www.hpmag.co.uk HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS November/December 2025 23 handling of oil. Contaminants often enter during filling or top-up, when open containers or unfiltered transfer equipment are used. Some companies now introduce filtered filling rigs and sealed storage drums to maintain oil cleanliness from delivery to system. This level of control was once limited to aerospace or defence applications but is now increasingly common in general industry as reliability targets tighten. System design also plays a part. Filters must be selected not only for efficiency but for flow capacity, especially in colder conditions. Over-fine filters can restrict flow during start-up, causing pressure drop and possible pump cavitation. Many UK engineers use a combination of coarser suction filters to protect pumps and finer return-line or offline filters to capture smaller particles. This staged approach balances protection with flow stability. Where equipment operates outdoors year-round, filter housing design and heater elements are also considered to manage viscosity at low temperatures. Training remains essential. The principles of cleanliness control are straightforward, but they depend on consistent human practice. Small lapses, such as failing to clean a breather cap, reusing a dirty funnel, or delaying filter replacement after a warning, can quickly undermine the system’s cleanliness level. Maintenance teams are increasingly given responsibility not only for replacing filters but for interpreting analysis results and adjusting service intervals accordingly. Sustainability adds another dimension. Clean fluid lasts longer, meaning fewer oil changes and less waste to dispose of. This supports both cost reduction and compliance with environmental management standards such as ISO 14001. Several UK manufacturing sites report extending oil life two or threefold through improved filtration and monitoring, reducing both procurement costs and disposal volumes. Such outcomes make cleanliness control one of the more achievable environmental improvements available to heavy industry. The wider commercial context reinforces the focus on reliability. With skilled labour in short supply and production schedules tightly managed, downtime has become more expensive. Filtration and fluid monitoring offer a relatively low-cost way to prevent failures without large capital investment. Insurers and equipment suppliers are beginning to request evidence of fluid cleanliness as part of warranty and maintenance documentation, embedding the practice further into operational norms. The industry’s direction is clear. Filtration is no longer an afterthought or a routine consumable replacement. It is a technical control point directly tied to asset performance and energy efficiency. Fluid analysis turns that control into measurable assurance, giving operators the information to act before contamination translates into mechanical failure. Together, they define how modern hydraulic systems are expected to operate in the UK -reliable, predictable, and with quantifiable cleanliness standards. As industrial equipment continues to develop, these practices will only grow in importance. Managing contamination is not a one-off intervention but a steady discipline that supports productivity and sustainability alike. In an environment where margins are narrow and reliability is measured in hours rather than years, the cleanliness of hydraulic fluid has become one of the simplest and most effective indicators of a system’s overall condition.
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