Fluxes and coolants – Not the best of friends

Publication year: 2023

Aqueous coolants are extremely important in ensuring the safe operation of engines, converters and many other systems. But during use, their condition changes due to ageing and contamination. In the past, examinations using handheld devices and measuring strips were carried out on site to check antifreeze and heat transfer properties and to find signs of degrading basic protection additives. 

Monitoring with OELCHECK all-inclusive analyses goes far beyond this and ensures a high level of safety when using coolants. This is because, provided that regular analyses are carried out, we can now not only detect existing corrosion, but also interpret indicators of its future formation and warn of impending damage. The fluxes used when soldering the coolers also continue to play a key role here! 


Engines, converters and many other technical components need to be protected against overheating. The heat lost during operation is dissipated, thereby cooling the components. This is done with the help of air, water, cold mixtures with special salt compounds or coolants, which in most cases are based on glycol. The latter are not just used for radiators in motor vehicles. Aqueous glycol-based coolants are also used in cooling systems for wind turbines, locomotives, stationary engines (such as in energy generation using biogas) or in power supply converters.

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Limit values at OELCHECK

Publication year: 2023

OELCHECK uses limit values when evaluating lubricant and fuel analyses. 
Where do these values actually come from? And how do you apply them when examining of up to 2,000 samples every day?

When examining lubricant and fuel samples, we usually determine 35 to 50 different individual values. However, we cannot evaluate the samples on the basis of these figures alone. Even the most experienced tribologist needs limit values in order to evaluate the results of an analysis and make recommendations. More than 200,000 machine-specific limit value tables are therefore stored in the large OELCHECK database. These are increasing all the time, because as soon as a sample for a new lubricated machine component or a new lubricant arrives in our laboratory, for example, we create another data master. All information is recorded digitally in the large OELCHECK database and prepared with the help of the company's own software programs. After all, we need to be able to enter, adjust and ultimately use the limit values when evaluating samples in a clear and quick manner.

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Digitalisation and lubricant analysis – A perfect combination

Publication year: 2023

More and more knowledge is being stored digitally. We have stored the results of approx. 5 million tested lubricant and fuel samples in the large OELCHECK database alone and thus have access to approx. 190 million individual values. And more are being added all the time. Every day we receive, process and send an enormous amount of data. Digitalisation has been part of our workflow for some time already. This is the only way we can manage the flood of data and provide our customers with a host of smart service tools for data exchange, such as the OELCHECK app 4.0, the LAB.REPORT customer portal, FTP server or API interfaces.

Powerful IT systems do the rest. Various software systems prepare the analysis data for the OELCHECK tribologists and ultimately for the customers in order to make use of the flood of data, to make correlations clear and to be able to make statements. Our lubricant and service product analyses have contributed to the sustainable operation of companies for over 30 years by determining condition-dependent oil changes and evaluating trend analyses. But in the age of digitalisation, lubricant analytics can make an even more efficient contribution to maintenance and servicing.

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