Water Contamination Eliminated Without Downtime

Water ingress from coolant leaks can severely impact hydraulic systems, leading to alarms, downtime, and costly oil changes. This case shows how rapid oil drying during operation restores oil quality and keeps production running.

Application Snapshot

Factory icon representing industrial application or sector.

Industry:

Industry - Machine Tool - Hydrostatic Guideways

Country:

Germany

Oil type:

Hydraulic oil (mineral & synthetic)

Executive summary

Water ingress caused by coolant leaks in hydrostatic guideway systems resulted in increased maintenance requirements and reduced oil performance. Permanent CJC® Fine Filters installed on each machine continuously remove particles, while humidity sensors monitor water levels. When required, CJC® Desorbers remove dissolved, emulsified, and free water, restoring oil quality without interrupting production.

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Water removal

Water contamination removed without production downtime

System Protection

Improved oil condition protects sensitive hydraulic components

No Downtime

Oil drying completed during operation without stopping production

Cost Savings

Avoided oil replacement, flushing, and disposal costs per incident

Client brief

Liebherr-Components Biberach GmbH manufactures high-quality drive and control components used in heavy industries such as mining, wind energy, and mechanical engineering. Their production relies on hydrostatic systems in large machining centers with oil volumes ranging from 100 to 3,000 liters.

Challenge

Due to leaks in the coolant system, water entered the hydraulic oil, increasing viscosity and triggering system alarms. When contamination reached critical levels, machines had to be stopped, and the oil system drained, flushed, and refilled. This resulted in high oil costs, complex troubleshooting, and production downtime. The customer required a solution that could remove water quickly during operation and prevent unnecessary oil replacement.

Solution

Several permanent CJC® Fine Filter systems (27/27 and 27/54) were installed for stationary operation on individual machines. Humidity sensors with predefined alarm thresholds continuously monitor water content. When the threshold is exceeded, a CJC® Desorber (D10 or D30) is connected to remove dissolved, emulsified, and free water and restore oil quality.

Table showing annual savings in energy, fuel, engine oil, sludge production, and total operating costs after replacing separators.

Fast oil drying without production interruption

A humidity alarm on a milling machine containing 700 liters of hydraulic oil indicated excessive water contamination. A CJC® Desorber was connected during normal operation to remove the water without interrupting production.

Within 17.5 hours, the water content was reduced from 103% relative humidity to just 13%, removing 1.8 liters of water from the system. The process took place without stopping production, allowing continuous operation while restoring oil quality.

Measurable results and operational impact

The solution eliminated the need for draining, flushing, and refilling the oil system. This resulted in significant cost savings, reduced downtime, and improved machine availability.

Typical savings per incident ranged from €7,000 to over €15,000, while also reducing waste oil, fresh oil consumption, and CO₂ emissions.

Parameter	Before	After	Impact
Water content	103% rH	13% rH	↓ ~87%
Water removed	-	1.8 liters	Removed
Processing time	-	17.5 hours	Rapid
System condition	Critical	Stable	No downtime

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