Hazardous waste poses a serious problem to the environment when not disposed of properly. Many substances considered hazardous are chemicals that won’t break down on their own. You’re probably familiar with the waste that comes from industrial plants, schools, labs, and hospitals. Other hazardous substances you may not be so familiar with include hydraulic fluid, which often leaks from heavy machinery, poisoning the soil, wildlife, and groundwater.
To protect the environment, it’s critical for machinery to be as leak-free as possible. That’s why machine operators use leak-free hydraulic couplers. These eliminate the need to use tools and bleed the system to disconnect. Quick connect couplers are designed to block fluid to allow for a smooth, leak-free disconnect, and once an attachment has been changed, the coupler will allow the fluid to flow again.
Industries that work in nature rely on hydraulics
If you’re wondering how all this hydraulic fluid gets into the environment in the first place, it’s because heavy machinery is used all over the place, including in nature and near rivers, lakes, and streams to accomplish a variety of tasks. For example, the following industries rely on hydraulic powered equipment:
- Forestry
- Mining
- Agriculture
- Marine
- Construction
Between all these industries, there are so many opportunities for fluid to leak into the Earth. Thankfully, the EPA has set forth laws that govern the discharge of hazardous substances along with fines for non-compliance. Not all companies heed these laws, but many do.
What causes a hydraulic fluid leak?
Leaks can be caused by a variety of factors, but the source of an external leak is primarily a hole or torn line. Internal leaks are generally caused by incorrect components, poor design, wear and tear, or inaccurate tolerances.
Signs of a hydraulic leak
Part of prevention requires regular inspections. The most obvious sign of a leak is visible fluid. However, sometimes it’s not visible from the outside. Thankfully, there’s another big sign to watch out for and it has to do with equipment performance.
Contrary to what you might think, a leak won’t necessarily cause total equipment failure. Sometimes, the machine will still operate, but at a lower capacity. An inefficient level of performance is one of the key indicators of a fluid leak.
Hydraulic leaks can be prevented
While accidents that cause major spills can’t always be avoided, leaks are entirely preventable, absent a major system malfunction. If the goal is to preserve the environment, then protecting against fluid leaks is essential.
Thankfully, there are several ways to prevent leaks. Aside from using quick connect couplers, regular inspections help prevent leaks by identifying tears in the fluid lines before they become a major problem.
Another way companies prevent harming the environment with hydraulic fluid is by using environmentally-friendly, biodegradable fluid. These fluids are specifically formulated to lessen the impact, should they leak into the environment. Spills still need to be cleaned up, but it won’t destroy the Earth or the water supply.
A good reason to use biodegradable fluid is that hydraulic spills can be complicated to deal with and sometimes they’re not dealt with immediately. For example, in 2019, officials from the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory had to deal with a spill that happened ten years prior. In 2009, 22.7 gallons of Chevron Rykon Oil AE hydraulic fluid spilled onto a concrete floor in the observatory on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Some of the fluid spilled down a drain, and the cleanup was postponed until the observatory was to be removed. Ten years later, it became someone else’s problem and the environmental impact is unknown.
Awareness and action can prevent hydraulic fluid leaks
The consequences for spills and leaks are steep. It’s up to each company to perform the proper inspections, replace parts, and choose the right couplings to keep their machinery leak-free. However, numerous organizations have switched to biodegradable hydraulic fluid and are constantly improving operations to maintain efficient and leak-free equipment. It’s up to everyone else to follow suit.
