Spring is officially here, and while many welcome the warmer weather, spring conditions can bring higher risks of contamination. (And no, we’re not just talking about allergens!)
One specific phenomenon, ‘cottonwood season,’ poses a particular risk for industrial operations using cooling towers, open loop systems, and other process fluid systems exposed to the outside air.
Cottonwood Season: The What, Where, and When
The eastern cottonwood tree, which is native to a large portion of the United States and parts of Canada, spreads using fibers that carry its seeds on the wind—hence the name ‘cottonwood.’ The resulting drifts of white fluff can be so dense that they look like out-of-season snow.
While all this cottonwood fuzz looks pretty innocent, for industrial operations near cottonwood trees, all that fibrous fluff can cause some pretty serious problems.
How Can Cottonwood Fluff Affect Your Industrial Operation?
The flurry of cottonwood seeds and fiber can cause major issues for industrial operations in the affected area, including:
Blockage of Intake Screens & Filters: The floating cotton-like seeds can accumulate in water intake structures, clogging screens, filters, and grates, leading to reduced water flow and increased maintenance.
Pump Damage: Accumulated seeds and debris can enter pumps, causing inefficiencies, overheating, or even mechanical failure.
Irrigation System Blockages: In industries reliant on irrigation (e.g., agriculture, cooling systems), cottonwood debris can obstruct pipes and sprinkler heads.
Increased Organic Load: Cottonwood fluff and seeds will decompose in water systems, increasing organic matter and contributing to algae growth and biofouling.
Tannins & Chemical Leaching: Cottonwoods release natural tannins, which can alter water chemistry, potentially affecting industrial processes like chemical treatments or cooling towers.
Scaling in Cooling Towers: Industrial cooling towers can experience fouling due to cottonwood seeds sticking to wet surfaces, reducing efficiency and increasing the need for chemical treatments.
Fire Hazards: The highly flammable cotton-like seeds can accumulate in cooling systems, HVAC units, and other water-cooled industrial equipment, posing a fire hazard.
Because the main threat of cottonwood season is particulate contamination from the cottonwood seeds, robust process filtration offers the best protection.
Schroeder Industries’ AutoFilt® filtration products excel in capturing large quantities of contaminants in process fluid streams, and the RF14 in particular is our expert recommendation for cottonwood contamination scenarios:
Automatic Back Flushing: Allows for virtually uninterrupted operation as the RF14 continuously filters process fluid stream, self-cleaning the filter baskets in just 4 seconds
Maintenance-Friendly: Automatic back flushing eliminates manual basket cleaning, and pre-filtration can reduce maintenance requirements for downstream components
Highly Effective Filtration: Rated for particulates as low as 10µm
Meet Virtually Any Flow Requirement: Piping multiple RF14s in parallel can provide exceptional protection at virtually any flow rate required
Proven Performance: Real-world success in a variety of applications, including cottonwood contamination removal
Don’t just take our word for it: Check out the case study below where a customer struggling with cottonwood fibers got back on track with an AutoFilt® RF14!
When a steel mill was experiencing frequent clogging in their equipment, forcing frequent and costly downtime to unclog nozzles and other components, Schroeder Industries identified cottonwood seeds and fluff as the culprit!
The customer’s cooling water supply was exposed to this cottonwood contamination through its cooling towers, which drew in enough fibers to cause serious clogging.
Fortunately, the AutoFilt® RF14 is designed for exactly this type of scenario, and was able to eliminate these service interruptions!
Here’s how the AutoFilt® RF14 helped this customer:
RF14 Protects Cooling Water Quality
Zero Cottonwood-Related Service Interruptions Since Install
Concerned About Cottonwood Contamination? Schroeder Industries Has You Covered!
Tell us about your application and any issues you’re concerned about, and the experts at Schroeder Industries will work out a solution for your specific needs! Our Process Filtration division has the tools you need to keep your operation flowing smoothly.
Do You Know What’s Happening In Your Hydraulic Tank?
It may surprise you to hear that many hydraulic reservoirs are oversized and inefficient!
Tank Optimization can give you important insights into how fluid moves inside your reservoir, and put you on the path towards a more efficient, cost effective, sustainable machine.
What Is Tank Optimization?
Tank Optimization aims to reduce reservoir size and improve performance by addressing the following:
Volume Utilization. In a properly designed tank, every cubic inch of the hydraulic fluid should circulate within the reservoir. If the fluid isn’t circulating, it might as well not be in the system! Areas of stagnation are known as dead zones, and are a clear indicator that a tank is too large.
