1.         Solid Contamination:   It is generally recognized, backed by numerous tests and studies over the last 30 years, that contamination generated in an engine that is responsible for the majority of "normal" wear, is within the 1 - 20 micron range.  Also this small solid contamination contributes to accelerating Condition Caused Contaminants such as Oxidation, Nitration, Acid Formation and more.  Consequently, it is imperative that this contamination be removed from the system as fast as possible.  The typical factory full-flow filter cannot control 1 - 20 micron particles due to its porous design to supply the engine with a high flow rate of oil.  One must use filtration that is capable of controlling solids in the 1 - 20 micron range and smaller.

2.            Moisture Contamination:   Moisture contamination within the lube oil will cause viscosity increase, VI polymer decrease, TBN decrease, acid formation, accelerated oxidation and nitration.  If left unchecked, it will cause accelerated wear, filter plugging, sludge formation, and corrosion of parts.  To safely eliminate routine oil drains, one must use additional filtration that utilizes an adsorbent filter media, which can remove suspended moisture from the lube oil.

3.            Condition Caused Contamination: There are three MAJOR types of contamination that are formed within the lube oil during normal use: Oxidation, Nitration, and Acid.  These contaminants are formed when solid and moisture contamination are present, and certain operating conditions exist within the engine.  These Condition Caused Contaminants can be controlled by the use of additional filtration and with the proper filter service interval.
a.            Oxidation:   Oxidation occurs when the hydrocarbon constituents (and other products) of lube oil combine chemically with oxygen.  Lube oil in engines will combine with available oxygen under certain conditions to form a wide variety of oxidation products.  Many of these direct or primary oxidation products combine with other materials such as wear metals, solid contamination, and moisture, to form second and third derivative products.  As with most chemical reactions, oil oxidation is accelerated by heat and pressure.  Heat in particular will speed up the oxidation process. Various studies have shown that lube oxidation (with many variables such as the type lubricant and additive package in the lubricant) that the oxidation rate can be doubled for every 15 to 20 degrees increase over 180 degrees F.  Also, engine load, which will dictate the levels of oxygen and pressure within the engine, will accelerate the oxidation process.  Effects of oxidation within the engine can be seen in the form of accelerated acid formation, corrosion, oil thickening, deposit formation, and accelerated wear. 
Most of all the top quality lube oils have an additive package that contains oxidation inhibitors to slow the oxidation process and alkaline detergents that will neutralize acids formed by oxidation.  Normally these additives will only last a certain length of time before they are used up and the oil must be drained.  Filtakleen has established the correct means by which to control oxidation within engines.  As we have seen, oxidation is greatly stimulated by the solid and moisture contamination.  Solids tend to hold heat, thereby increasing the lube oil temperature around the solid contamination.  This condition acts to accelerate oxidation.  Combine this effect with the presence of moisture (H2O) from normal condensation, and the oxidation process accelerates even faster.  When moisture is present in the lubrication system, the level of oxygen available to mix with hydrocarbons in the lube oil is raised dramatically.  The presence of normal solid and moisture contamination, combined with maximum operating load of the equipment, will produce high oil oxidation rates, even with normal oil temperatures.  In order to control the oxidation process, the Filtakleen Proactive Maintenance Program offers filtration products that can control the levels of moisture, wear metals and other solid contamination.  By removing this contamination, the oil will offer a better seal between the rings and liners and therefore reduce the amount of blow-by during the combustion process.  Blow-by contributes to the amount of oxygen and moisture within the engine.
                 Once we have removed the contamination, which acts as a catalyst to accelerate the oxidation process and have offered a cleaner oil to seal the engine, then we are left with MINIMAL OXIDATION for the additive package of the oil to contend with.  The engine will use a certain amount of oil each operating day.  Combine this amount of new oil with the amount added at the time the Filtakleen Filter is serviced, and the engine will maintain a sufficient amount of active additives to keep oxidation in check indefinitely.
            b.   Nitration:   The combustion chambers of engines provide one of the few   environments where there is sufficient heat and pressure to break the atmospheric nitrogen molecule down to two atoms that can react with oxygen to form nitrous oxides (NOx).  This becomes a major problem for some engines, especially natural gas engines.  Because natural gas engines run so lean, they have higher combustion temperatures and a lot more NOx are formed than with other types of fuel.  When nitrogen oxide products enter the lube oil through normal blow-by, they react with moisture present in the lube and become very acidic and rapidly accelerate the oxidation rate of the oil.
            The Filtakleen Filter controls the effects of nitration in the same ways it controls oxidation.  By delivering cleaner oil to offer as a seal between the ring and liner, blow-by of NOx is kept to a minimum.  Also, the Filtakleen Filter keeps the oil chemically dry and prevents the mixing of NOx and moisture, which controls NOx acid formation and accelerated oxidation of the oil.
            c.   Acid Formation:  Acids are formed within the lube by several sources. We have already covered two of them in the form of acids formed from oxidation and nitration.  In most all forms of fuel for internal combustion engines, trace amounts of sulfur are present.  In some cases, where sour gas or high sulfur diesel fuel is used to fuel the engines, massive amounts of sulfur are present in the fuel.  Sulfuric acid is formed within the lube oil when sulfur molecules react with oxygen in the combustion chamber to form sulfur oxides. These sulfur oxides are then blown past the rings and enter the oil.  Here the sulfur oxides mix with moisture to form the highly corrosive sulfuric acid.  It is next to impossible to remove trace amounts of sulfur from fuels.  However, it takes two components to make the sulfuric acid, sulfur oxides and water.  The Filtakleen Filter removes the moisture from the lube and keeps it chemically dry, thus controlling the formation of sulfuric acid.  Therefore, by using the Filtakleen Filter, TBN levels can be maintained at an acceptable level.