Putting a stop to hydraulic leaks

Hydraulic oil leakage is one of the most common hydrocarbon spillages encountered in mining machinery or mining vehicles. Oil spillage on ground leads to contamination of soil and this oil flow can also lead to contamination of nearby water body. Apart from effect on environment, oil leakages also contribute to serious fire and smoke hazard. Components like catalytic purifiers, silencers and other components of exhaust line become extensively hot and even a small amount of oil leak can lead to fire or smoke which can create a threatful situation in underground for operator of mining vehicle and for machine itself. Considering the high price of hydraulic oils, oil leakages and oil spillage also hurts the company on cost front as the oil lost is unrecoverable and could not be given for recycling.

Some of the most effective ways of reducing hydraulic oil leakages are mentioned below.

Hose wrappings

These are widely used to protect hydraulic hoses from any abrasion formed from hoses rubbing against one other or from edges of machine frame. Hose wrappings generally used are made of plastic and is available in different sizes and colours as well for better colour coding of hoses.

Hose sleeves

A hose sleeve can be slipped over the end of the hose assembly and clamped at the ends. These sleeves help in containing the thrust of hose burst protecting the machine and the operator. They also act as a shield for hoses against dirt, dust and sunlight and any external abrasion. Nylon sleeves are commonly used in industry. Hose sleeves also come with option of peel able Velcro lining, facilitating hose replacement without requiring disconnection or removal of hoses. Peel able sleeves can also be used to bundle together set of parallel hoses.

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