Fluid Velocity. In the simplest terms, lower fluid velocity is best! The tank is where deaeration occurs, and air can escape the fluid more easily when the fluid velocity is lower and less turbulent. Part of Tank Optimization includes optimizing flow, reducing velocity and improving deaeration.
What Can Tank Optimization Do For You?
The ultimate end goal of Tank Optimization is to improve system efficiency, and a reduction in tank size and fluid volume can have a range of benefits for the design, energy consumption, cost, and carbon footprint:
Increased Machine Space
A smaller hydraulic reservoir creates opportunities for design improvements. Tank Optimization can enable a larger fuel tank or battery, additional supply storage, or even an overall downsizing of the machine!
Improved Energy Efficiency
Reducing the tank size/overall fluid volume reduces both the weight and warmup time of the hydraulic system, allowing the equipment to operate with lower energy consumption.
Conservation of Resources
A smaller hydraulic tank means less oil is needed on the first fill for OEMs and on all subsequent fills for the end user, saving on oil-related costs! Additionally, the tank assembly will require less material to manufacture.
Increased Sustainability
Improving fuel efficiency, reducing oil volume, and minimizing the material needed to construct the system’s reservoir through Tank Optimization all contribute to a reduced carbon footprint.
Through cutting-edge simulations and CFD analyses, Schroeder Industries provides our customers with real world data on various tank dynamics and characteristics to uncover inefficiencies in the tank assembly and develop optimized solutions for virtually any application.
Schroeder’s experts assess a range of characteristics in the tank analysis process:
Flow Simulations
One of the most important tank characteristics is flow. Flow simulations assess the flow patterns and velocity of fluid in the tank. Is the flow fast and turbulent? Are there stagnant pockets (dead zones) in the reservoir?
Thermal Simulations
Temperature can also reveal a lot about a reservoir’s design. How quickly/evenly does the fluid reach operating temperature? Do hot spots indicate faster fluid degradation? Do cold spots indicate stagnation?
Deaeration Simulations
Removing air from the hydraulic fluid is one of the most important roles of the hydraulic tank and return filter. These simulations determine air residence time in the reservoir, and whether it has time to effectively exit the fluid.
Sloshing Simulations
A sub-optimal tank can actually be one of the biggest contributors to air contamination! Sloshing simulations reveal if splashing within the reservoir could be trapping air in the hydraulic fluid and worsening air contamination.
Structural Analysis
The structure of a reservoir influences not just how fluid circulates, but also whether it will deflect when full or possibly fail or become damaged when mounting or bearing further loads.
Tank Optimization In Action
Schroeder Industries has helped dozens of customers downsize their reservoirs and maximize the efficiency of their tank assemblies, reducing cost and more!
Check out the following case studies, and ask our experts about a Tank Optimization consultation:
An OEM producing ride-on snow removal equipment, wanting to be more competitive in the market, sought solutions to improve their hydraulic oil cleanliness and optimize their systems.
By combining Tank Optimization with the advanced deaeration of Air Fusion Technology filtration, Schroeder Industries was able to downsize the reservoir from 9 gallons to 2 gallons, allowing the customer to improve their equipment design and become more competitive!
Here’s how Tank Optimization helped this customer:
Reservoir Downsized by 7 Gallons and 51lbs
Design Improvements: Runs 2x Longer Than Competitor
Nearly $100 USD Initial Cost Savings Per Unit
Initial CO2 Reduction: 100lbs Per Unit
With a smaller and more efficient hydraulic reservoir, CO2 savings will compound over the equipment’s lifespan!
An OEM manufacturing fire trucks wanted to free up space for more firefighting equipment and overall reduce the weight & improve the performance of their existing tank assembly.
Through Tank Optimization and the efficiency of a TNK25 complete tank package, Schroeder Industries was able to downsize their reservoir by more than half!
Here’s how Tank Optimization helped this customer:
Reservoir Downsized by 30 Gallons and 230lbs
Initial Cost Savings Per Unit of $946 USD
Additional Machine Space Created for Equipment Storage
Initial CO2 Reduction: 702lbs Per Unit
With a smaller and more efficient hydraulic reservoir, CO2 savings will compound over the equipment’s lifespan!
An OEM manufacturing a variety of hydraulic refuse trucks sought ways to improve the design and efficiency of their side loader model.
Through Tank Optimization and the in-tank benefits of Schroeder’s BRT filter, Schroeder Industries was able to downsize their existing 75 gallon reservoir.
Here’s how Tank Optimization helped this customer:
Reservoir Downsized by 19 Gallons
Weight Reduction of 335lbs Per Assembly
$380 Initial Oil Cost Savings Per Unit
Initial CO2 Reduction: 450lbs Per Unit
With a smaller and more efficient hydraulic reservoir, CO2 savings will compound over the equipment’s lifespan!
