Field case · Oil analysis
Pulveriser gearbox: ferrous reading went from zero to 443 in a month, a thrust bearing was about to fail
Quick answer
A routine monthly oil test on a power plant gearbox showed the ferrous reading rising from zero to 352 and then 443. The gearbox was opened, the thrust bearing had deteriorated and was replaced for a fraction of the cost of a rebuild.
What the case covers
- The trend
- The finding
- The cost
- What to take from it
Takeaway. A clean baseline and a monthly test turned a jump in ferrous debris into a planned bearing change instead of a rebuild.
Read the full case, with the data and the numbers