

 Beercheck, R.C., “How Dirt and Water Slash Bearing Life,” Machine
Design, V50, N7, 1978, pp. 68-73.
Cantley, R.E., “The Effect of Water in Lubrication Oil on Bearing
Fatigue Life,” ASLE Transactions, Vol. 20, No. 3, 1977, pp. 244-248.
Dietz, T.G., “Minimizing Water Contamination Extends Equipment,
Lubricant Life” Pulp & Paper, V71, N2, Feb, 1997, pp. 89-92.
Eachus, A.C., “The Trouble with Water,” Tribology & Lubrication
Technology, Vol. 61, No. 10, Oct 2005, pp. 32-38.
Fox, M, Picken, J., Pawlak, Z., “The Effect of Water on the Acid-Base
Properties of New and Used IC Engine Lubricating Oils,” Tribology
International, 23, 3, 1990, pp. 183-187.
Hill, E.C. and Genner, C., “Avoidance of Microbial Infection and
Corrosion in Slow-Speed Diesel Engines by Improved Design of the
Crankcase Oil System,” Tribology International, April, 1981.
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507-582.
Needelman, W.M., et al, “Lubrication,” in STLE Life Factors for
Rolling Bearings, E.V. Zaretsky, ed, 1992, pp. 214-220.
Needelman, W.M., LaVallee, G., “Forms of Water in Oil and
Contamination Control,” Proceedings of the 8th International Filtration
Conference, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, 2007.
Needelman, W.M., LaVallee, G., “Strategies for Preventing Water
Contamination,” International Fluid Power Exposition, March, 2008.
Sachs, N. W., Practical Plant Failure Analysis, CRC Press, 2006.
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International, 22, 1, 1989, pp. 39-42.

Appendix A: Dissolved Water, Free Water,

and Percent Saturation
The first water entering into a dry oil is dissolved by that oil. As more
water is added eventually the point is reached where the oil cannot
dissolve more water. This is the saturation point for that oil. The addition
of any more water results in free water, either emulsified or bulk,
depending on the situation. An excellent analogy is humidity in air. As
water enters initially dry air the relative humidity increases. Eventually
the air becomes saturated; this is called 100% relative humidity. Any
more water results in free water, typically in the form of fog droplets.
Just as relative humidity indicates the amount of water vapor in air,
percent saturation indicates the amount of water in an oil. Oil at 100%
saturation (just like air at 100% relative humidity) cannot hold any more
dissolved water – any additional water is free water. Oil at 50%
saturation (just like air at 50% relative humidity) contains half as much
water as the same oil at 100% percent saturation.

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