An OEM developing a variety of equipment for the oil and gas industry sought to increase the efficiency of the hydraulic wet kits powering their massive snubbing unit rigs, which operate using a very large industrial reservoir.
Through Tank Optimization, Schroeder Industries was able slash nearly 3/4 ton of weight from their tank assembly!
Here’s how Tank Optimization helped this customer:
Reservoir Downsized by 160 Gallons
Weight Reduction of 1411lbs Per Assembly
$3,200 Initial Oil Cost Savings Per Unit
Initial CO2 Reduction: 3780lbs Per Unit
With a smaller and more efficient hydraulic reservoir, CO2 savings will compound over the equipment’s lifespan!
Steel isn’t the be-all, end-all of hydraulic tanks. Schroeder’s TNK Series are expertly engineered for high filtration and deaeration performance, exceptional durability and a high standard of cleanliness all while being less energy-intensive to manufacture than a comparable steel reservoir. The TNK1C is the latest in our line of high-performance rotomolded reservoirs.
Optimized for heat and air removal. The patented, integrated baffle wall on these hydraulic tanks creates settling zone for returning oil (degassing) with simultaneous cooling effect.
Combine with Air Fusion Technology for unparalleled deaeration capabilities.
Lightweight and cost effective, but extremely durable. The TNK series is designed for high performance in a range of conditions, capable of withstanding heavy impacts and temperature extremes.
No risk of corrosion compared to metal hydraulic reservoirs.
Certified clean tanks. Our TNKs are subject to a proprietary, intensive cleaning method and a rigorous testing process to maintain a high standard of roll-off cleanliness, protecting your equipment from reservoir-related contamination.
Recyclable, more eco-friendly alternative to steel tanks. Our TNKs are made with recyclable High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), considered among the easiest plastic materials to recycle. Pound for pound, these tanks require significantly less energy to produce than a comparable product made with steel.
Complete hydraulic reservoir solution. Comes with vital accessories like gauges, in-tank filters, and air breathers already installed
Built To Roll With The Punches – Check Out Our Tough TNKs!
Is Your Hydraulic Reservoir Optimized?
Did you know that many hydraulic reservoirs are oversized for their application?
This could be reducing your system’s efficiency, increasing your oil expenses, and exposing your equipment to excess air contamination!
Through cutting-edge simulations and CFD analyses, Schroeder Industries can provide real world data on various tank dynamics and characteristics to uncover inefficiencies in the tank assembly and develop optimized solutions for virtually any application.
Ask the experts at Schroeder Industries what a Tank Optimization Consultation could do for you!
The new year is often a time when people set resolutions for self-improvement. It’s also the perfect time to improve your equipment performance!
Filtration is the underlying process that keeps diesel and hydraulic-driven equipment moving. Schroeder Industries offers proven solutions that help your equipment perform at its best.
Here are just a few of the solutions Schroeder Industries has to offer:
Filter Tank Cooling Unit – FTC Unit
A compact, robust all-in-one filtration and cooling assembly ideal for mobile applications!
Condensed, efficient footprint ideal for the space limitations of mobile vehicles; most optimized tank/cooler combination currently available
Integrated cooling unit maintains safe operating temperature, extending fluid life and preventing overheating in the hydraulic system
Reduces weight, space utilization, and oil usage; provides associated cost savings
Air Fusion Technology filtration and a robust, rotomolded 7-gallon TNK design to reduce weight and increase the efficiency of the reservoir’s performance and deaeration capabilities
Case Study: Custom FTC Unit Reduces Oil Volume, Eliminates Overheating Issue
An OEM specializing in custom truck-mounted machines reached out to Schroeder to increase energy efficiency and decrease the oil volume, weight, and reservoir footprint in their systems. Additionally, they hoped to streamline their tank assembly sourcing.
Here’s how the FTC Unit helped:
Overheating & Related Downtime Eliminated
Oil Volume Reduced by 18 Gallons, 135lb Oil Weight Savings Per Unit
Specially formulated media dissipates electric charges before they can begin damaging your system
Cost-effective option for mid-range ESD scenarios
Effective for conductivity values higher than 100 pS/m
Case Study: Anti-Stat Elements Resolve Electrostatic Discharge In Paper Mill
When a paper mill was experiencing a shortened filter element life of just 30 days in their hydraulic press due to electrostatic discharge, Schroeder Industries stepped in to extend the filter life, reduce oil waste, and reduce unscheduled downtime.
Lightweight, ultra-durable reservoirs complete with vital accessories!
