Unknown mystery oil

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I've recently acquired a few thousand gallons of what I was told was a light weight hydraulic oil from a recently closed lumber mill. I have been integrating it into my waist oil burner for shop heat and seemed to do just fine.
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Most companies I've come across just do analysis. I'd like to identify it and possibly burn it as heating oil at a more concentrated rate. The Blackstone report doesn't really identify much for me.
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Is there a company that can identify this for me as close as they can?

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Originally Posted by Zgrant231
I've recently acquired a few thousand gallons of what I was told was a light weight hydraulic oil from a recently closed lumber mill. I have been integrating it into my waist oil burner for shop heat and seemed to do just fine.

Most companies I've come across just do analysis. I'd like to identify it and possibly burn it as heating oil at a more concentrated rate. The Blackstone report doesn't really identify much for me.

Is there a company that can identify this for me as close as they can?


Depends on what you mean "identify". I have to do this occasionally at legacy plants.

If you mean identify it as what type of hydraulic oil- tell them you have an unknown oil and send them enough ( usually 2 quarts is enough) to run full battery tests and they will get you close.

You would need a lab that does full range testing ( industrial) and I don't know if Blackstone offers that or strictly does vehicles ( never used them)

If you mean "identify" as in manufacturer and product- that's trickier. Every manufacturer has a signature chemical in each product so "they" can identify their product in cases of warranty or litigation but its a trade secret and the few times I have done that was a result of a court order with secrecy agreement. It "could" be done if a particular lab has done this before and had a record of it.

You might be better contacting someone in warehouse or maintenance to see if they know or even the oil distributors in that area and ask what they sold the mill if the information isn't on a shipping container.
 
Originally Posted by Zgrant231


Is there a company that can identify this for me as close as they can?


Not much to go by but flashpoint and KV100. It is devoid of metal compounds.

Very light at 2 cSt.

Lighter than ISO32.

What colour and smell do you get off it?
 
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Thanks guys,

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Is that a '78 Ford?
yes, 7.3/zf5/1ton


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What colour and smell do you get off it?
smells like nasty, moldy gym socks. Color is dark gold color, seems to be thin like water, if I had to guess I'd say ISO 5, ISO 10. The mill shut down years ago and the oil was delivered by rail car. Those totes are just what I transferred it in so I dont have a MSDS or any info on the oil. That black stone report is about all I can get out of them. They just do vehicle type analysis. Not oil identification.


That 290°f flash point seems kind of hi compared to heating oil/kerosene/diesel that my burner is designed for. Is that typical flash point of a hydraulic oil?
 
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