Smart just got smarter with Filtertechnik’s new Particle Pal Life

18 July, 2018

Particle Pal Life can provide detailed insight into the health of oil in real time, helping engineers to make informed choices regarding oil replacement or treatment planning.

New software

A 10” touchscreen LCD tablet allows users to view data in clear detail, while a zoom facility can be used to focus on specific results. Within the software Filtertechnik has embedded oil ageing profiles for over 500 oils, as well as the ability to self-calibrate an oil life profile should a particular oil not be on the database. This is a one-time routine where oil is taken through a calibration cycle.

Oil life sensor

The built-in Tan Delta full spectrum holistic oil condition sensor monitors the overall condition of the oil, providing data with a high level of sensitivity, accuracy and precision. This enables the oil’s remaining useful life to be calculated accurately. Filtertechnik explains that the sensor can work with virtually any oil, drawing on its extensive database of common industrial oils with the ability to self-calibrate.

Laser particulate counter

Filtertechnik states that its laser particulate counters are accurate to within+/-0.5 of an ISO code with a repeatability of +/-0.1%. Reporting in ISO, SAE and NAS classes as well as giving the particle quantity counts in 4, 6, 14 and 21 micron sizes.

Water sensor

Water in oil is a contaminant that causes additive depletion, microbial growth and encourages contamination from solids. The in-built water sensor shows the humidity of any oil as a % saturation.

Case design

Lightweight and heavy duty, the outer casing of the Particle Pal Life is ideal for working in the field. Supplied with an accessory case containing all the equipment you need to conduct tests and self-calibrate oils not on the database.

Off-site data back-up

A built in SIM card provides an option for data to be automatically transferred off-site and backed up where it can be viewed at any time. Once data is logged it can be recalled at any time to build trend history.

Optional yearly licence

All new Particle Pal Life units include software updates and off-site back-up licence for the first year. Every 12 months thereafter there is an optional charge for annual sensor verification/calibration, off-site back-up and software updates, including all new oils profiled.

High pressure internal gear pump

Draw from oil stored in tanks or from sample bottles. Alternatively, the unit can analyse oils from pressurised systems via a high-pressure adaptor, allowing connection to live systems up to 350 bar.

Rechargeable battery

Particle Pal Life comes complete with a rechargeable battery, giving 3 to 6 hours of continual use (depending on oil viscosity).

Wide range of applications

In both hydraulic and lubrication systems, knowing the particulate cleanliness and water content data can prevent serious system failure and component damage. Traditionally, samples are taken and sent off to laboratories for analysis, often an expensive and time-consuming practice. The new Particle Pal Life enables engineers to assess their oil’s condition quickly including an indication of the remaining life of their oil.

Particle Pal Life is suitable for use in a wide range of applications, including: power generation, off-road mining and construction, wind power, hydraulic and marine.

Also available – the FS9V2

Particle Pal Life is part of a family of products. The FS9V2 Particle Pal provides instant cleanliness readings to allow users to fully understand the condition of their oils and diesel fuels. A self-contained system, complete with integral pump and controlled flow rate.

Survey

Richard Price, managing director of Filtertechnik, commented: “A survey of over 20,000 oil samples showed that the vast majority of oil changes without oil analysis would be conducted at the wrong time – by following OEM recommendations rather than by analysis of the oil’s ability to continue working and in most cases before the oil’s life was fully depleted [Source: learnoilanalysis.com]. This is largely why the use of a reliable oil condition sensor, particle counter and water sensor is invaluable.”

He continued: “Although the 500 oil types and profiles built into the Particle Pal Life is a substantial number, it is of course only a fraction of what is available on the market. Indeed, certain oils are not on the existing database of the system because some suppliers and OEMs source a standard oil and rebrand it before providing to their customers. This is why we have built a self-profiling capability into the kit. Therefore, users can simply run virgin oil through a heat cycle for about 10 to 15 minutes, all components to perform this self-calibration routine are included in the kit. Users can then create their own profile for that oil and determine its approximate life. We have tested this function extensively in laboratories and it has been proven to be very accurate. And because Particle Pal Life comes with self-calibration functionality and is able to combine particulate water and oil life within a single highly portable kit – this combination is a world-first.”

R&D

Price explained that Filtertechnik invested a lot of R&D time and resources developing the very best software and circuit board for the new product, as well as sourcing the very best sensors; most of which, incidentally, have been designed and built in the UK. “We wanted to ensure the software could communicate in the most reliable and effective way with the circuit board and also wanted to ensure the circuit board and software was able to communicate perfectly with the sensor,” he said. “Different sensors often talk different languages – some are 4 to 20mA, some are Modbus, some are CAN bus, some are RS485, for example – so we had to overcome various technical challenges when developing the circuit board to ensure communication with the various sensors wouldn’t be an issue. With our new Particle Pal Life we have more than achieved this goal.”

www.filtertechnik.co.uk