Optimized for heat and air removal. The patented, integrated baffle wall on these hydraulic tanks creates settling zone for returning oil (degassing) with simultaneous cooling effect.
Lightweight and cost effective, but extremely durable. The TNK series is designed for high performance in a range of conditions, capable of withstanding heavy impacts and temperature extremes.
No risk of corrosion compared to metal hydraulic reservoirs.
Recyclable, more eco-friendly alternative to steel tanks. Our TNKs are made with recyclable High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), considered among the easiest plastic materials to recycle. Pound for pound, these tanks require significantly less energy to produce than a comparable product made with steel.
Complete hydraulic reservoir solution. Comes with vital accessories like gauges, in-tank filters, and air breathers already installed
Case Study: TNK12 Improves Reservoir Flow Path Efficiency, Prevents Leakage and Air Contamination
When an MRO operating ice resurfacing equipment started experiencing damage and oil degradation related to excessive air contamination in their hydraulic fluid, a TNK12 package helped reduce weight, expel air contamination, and improve overall performance.
Here’s how the TNK12 helped:
50% Reservoir Volume Reduction
79lbs Overall System Weight Reduction
$33.4K Annual Cost Reduction ($222.86/unit with TNK)
Signature Schroeder Industries quality with over 42,000 OEM brand part number matches!
The BestFit® family consists of standard cartridge and spin-on replacements, CoreCentric® coreless elements, high collapse elements, and the melt-blown and spun-bonded process filtration elements.
Engineered for excellence and efficiency by the experts in fluid filtration.
Case Study: Schroeder BestFit® Elements Provide Improved Performance, Reduce Changeouts
Due to pressure drop and cost-related concerns, end users operating frac trailers were reluctant to adopt higher-performance, smaller micron-rated elements over their existing 40 micron elements and increase their system protection. However, Schroeder BestFit® IL8 elements outperformed expectations!
So much happened this year at Schroeder Industries, here’s some of the highlights!
Schroeder Industries Leetsdale Expansion
2024 was a year of significant changes for Schroeder Industries headquarters, located in Leetsdale PA. In late 2023, the process of acquiring an addition 40,000 square feet for the Leetsdale facility began.
Throughout early 2024, the Schroeder team was kept busy with planning the new extensions of the existing facility, moving and organizing equipment and supplies, and generally making the new space our own.
Simultaneously, the second floor underwent its own major renovation, converting the entire mezzanine storage area into new offices and workspace to empower greater unity and collaboration between Customer Service and Product Management.
See a quick snapshot of the Schroeder Industries expansion!
2024 Innovations
Of course, it wouldn’t be another year at Schroeder Industries without new, innovative products! Throughout the course of 2024, a range of expertly engineered filtration products stepped into the spotlight, including:
Anti-Stat Premium
Exceptional static-busting for virtually any ESD scenario!
Changes in oil chemistry are leading to an increase in damaging electrostatic discharge (ESD), so protect your equipment with Anti-Stat Premium!
The GPT’s unique bypass placement protects equipment from contamination during cold start conditions, with a re-usable diverter cap that reduces element-related waste.
A complete, compact tank assembly & cooling solution ideal for mobile applications!
Powered by Air Fusion Technology filtration, a lightweight & robust TNK reservoir, and an integrated cooling unit for space-efficient, effective cooling filtration.
Stop water contamination at the source with this innovative dehydrating solution!
Condensation in the hydraulic reservoir head space leads to water contamination, but the HSD conditions humid air before it has the chance to condense and contaminate your fluid.
The latest sophisticated product in Schroeder Industries’ condition monitoring arsenal!
Gain deeper insights into your fluid condition with advanced sensors and shape-recognition software that provide clues about not just contamination levels, but the potential sources of contamination.
The FCU5000 and FC5000 make coolant monitoring simple and less labor & resource-intensive!
These monitoring and filling systems maintain coolant levels automatically, protecting your equipment from the dangers of even a minimal decrease in coolant concentration.
Schroeder’s premier filtration series for compressed air and compressed gases like CNG
CGF filter series provides cost-effective, robust filtration solutions for a broad range of applications utilizing pleated microglass media construction for more reliable performance and greater capacity.
Coolant systems are a staple at virtually all major manufacturing and power plants, protecting the vital equipment resources from the effects of overheating. However, maintaining a coolant system is incredibly time consuming.
With any coolant system, the operator needs to perform daily checks of the tank volume, adding fresh emulsion if necessary. Manual checks of the fluid concentration must also be done daily and re-dosed if needed.
