Ensuring clean delivery of hydraulic fluids

Are bulk hydraulic fluids filtered and tested to determine if they are leaving the plant in accordance with relevant cleanliness specifications?

ExxonMobil performs many product quality tests during the production process. However, because contamination can occur at numerous points in the supply chain, filtration prior to delivery of the hydraulic fluid into the equipment is unnecessary.

For example, after the hydraulic fluid leaves the plant, it is often transferred into various tanks and/or containers for delivery into the equipment. Each storage and transfer of the fluid from one container to another is an opportunity for potential contamination. In fact, if the hydraulic fluid gets contaminated (by dust in an empty container, for example) the filtration prior to that point is wasted because the fluid will need to be filtered again before delivery into the machine.

The critical point where customers should focus on fluid filtration is at the point of delivery to the equipment. Filtration prior to that point can add higher costs and complexity to the supply chain, with little value in the end use.