Moisture measurement in lubricating oil is classically carried out in the laboratory with a Karl Fischer titrator. Although Karl Fischer titration is a primary standard, many challenges exist in making accurate and timely measurements. Sampling technique and sampling frequency are critical factors in determining the true condition of the oil. The accuracy of a Karl Fischer titrator is not in question. The question is whether the sample obtained for testing is representative. This poses a dilemma for engineers wishing to obtain representative data in regard to the total volume of oil that has passed through a lubrication system. Time between samples, volume of sample, location of sample tap off and sample handling as well as the repeatability of the method which relies 100% on company personnel ,raise doubts as to the validity of the practice – not the accuracy of traceable laboratory analyzers. The Karl Fischer laboratory test is responsible for measuring total water in an oil irrespective of whether the sample that arrives at the laboratory is representative of the total volume of oil that has passed through a filtration system. Serious contenders in the oil and gas industry (although not related) took up the challenge over 50 years ago with online water in oil monitors and automatic sampling systems as opposed to total reliance on spot sampling methods. The amount of of water for example in a crude oil can determine the sales contract selling value of the product . Since millions of dollars are being exchanged at any one time the complete reliance of a spot sample can be deemed invalid when large amounts of loss or gained revenue are in question. This has spurred oil companies to implement measurement teams with the sole responsibility to both analyze online as well as in a laboratory.

The need for a low cost device with virtually no maintenance, easily installed to accurately measure total moisture /water content in oil has been the impetus in the design and manufacture of EESIFLO’s new generation water oil monitoring instruments. The EASZ-1 solution for industry is continuous moisture measurement which eliminates questions raised by sampling frequency and technique, since it is an instrument that electronically samples the direct capacitance value of the water oil mixture every second and correlates it to either a ppm or percentage readout on a remote display or control system. The technology is based on direct measurement of water in oil. Since water and oil have very different dielectric strengths- the EASZ-1 measures the amount of energy that can be stored in the liquid media which gives a true indication of moisture level whether there is dissolved, emulsified or free water. Stability over varying temperatures is resolved by temperature compensation.

Measuring water in oil as a ppm value or percentage is a great benefit to engineers. It enables them to correlate online information with Karl Fischer test reports. Karl Fischer reports give information on total water content irrespective of the form i.e. dissolved, emulsified or free.

Oil can hold a certain amount of moisture/water but the ability of the oil to hold greater amounts of water over time increases with oil aging. This increases the need to measure total water values which correlate to Karl Fischer methods.

The EASZ-1 is a temperature compensated online dielectric method of moisture analysis and is able to measure the presence of water from 100ppm to 250,000 ppm with a response time of 1 second . The sensing element consists of two stainless steel barrels which act in a similar way to two separated plates measuring dielectric. This enables a large volume of sample to be continuously monitored as opposed to a small insert sensor which sees only a tiny fraction of process media. Development of stable electronics to pick up minute changes of water content in oil has been an activity of the company since the early 90’s. The result of much development and testing has produced a stable measurement device that responds immediately to any change in capacitance which is correlated to total water or moisture content in oil.

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