These steps are tedious, time consuming, and resource intensive—but are critical to maintaining tool life. If the concentration of coolant falls by just 2%, the equipment’s service live can decrease by up to 40%. Coolant System Monitoring Just Got Simpler!
To simplify the tedious process of sustaining a coolant system, Schroeder Industries is proud to introduce these unprecedented, automated solutions: The FCU5000 and FC5000.
These sophisticated, automated coolant management tools are calibrated to deliver the appropriate amount of coolant when necessary, preventing overdosing of coolant and controlling concentrate usage. Automated alert configurations keep you informed and ready to respond to any potential issued with the coolant system.
Fluid Control Unit – FCU5000
The FCU5000 offers unparalleled, comprehensive monitoring and automatic maintenance solutions for coolant applications, ensuring the coolant system is properly managed and freeing up valuable personnel bandwidth for other tasks.
Continuous monitoring of essential fluid parameters including PH, conductivity, refractive index, and temperature
Easy to use; connects directly to an emulsion mixer and automatically dispenses coolant when the fluid level drops below the target level
Configuration available for automated alerts and recommendations via email to a defined distribution list and data collection and distribution directly to customer systems
Reduces or eliminates need for daily laboratory analysis and manual documentation, freeing resources for other important business operations
Fluid Controller – FC5000
The FC5000 can function as a stand-alone unit or in conjunction with the FCU5000 to maximize your coolant management coverage.
Automation of coolant lubricant supply for up to two tanks
Automatically refills machine reservoirs with ready-mixed coolant, lightening the load of plant staff who would otherwise need to check and fill manually
Monitors coolant levels in the reservoir and provides documentation of system specific data
Solutions from Schroeder Industries can help keep you cool! Ask the experts if the FCU5000 or FC5000 are right for your application.
Winter technically doesn’t begin until late December in the Northern Hemisphere, but cold temperatures are already setting in. Work carries on regardless of the chilly weather, but for those operating in the extreme cold, there are some important considerations when it comes to your equipment.
Winter Is Coming, Is Your Equipment Ready?
When dealing with fluid powered equipment—like hydraulic-powered machines and diesel-powered engines—cold temperatures can be detrimental to your equipment longevity and performance. Let’s explore how cold impacts hydraulic fluid and diesel fuel, and what you can do to keep your business running hot:
1. Bypass Blues: Hydraulic Cold Start Conditions
The most consequential effect of cold temperatures on hydraulic fluid is the increase in fluid viscosity.
As the fluid thickens in low temperatures, its ability to freely flow is reduced, resulting in higher differential pressure upstream of the filter. This means that until the machine warms up and the fluid viscosity is lowered, the machine may enter bypass—where the fluid passes around the filter element. The conditions that cause machines to go into bypass due to higher fluid viscosity are commonly known as cold start conditions.
So, What’s The Issue?
If the fluid is bypassing your filter and filter element, that means that unfiltered fluid is entering your system, putting critical components at risk!
Most filters on the market position the bypass at the bottom of the filter, where contamination settles as the machine sits idle. This means that when the machine goes into bypass, all that contamination is pushed straight into the hydraulic lines. Until the machine reaches sufficient temperatures and exits bypass, allowing your filtration to kick in, the contaminants will flow through the system and cause wear and tear.
What Can I Do About It?
Choosing the right filter can help protect your equipment when it inevitably enters bypass due to cold conditions. With the risks of contamination through the bypass in mind, Schroeder has designed filters that protect your equipment in cold start conditions, including:
QF5i with Ferrous Contamination Protection
Ferrous, metallic particulates are among the most damaging types of contamination.
Designed for added protection in cold start conditions, the QF5i includes a magnetic filter rod suspended within the coreless element configuration.
This ensures that even while the equipment is in bypass, damaging metallic particulates accumulate on the rod rather than flushing into the hydraulic system.
The key to the GPT’s effectiveness is its unique bypass placement.
Unlike other filters on the market, the GPT includes its bypass in the top of the filter within the diverter cap.
During cold start conditions when a machine enters bypass, loose contaminants that have settled into the bottom of the GPT are isolated below the bypass and are not pulled into the hydraulic lines.
When the fluid reaches adequate temperature and normal filtration resumes, those contaminants are then contained safely within the filter element.
Tank Optimization has many benefits, such as reducing fluid costs and increasing available machine space. It can also improve the efficiency of equipment in cold conditions.
With less fluid in the system and improved flow efficiency, the fluid warmup window is reduced, as fluid can reach operating temperature faster.
When the desired fluid temperature is reached more quickly, that means less time is spent in bypass, which reduces risk of contaminant exposure and lets you get to work faster.
