Published in the May 2005 American Longwall Magazine
If proper filters are used and there is a high quality filtration effort in place, the operators receive more uptime from the machinery. For that reason, Schroeder Industries has made recommendations to increase the production time of machinery through proper and quality filtration methods.
Most equipment manufacturers adhere to ISO 4406-1999 hydraulic cleanliness codes recommended by the component makers. For longwall mining equipment, the optimum performance recommendation is maintenance at ISO- /16/13 level. In order to verify this, regular particle counts should be done from drawn samples.
Schroeder noted light blockage particle counters are not suitable for most 95-5 fluids; therefore, mesh obscuration particle monitors are often used. This service is often made available by fluid supplier and independent labs.
Given the difficulty of performing maintenance on any machinery while underground, Schroeder advises the use of oversize filters to lengthen the time between element changes. Additionally, the use of indicator-equipped filter housings whenever possible is advised; most include specific instructions regarding length of time before the next replacement. Finally, filters with the least loose parts are generally the easiest to service.
Schroeder said future trends included equipping one filter on each of the unloading lines of a pump, and adding duplex filters on the return line and pressure line to allow for filter service without having to shut down the system. Of course, safety is crucial to any operation and should be given priority when making any modification decisions.
