What Are TAN and TBN in Used Oil Analysis?
TAN and TBN are two commonly used chemical parameters in fat analysis. TAN represents the acidic components in the fat, while TBN represents the basic reserve capable of neutralizing acids. Both results are generally reported as mg KOH/g.
What does TAN indicate?
Total Acid Number (TAN) is a measure of the acidic components in an oil sample. Oxidation, process contaminants, or additive chemistry can affect the TAN value. Looking at the results of a single used oil sample without knowing the initial TAN value of the new oil can be misleading.
What does TBN indicate?
Total Base Number (TBN) refers to the basic reserve, especially in applications where acid neutralization capacity is important, such as motor oils. TBN is not the name of an additive; it is a measured property.
Why is trend tracking important?
The most accurate interpretation of used oil analysis is made by considering a combination of factors: the new oil reference, previous samples, operating hours, test method, and the equipment manufacturer's alarm limits. A decision to change the oil should not be made based on a single number.
Interpretation along with other analyses.
Viscosity, water content, particle count, elemental analysis, oxidation, and wear metals, when examined together with TAN/TBN, provide a stronger assessment of the condition of the equipment and the oil.
Conclusion
TAN and TBN values are powerful diagnostic tools, but they should not be interpreted out of context. The most reliable approach is to evaluate the baseline value and its trend over time in conjunction with other lipid analysis results.
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