2. De-aeration Diminished: Increased Air Contamination
When the viscosity of hydraulic fluid increases, it also reduces the fluid’s ability to de-aerate. Thicker fluid means that air bubbles are less able to coalesce, rise, and exit the hydraulic fluid, leaving an increased amount of gas suspended in the fluid. When the system restarts, that suspended air will flow through the hydraulic system and even expand as the fluid temperature rises.
So, What’s The Issue?
Air contamination has several negative effects on equipment performance and longevity:
Gaseous cavitation, which occurs as air bubbles coalesce, grow, and collapse within the hydraulic circuit. This can cause jarring noises and potentially damage the internal components.
Unlike fluid, gas can be compressed. Too much air in the hydraulic system can cause delayed reactions in the hydraulic system rather than instant movement, sometimes referred to as a ‘spongy’ feeling in the hydraulics. This results in system performance that is at best inefficient and at worst unpredictable or even dangerous to bystanders and workers.
Air contamination also accelerates the oxidation of hydraulic fluid. When oxygen reacts with hydraulic fluid, a sludgy byproduct known as varnish is created. Excess varnish not only decreases the life of the hydraulic fluid, but can build up on internal components, causing blocked return lines, stuck valves, and other serious problems.
What Can I Do About It?
Deaeration occurs in the hydraulic reservoir, so ensuring you have the most effective de-aerating in-tank filtration on the market can help prevent air-related issues in cold conditions!
These rotomolded reservoirs combine beautifully with AFT filtration for improved de-aeration!
The TNK series of reservoirs are ultra light yet exceptionally durable, with internal baffling engineered for reduced fluid turbidity and improved de-aeration.
TNK reservoirs can also tough out temperature extremes, including conditions as cold as -40°F (-40°C) while withstanding heavy impacts and rugged working conditions. See one in action below!
Paraffin is a type of petroleum-based wax, commonly used in cosmetics, candles, and industrial applications.
As it happens, there’s also paraffin in your diesel.
Diesel fuel contains molecules of dissolved paraffin, and depending on the blend of fuel, there may be more or less paraffin in the mix.
So, What’s The Issue?
In warm temperatures, the paraffin stays dissolved, with little impact on the fuel system.
However, when temperatures drop, the paraffin begins crystallizing into a solid, which is known as diesel ‘gelling’. As these paraffin crystals begin forming, they can accumulate on dispensing filters and primary onboard filters, causing several potentially serious issues:
Blockages in filters and filter elements, which can reduce flow and drive up the costs of filter element replacements due to accelerated clogging.
Slow engine starts and engine stalls, which can range from simply disruptive to productivity to potentially damaging for internal engine components.
Reduced fuel efficiency overall, driving up emissions and fuel-related expenses.
What Can I Do About It?
There are several ways to cut down on the harmful effects of diesel gelling when temperatures start to plummet, including the following:
Use the Right Seasonal Blend of Fuel: Summer Diesel vs. Winter Diesel
Choosing the right fuel blend matters when temperatures drop.
Summer diesel blends are a more efficient fuel source, but due to the higher biodiesel content, there is more paraffin contained in summer blends.
As a result, in cold conditions, summer diesel is much more prone to diesel gelling.
Winter diesel blends, on the other hand, contain additives that hinder the formation of wax crystals, making them more effective in cold conditions.
You may be wondering: In that case, why not use winter diesel all year round? There are two main reasons. First, the energy content of winter diesel is actually lower than that of summer diesel, and second, due to the difference in the refining process, it is also less cost effective than summer diesel.
By selecting the appropriate fuel blend for the season, you can ensure that you are purchasing and utilizing fuel in the most cost-effective way, as well as protecting your equipment and your productivity from the effects of cold weather diesel gelling!
Monitor Fuel Condition with Regular Bottle Sampling & Testing
Regular sampling is vital for detecting problems before they become more serious!
When it comes to winter performance, here are two of the most important characteristics to monitor in your diesel testing regimen:
Cloud Point (CP): The temperature at which paraffin/wax crystals begin forming in the fuel. The crystal formation gives the diesel a cloudy appearance.
Cold Filter Plugging Point (CFPP): Measures the low-temperature operability of diesel by determining the lowest temperature at which the fuel passes easily through the fuel filter within a certain time range.
Schroeder Industries offers advanced testing for diesel and hydraulic oil! Ask about our testing services and stay on top of your fluid condition:
Not all filters and filter media are created equally! Choose the best protection for your fuel system:
Choose Diesel Filters with Integrated Heater Options
Some diesel filters come with an optional heater, which can be utilized in cold conditions to warm the fuel as it approaches the engine, reducing the formation of paraffin crystals.
