ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 31

lubricant's impact on that environment
should be as minimal as possible.

Many possibilities
The wide variety of Arctic marine applications can be addressed by perhaps
thousands of possible lubricant formulations. None, however, will likely
involve traditional mineral oil-based
lubricants.
"You need to move away from mineral oil due to its poor low-temperature
properties," Bryant advised. On the
other hand, "synthetic esters work very
well. For some applications, you may
have to get into silicones and other
more exotic things. It all comes down
to knowing the application, knowing
how the lubricant will be used, then
choosing the materials that meet the
environmental applications."
"When I think about what lubricants would work well," Finner said,
"I think first of synthetics. They offer
improved biodegradability as well as
the ability to operate at lower temperatures and across wider temperature
ranges without losing viscosity."
Synthetics also offer better thermal
and oxidative stability, allowing for
extended periods between lubrication.
That can be a significant benefit.
"Think about changing the oil
in your car in Alaska," said Finner.
"Chances are, three - maybe even all
four - of your oil changes during a
year will be conducted when it's dark
and cold outside. If I use synthetic oil,
I can reduce the number of oil changes
from four to two, which means that's
two less times I'll have to be out in the

environment. It also means less waste
lubricant to dispose of. Now, if those
lubricant changes weren't in my car
but were on a wind turbine, offshore
application or the deck of a ship, then
fewer changes also means less risk of
human injury associated with each
change. There's a safety aspect built
into a longer oil-change interval wherever people are working in potentially
dangerous situations." 
The most commonly available
synthetic lubes are known as polyalphaolefin synthetics, or PAOs. "With
a finished PAO-based lubricant, you
get a fairly low price, better lowtemperature performance and much
better overall lubrication. PAOs are a
really good bet for your lube of choice.
"But it also depends on the
application," Finner continued. "Air
compressors, for example, might
work better with a synthetic based
on polyolesters, especially if the goal
is to maximize length of oil-change
intervals. They are more expensive
than a PAO, but they offer a good
level of biodegradability under certain
definitions and test methods.
"When it comes to low-temperature
performance, though, silicone doesn't
have many rivals. If I need grease in the
bearings of an electric motor exposed
to Arctic cold, I'll want to consider
silicone grease because it has strong
low-temperature performance and
long life," he said. "It's more expensive,
but I know the cold temps won't turn
silicone grease into a solid brick. Everything will still be able to move, turn
freely and do the job required."

The power of
prioritization
"None of these solutions is perfect,
though," Finner admitted. "If there
were one class of lubes that did everything well, none of the others would
exist. You have to take the positives
you want and the negatives you can
live with."
The options can be overwhelming.
"The choices you have when you
formulate an ester product, say, are in
the thousands," said Bryant. "One of
our ester suppliers, who supplies many
ILMA members, told me he keeps over
500 different esters in stock and that
there are something like 2,000 more
that he can formulate. Each one gives a
slightly different performance result."
"Prioritization is critical," Finner
added. "What is most important to
the success of any given application:
cold-temp performance, wear prevention, longest lubrication interval,
biodegradability, something else?"
The answer to that question will help
define the base of any lubricant under
consideration. The use of additives
can then mitigate any deficiencies that
might arise from using that base alone.
"Additive technology can cover for
inherent weaknesses of lubricant base
stocks, such as PAOs or esters," Finner
explained. "Those fluids are more
common in the market, so additive
companies have developed many
compounds that can disperse in or
dissolve in them to increase the wear
and corrosion protection of finished
lubricants."

Learn more

A brief primer, The Basics of Synthetic Oil Technology, can be found at
www.machinerylubrication.com. For detailed information regarding
REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of
Chemicals) regulations, visit www.cirs-reach.com.

31


http://www.machinerylubrication.com http://www.cirs-reach.com

ILMA Compoundings January 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ILMA Compoundings January 2018

Meet ILMA’s New President DAVE CROGHAN
ADDING ANOTHER DIMENSION
THE BIG CHILL
LETTER FROM THE CEO
INSIDE ILMA
Company Callout
WHAT’S COMING UP
INDUSTRY RUNDOWN
In the Know
International Insight
Market Report
BUSINESS HUB
COUNSEL COMPOUND
WASHINGTON LANDSCAPE
IN NETWORK
Member Connections
Cross Connections
PORTRAIT
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - Cover1
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - Cover2
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 1
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 2
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - LETTER FROM THE CEO
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - INSIDE ILMA
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 5
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - Company Callout
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 7
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - WHAT’S COMING UP
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 9
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - INDUSTRY RUNDOWN
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 11
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - In the Know
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 13
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - International Insight
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 15
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - Market Report
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 17
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - Meet ILMA’s New President DAVE CROGHAN
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 19
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 20
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 21
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 22
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 23
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - ADDING ANOTHER DIMENSION
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 25
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 26
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 27
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 28
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - THE BIG CHILL
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 30
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 31
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 32
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 33
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - BUSINESS HUB
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 35
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - COUNSEL COMPOUND
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 37
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - WASHINGTON LANDSCAPE
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 39
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - Member Connections
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 41
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - Cross Connections
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - 43
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - PORTRAIT
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - Cover3
ILMA Compoundings January 2018 - Cover4
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