Friction between moving parts generates heat, which can lead to equipment damage and premature failure. However, using lubricant oil is a reassuring solution, designed to minimize this damage-causing friction and ensure your machinery’s optimal performance.
Reducing friction not only allows machines to operate smoothly but also increases efficiency and lowers operating costs. The future looks bright with recent advances in lubricant technology, such as specialized additives, promising to further enhance equipment performance.
Lubricant oils have changed quite a bit since they were first created from olive oil and animal fats in ancient Rome. Today, lubricant oil composition improvements contribute to optimal machine performance, while smart technologies employ self-monitoring capabilities and predictive maintenance to extend equipment lifespans.
History of Lubricant Oil Technology
Throughout history, humans have used plant oils and animal fats to reduce friction, but it wasn’t until the Industrial Revolution that crude oil emerged as an ideal base material. In its raw form, crude oil has poor lubrication properties, but its elements can be separated when distilled. This distillation process, developed in the 1920s, allowed oil producers to separate components and manufacture additives.
Crude oil-based lubricants provided critical support during the railroad industry boom of the 1930s and 1940s. By the 1950s, synthetic oils were being developed for air and space travel. Today’s lubricant oils are made from complex chemical compounds, often including synthetic formulas and additives designed to address specific machinery needs.
Recent and Emerging Technologies
Innovation in lubricant oil technology continues in the 21st century, with improvements in lubricant additives and the incorporation of smart technologies among the most notable. The list of cutting-edge, emerging trends in the lubricant space includes:
Nano-Lubricants
Nanoparticles such as graphene, disulfide, and molybdenum enhance the lubricating properties of existing oils. Adding these microscopic particles reduces friction, increases load capacity, and improves thermal stability.
Ionic Compounds
Ionic compounds are salts that dissolve in water at room temperature. These ionic liquids are nonflammable and nonvolatile, giving them excellent stability in high-pressure, high-temperature applications.
Self-Healing Lubricants
Lubricants can become contaminated, oxidize, or degrade at high temperatures. Researchers are studying whether restorative agent-containing microcapsules can be added to lubricants and automatically released when needed to mitigate these problems.
Advanced Additives
The development of advanced additives will allow lubricants to provide better protection against corrosion, wear, and oxidation, improving operational and energy efficiency.
Understanding the Modern Lubricant Landscape
People often view lubricating machinery as a do-it-yourself job. Even in industrial settings, where poor equipment performance translates into downtime and lost revenue, oiling machinery is often an entry-level job. Yet, according to studies, equipment downtime can cause, on average, losses of nearly $500 an hour.
Another study found that while companies spend only two percent of their maintenance budgets on lubricants, the effects of poor lubrication practices can cost up to twenty percent. The same study found that implementing best practices around lubrication could save most companies at least half a million dollars of maintenance costs.
Why the Correct Lubricant Matters
Lubricants reduce friction and minimize the occurrence of wear between moving surfaces. Inadequate lubrication increases power requirements as it takes more energy to overcome greater friction. These added energy demands reduce operational efficiency and increase costs.
Well-lubricated equipment moves heat and contaminants away from surfaces. Less heat helps maintain structural integrity by reducing heat-related damage, such as warping. Fewer contaminants mean less lubricant degradation. Less degradation means improved protective capabilities of the lubricant.
However, the correct lubricant depends on the unique requirements of the machinery. Evaluating the following characteristics will help buyers choose the right lubricant product for their needs:
- Motion: Sliding, rolling, or hybrid motion determines surface uniformity. Uniform surfaces use the same lubrication levels while in motion. Levels of lubrication required for rolling surfaces will change based on how surfaces move against one another.
- Speed: Movement velocity impacts contact load and lubricant viscosity.
- Temperature: Lubricants are designed to operate within specific temperature ranges. Selecting a lubricant that fits the operating temperatures improves performance.
- Load: Heavy loads increase pressure, leading to extreme wear and tear unless the lubricant contains high-pressure additives. Lighter loads may require oils that protect against metal-to-metal friction.
- Operating Environment. Lubricants have additives to protect against corrosion in wet or high-humidity locations. They can also be made more resistant to chemicals or atmospheric pressure. Environmental-specific additives can be combined for customized applications.
Selecting the correct lubricant means understanding the equipment, operating parameters, and environment. As technology advances, finding the proper lubricant can become more challenging. Understanding the modern lubricant landscape means staying current on industry trends, understanding performance data, and finding products you can trust.
Allegheny Petroleum has over 35 years of experience producing and customizing lubricants. Our expert team can help you navigate the complex landscape of modern lubricants. Contact us today to review our product list and discuss which lubricant oil best meets your needs.