Schroeder’s HDP series of high-performance fuel filters offer proven effectiveness, and come with optional heaters to increase protection in cold conditions.
Choose Elements with Layered, Gradient Filter Media
The filter element is the core of every filtration system and it’s important to select layered media that provides increased surface area to counteract the wax crystals binding to the media.
Schroeder’s BestFit FBO Elements utilize layered media that provides optimal filtration in all climates, from standard temperatures to extreme heat and cold.
Offers advanced particulate filtration or coalescing filtration with proven performance.
When you think about it, a hydraulic machine is a bit like a human body.
The motor and pump act as the equipment’s heart, driving the oil throughout the hydraulic system like blood in a person’s veins. When a person is feeling unwell, or are monitoring an ongoing medical condition, blood testing gives critical insights into what is happening inside their body and helps chart a path forward for their care.
Just like a blood test does for a human being, a fluid sample is the best way to begin assessing the health of your equipment and diagnosing any underlying issues related to contamination.
Some of the most common causes of equipment inefficiency, failure, and reduced lifespan of components come down to contaminants and varnish that build up in the oil and travel throughout the machine’s ‘body’. In fact, it’s estimated that over 70% of hydraulic system failures are related to fluid contamination. Fuel sources and process fluid are also susceptible to damaging contamination.
Schroeder’s Oil Analysis Program offers a simple way to stay on top of the health of your equipment!
Whether your operation has only a handful of machines, or you manage a massive fleet, Schroeder Industries offers an array of accurate lab testing services and easy digital tracking that keep you informed of your machine’s health.
Advanced laboratory testing provides accurate insights. Our expert testing encompasses a variety of critical fluid health factors.
Multiple test kit options. Schroeder Industries offers three standard testing options, ranging from just the essential fluid values to more in-depth insights.
Receive early warnings on fluid condition. Our testing services will advise you when your fluid parameters fall outside industry standards or customized targets/baselines, allowing you to enact preventative maintenance before downtime or failure occurs.
Receive personalized support from the experts in fluid health. Our fluid condition experts can help you interpret your results and recommend corrective and preventative measures, improving your equipment’s performance and longevity.
Easy fluid test report management through the Fluid Care Portal. Grappling with paper reports and spreadsheets can make tracking fluid condition trends challenging. This user-friendly web application makes monitoring your fluid health simple, no matter the number of machines you operate.
To satisfy virtually every application, Schroeder Industries offers several different test kit options, all backed by the powerful Fluid Care Portal.
Basic Analysis Kit
Our most cost-effective testing option, focusing on the most essential fluid condition factors.
Advanced Analysis Kit
Achieve deeper understanding of your fluid condition with a more expansive testing package.
Premium Analysis Kit
Our most comprehensive testing kit, for the most advanced insights into your fluid.
Below is a detailed breakdown of what the different Oil Analysis Program test kits offer.
How does the Fluid Care Portal enhance your fluid analysis program?
Regular testing is vital for monitoring trends in your fluid health and preventing problems before they arise. However, tracking results over time for many pieces of equipment takes time and hassle. As part of our testing and fluid analysis services, Schroeder Industries is now offering a smart digital solution for detecting trends in the quality of your hydraulic oil, diesel fuel, process water, and more.
Part of Schroeder Industries’ Oil Analysis Program, the Fluid Care Portal is a new, powerful digital tool for easily tracking the health of your equipment’s fluid as you test over time:
All your data is in one place, versus scattered over spreadsheets or various paper reports.
Easily monitor trends in fluid testing data over time, allowing you to detect and resolve contamination issues before they begin impacting your bottom line.
Monitor as many equipment assets as you need. Whatever the size of your operation, the Fluid Care Portal allows you to individually monitor the testing results for each piece of equipment.
Receive alerts when ISO Code, Water Content, or other parameters are exceeded. In the Fluid Care Portal, users can set target limit profiles for various parameters, creating customized criteria for your most critical components.
For decades, Group I oils dominated the market for hydraulic and lubricating fluid, particularly for industrial applications. Because they are created through a simpler refining process, they are the least costly hydraulic base oils available. However, the chemical composition of these less refined oils can have consequences for the environment and even potentially for the workers exposed to them.
Group I ‘Lightly Refined’ Oils have been deemed an environmental hazard.
These oils contain aromatics and toxic, potentially carcinogenic heavy metals. Due to this toxicity and the potential threat to the environment, Group I oils do not comply with newer, international environmental standards.
Group II & III ‘Hydrocracked’ or ‘Synthetic’ oils are replacing Group I oils as a more eco-friendly alternative.
