Hydraulic Oil Purification Service
Reduce Failures, Oil Changes and Maintenance Costs with FRIESS Fluid Care
A substantial share of hydraulic-system failures is linked to oil contamination and ageing. With systematic hydraulic oil purification, fluid service life can be extended from months to years; at some customer sites, the same oil has remained in service for more than 10 or even 20 years.
Contents:
- FRIESS Hydraulic Oil Purification Service: Clean Oil and Long Service Life
- How Electrostatic Oil Cleaning Works
- What Happens to Costs if Hydraulic Failures Fall by 70%?
- Common Causes of Oil Ageing and Varnish Formation
- Results: Longer Oil Life and Higher Equipment Availability
- Easier Entry: Rental, Service and Combined Solutions
FRIESS Hydraulic Oil Purification Service: Keep Oil Clean and Extend Service Life
FRIESS hydraulic oil purification service is not a conventional emergency repair service. Its purpose is not to repair equipment after damage has occurred, but to reduce the probability of hydraulic-system failures through continuous fluid care.
In many hydraulic systems, costly downtime, faults and repairs are not caused by a single component. They develop as insufficient oil cleanliness, fluid ageing, fine contamination and deposits accumulate over time. Even when conventional filtration is installed, microparticles, resin and oxidation products can still form deposits inside the system and impair valves, pumps and precision hydraulic components.
The FRIESS approach is to maintain fluid quality for the long term through deep filtration, electrostatic oil cleaning and, where necessary, vacuum dehydration—instead of repeatedly replacing expensive hydraulic oil.
In heavily loaded hydraulic systems, EFR electrostatic oil cleaning can extend hydraulic-oil service intervals from months to years while substantially reducing failures, wear and deposits caused by fluid ageing.
How Electrostatic Oil Cleaning Works
During long-term operation, hydraulic oil gradually ages and produces fine particles, oxidation products, resins and sludge that mechanical filters struggle to capture. FRIESS EFR electrostatic cleaning reduces the accumulation of these submicron contaminants and ageing products so the oil remains clear and stable.
Where deposits have already formed, the renewed contaminant-absorption capacity of deeply cleaned oil can gradually redissolve them. In effect, the purified oil continues cleaning the hydraulic circuit from the inside.
Many applications show that oil cleaned with an EFR system can achieve a cleanliness level better than that of new oil, while its required lubrication, protection and power-transmission properties remain stable for longer.
Key Benefits
- Continuous hydraulic-oil treatment and filtration during operation—no shutdown required.
- Bypass installation for easy maintenance without interrupting the hydraulic system.
- High contaminant-holding capacity for industrial hydraulic systems in long-term operation.
- Low consumable usage for predictable operating costs.
What Happens to Costs if Hydraulic Failures Fall by 70%?
For a hydraulic system, the truly expensive items are rarely one filter element or one oil analysis. They are unplanned downtime, repeated repairs, sticking valves, pump and valve wear, declining machine accuracy and the resulting increase in rejects.
FRIESS Typically Helps Users Reduce These Costs Through Three Service Measures:
- Filter ultrafine particles: Electrostatic oil cleaning removes fine contamination that mechanical filters cannot capture effectively.
- Remove ageing products: Resin, varnish deposits and their precursors are removed before harmful deposits form inside the system.
- Extend oil service life: Longer fluid life and fewer hydraulic failures. FRIESS focuses on maintaining oil quality—not emergency repair or simple oil replacement.
Common Causes of Oil Ageing and Varnish Formation
- Oxidation → Hydraulic oil reacts with oxygen in the air. Long-chain molecules form and can eventually develop into soft, sticky resinous substances.
- Thermal degradation → This mainly occurs at temperatures above 200 °C.
- Micro-dieseling → Air bubbles in the oil are strongly compressed and heated by hydraulic pressure. Hydrocarbons at the bubble boundary burn and form tar-like contaminants.
- Additive degradation → Once antioxidant and corrosion-protection additives are consumed, their inorganic components can form stubborn deposits and increase wear risk.
FRIESS electrostatic hydraulic oil cleaners reduce the oil’s varnish-forming potential and prevent ageing products from depositing in the system. This lowers the consumption of expensive hydraulic oil while reducing operating costs and environmental impact.
Results: Longer Oil Life and Higher Equipment Availability
FRIESS electrostatic hydraulic oil cleaners remove ultrafine particles and oil-ageing products, reducing deposits and the system damage they cause. For operators, this typically means:
- Significantly longer hydraulic-oil service life.
- Less waste oil.
- Lower mechanical wear on pumps, valves and other hydraulic components.
- Fewer faults caused by sticking or slow-moving valves.
- Lower reject rates caused by insufficient machine accuracy.
- Higher equipment availability and less unplanned downtime.
Easier Entry: Rental, Service and Combined Solutions
FRIESS has more than 50 years of experience developing and manufacturing process-fluid cleaning systems. Rental and service options make it easier to start deep hydraulic-oil purification and systematic fluid care with a lower initial investment.
These options suit companies seeking lower operating costs, less downtime risk and more sustainable hydraulic-system operation. Where oil ageing, varnish deposits, high filter consumption, abnormal valve behaviour or frequent oil changes already occur, oil analysis can be used first to assess the fluid and define the appropriate cleaning and maintenance plan.
1) EFR Electrostatic Hydraulic Oil Cleaning
For deep hydraulic-oil purification, removing fine particles, resins, oxidation products and other signs of oil ageing. EFR provides stable cleaning performance even in demanding applications where conventional filtration cannot achieve sufficient cleanliness.
2) Vacuum Oil Dehydration
Vacuum dehydration removes free and emulsified water. Compared with mechanical methods, it can also help remove dissolved gases and some particles, making it suitable for hydraulic and lubricating oils with significant water contamination.
FRIESS electrostatic hydraulic oil cleaning has been successfully applied at many customer sites and often demonstrates its economic value within a short period. An initial rental or trial service allows operators to verify equipment performance and fluid-care results with lower risk.
Need to Understand the Condition of Your Hydraulic Oil?
Oil analysis identifies contamination, ageing, wear trends and water content, providing a sound basis for cleaning, dehydration and oil-change decisions.
Advantages of FRIESS Hydraulic Oil Services
We provide combined solutions ranging from oil analysis to EFR deep filtration, vacuum dehydration and continuous maintenance. Service plans can be adapted to system volume, contamination type and operating conditions, while rental and service models reduce the initial investment.
Typical Applications and Service Objectives
Applications include injection moulding machines, aluminium-industry presses, steel production lines, wood processing and gearbox manufacturing. The objective is to reduce unplanned downtime, oil changes and repair costs while extending equipment and fluid service life.