Any simple test to identify the acidity in lubricants?
The simplest test is to use a litmus paper that turns from blue to red. This only tells you of the presence of acid but not whether it is at an acceptable level or not. A better test is the use of ‘Acidity Test Kits’ which are not made in India but available through Total Line of Carrier Aircon. This is made by Sporlan of the USA and comprises of 3 bottles: A small bottle with a colourless liquid for Mineral oils, another small bottle with a colourless liquid for POE oils and one large bottle with a orange coloured solution. The procedure is that the colourless liquid from one of the small bottles (depending on which oil is being tested) is poured into the big bottle containing the orange coloured solution. This will turn the colour orange to Purple. Add the sample oil to the large bottle and shake 15 times. Observe the colour after this: • If it is still purple, it is ok and not acidic. • If the colour turns Orange, it is somewhat acidic and not very satisfactory. For POE, it indicate