Group II and III oils contain no toxins or carcinogens, as the toxic heavy metals have been removed.
Between 2012 and 2020, the market share of Group I oils halved. As environmental concerns drive industry standards towards more eco-friendly ends, this trend is expected to continue. But while this transition towards Group II and Group III oils benefits environmental and worker safety, there are some impacts on hydraulic equipment that operators must account for.
In Group II and Group III oils, these heavy metals have been removed, which lowers their conductivity. As a result, electrostatic discharge (ESD) can build up to potentially damaging levels. This can have serious impacts on the condition of the hydraulic system, and even pose a hazard to other electrical systems or even personnel in close vicinity to the affected equipment.
ESD damages filter elements, decreasing their lifespan, efficiency, and effectiveness.
Filter element failure results in increased contamination, which reduces oil life and exposes components to accelerated wear.
In extreme cases, ESD can arc and discharge outside of the hydraulic system, potentially damaging nearby electrical components or shocking workers.
High amounts of ESD can even cause gas combustion within the hydraulic reservoir, turning the system into a fire hazard.
Schroeder Industries Solutions for Static:
To combat the increasing presence of ESD in hydraulic equipment, Schroeder Industries developed cost-effective solutions for moderate and major cases of static buildup.
Depending on the level of conductivity in your hydraulic fluid, different element options are best suited to High, Medium, or Low/Critical conductivity.
Below is a selection of commonly used oil types, and the media Schroeder Industries recommends for each. Remember: higher conductivity means less static, and lower conductivity means more static.
Another side-effect of the reduced conductivity in Group II and Group III oils is the increase of varnish formation. Due to the lower conductivity, oxidation is more likely to occur, causing the oil to deteriorate into sticky compounds that settle throughout the hydraulic system—not unlike plaque in human arteries. This has a variety of impacts on the functionality and condition of the hydraulic system including:
Varnish deposits on hydraulic valves and other components can cause the components to stick, or even become fully jammed.
Machines can malfunction as components lose efficiency or fail entirely, leading to lost productivity and safety hazards.
Hydraulic filters and filter elements may become prematurely blocked due to varnish buildup.
Schroeder Industries Solutions for Varnish:
Bust varnish before it can tarnish your equipment! Schroeder Industries offers a series of filtration solutions specifically targeting varnish and varnish precursors, including:
VEU – Varnish Elimination Unit
The service-friendly Varnish Elimination Unit (VEU) is used to prepare mineral oils and is particularly effective at removing varnish.
Removes solid and gel-like oil aging products/varnish for reservoirs < 2,000 gallons
Increased operating reliability of the system by decreasing deposits in hydraulic valves
Overheating is a common, constant issue for hydraulic equipment, especially when working in scorching summer conditions. Over time, this can have negative consequences for critical machinery:
Overheating accelerates oil degradation, causing varnish and sludge to coalesce in the system and cause blockages and reduce operating efficiency.
Shortened oil lifespan forces more frequent oil change-outs, increasing both downtime and oil-related expenses for new purchases and recycling.
Oil degradation products can damage system components and force the equipment’s engine to overcompensate.
Keep Cool and Collected with the FTC
Schroeder’s new Filter Tank Cooling Unit (FTC) is a compact solution for mobile fleet vehicles that combines a hydraulic tank assembly and cooling unit in one complete package.
Condensed, efficient footprint ideal for the space limitations of mobile vehicles; most optimized tank/cooler combination currently available
Integrated cooling unit maintains safe operating temperature, extending fluid life and preventing overheating in the hydraulic system
Reduces weight, space utilization, and oil usage; provides associated cost savings
Air Fusion Technology filtration and a robust, rotomolded 7-gallon TNK design to reduce weight and increase the efficiency of the reservoir’s performance and deaeration capabilities
Schroeder Success: FTC Unit Increases Machine Space on Mobile Fleet Vehicles
An OEM producing mobile fleet units sought a lighter, more space-efficient alternative for their 25 gallon hydraulic unit and separate cooling unit, which took up considerable room on the mobile unit.
Schroeder Industries engineered the FTC unit to utilize space as efficiently as possible while delivering optimal performance from the hydraulic reservoir and cooling unit, allowing OEMs to further streamline and improve their equipment designs.
Here’s how this customer benefited!
Tank + Cooling Assembly Footprint Substantially Downsized
18 Gallon Reduction in Reservoir Size; Reduced Oil Usage Per Unit
Increased Machine Space for Further Design Improvements
Can the FTC Unit help you beat the heat? Ask the experts!
The product experts at Schroeder Industries can help you find the optimal solution for your application. Let us know how we can help!
