Unit 711 2301 Civic Place

Civic Drive, Filinvest Corporate City

Alabang, Muntinlupa City
Telephone /Fax No.: (02)823-4184; 907-0169
Email: machineryreliability@fastmail.fm

Date: October 15, 2018

To: URC-SONEDCO
Sitio San Juan Brgy. Camugao,
Kabankalan, City Negros Occidental, 1611

Attn: Rustico Mendoza

Maintenace Department

Subject: To find out the current condition of the oil and equipment: Sugar Mill Planetary
Gear Drives and recommend procedures to improve equipment reliability and
extend service life.

1. Planetary Gearbox 1 Mill B

 Visual Bottle and Filter Patch Appearance and Microscopic view of oil
contaminants. Rust and corrosion found in oil.
2. Planetary Gearbox 2 Mill B

 Wear metal and other contaminant in found in oil. In addition, the color of oil is a
sign of varnish formation.

3. Planetary Gearbox 3 Mill B

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  Wear metal and other contaminant in found in oil. Oil appearances indicates
varnish as shown in Millipore patch membrane.

4. Planetary Gearbox 4 Mill B

 Oil appearance is sign of varnish formation. Found some contaminant in oil.

 Sludge is form due to oil degradation,

Cause of elevated temperature, water and
Other contaminants.

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Provision for Breather

 Ingression of contaminants occurs when contaminants enter from the outside.

This begins with the addition of new oil, which, if unfiltered, is not clean enough
for the system.
 A very common cause of hydraulic pump failure and noisy operation is air
entrainment in the hydraulic system resulting to cavitation wherein millions
of expanding air bubbles are produced at the suction side and then
collapses on the pressure side of the pump, which then generates shock
waves, creating noise and eventual mechanical damage on pump
components. Moreover, varnish deposits tend to form on critical valves in
hydraulic systems with cavitation and may result to loss of system control or
erratic operation.

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Recommendations

 Oil on the Planetary Gearboxes needs to be oil changed or filtered immediately to remove
accumulated fine particle contamination and moisture to reduce rate of wear.

 Check for wear on planetary gear box components if excessive, especially the thrust
bearings and gear teeth along the pitch line.

 An off-line filter is recommended to be installed on the planetary gearbox oil reservoirs

to handle fine contamination and maintain safe cleanliness levels long-term.

 System should be sealed as much as possible. All permanent openings should be

equipped with desiccant breather to control dirt entry to maximize the life of the oil. Use
ISO Standard Filters/DFE rated at recommended micron rating (25 or lower micron,
99.99% removal efficiency, resistant to dirt unloading and non-cleanable) to continue the
clean and trouble-free operation of the system.

 Off-line filter equipment of suitable size, pressure and flow capacity may also be provided
and installed on a trial basis to test its effectiveness for a selected planetary gearbox.

 Tank reservoirs of Planetary gearboxes should be filled to maximum level as possible to

lessen airspace where moisture can form, and to allow for cooler oil temperatures to
maintain optimum oil viscosity entering the gearbox.

 Machine performance and oil monitoring to continue as a technical service at no cost to

SONEDCO. This would include oil testing, filter checks, and equipment checks and other
measures to minimize equipment wear.

 MRS service engineers may schedule a visit to assist SONEDCO maintenance personnel to
facilitate items 1,2, 3 and 4. Necessary equipment and technologies can be made
available to conduct oil purification and filtration on affected planetary gearboxes.

We thank you for giving us the opportunity to be of service to you and we look forward to
working with you on your preventive maintenance efforts.

Sincerely yours,
Equipment inspection by:
Arnold Gammaru
Ronald Fran

EDGARDO Y. DUAVIT JR.

General Manager

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