Our Product : Lubricating Oils
What is a lubricant ?
A lubricant is an agent (liquid, semi-solid, solid, gas) interposed between two moving surfaces to reduce friction.
Basic Lubrication Concepts
Lubrication can be a daunting obstacle to someone unfamiliar with its basic concepts. Even someone with experience can be confused by the technology of current machinery combined with the multitude of lubricants available on the market today. Reviewing a few of the basic principles of lubrication can make it easier to see why proper lubrication is necessary in every application.
FRICTION
Webster defines friction as the "rubbing of one body against another," and as "resistance to relative motion between two bodies in contact." Friction can be beneficial. As we overcome this resistance to motion between two objects in contact, heat is generated. This heat is what warms our hands or starts a fire. Friction is also the principle behind the braking systems we find on our automobiles. In fact, once we were able to get a car moving, there would be nothing to stop it without friction except the effects of gravity or other objects.
However, friction can also be our enemy. The heat generated as the result of friction can cause damage. Because contact is required to generate friction, wear in the areas of contact can occur. This can lead to material failures, overheating and the formation of wear deposits.
Although there are many ways to reduce friction, the most common way is through the use of a fluid or semi-fluid material. The key characteristic of such materials is that they are not readily compressible. Fluid and semi-fluid materials allow us to minimize component contact or eliminate contact altogether. These fluids are commonly referred to as lubricants.
TYPES OF LUBRICATION
There are three types of lubrication or lubrication situations that can exist between two surfaces separated by a lubricant. Whether or not these situations occur is dependent upon the ability of the lubricant to provide adequate protection to the moving surfaces.
When a fluid lubricant is present between two rolling and/or sliding surfaces, a thicker pressurized film can be generated by the movement of the surfaces (at their respective velocities). The non-compressible nature of this film separates the surfaces and prevents any metal-to-metal contact. The condition in which surfaces are completely separated by a continuous film of lubricating fluid is commonly referred to as Hydrodynamic or Full Fluid Film Lubrication.
Although hydrodynamic lubrication is the ideal lubrication scenario, in many situations it cannot be maintained. Hydrodynamic lubrication is limited by the lubricant's viscosity, the rotation speed or RPM and by component loading. An increase in speed or viscosity increases oil film thickness. An increase in load decreases oil film thickness.
Boundary Lubrication is a condition in which the lubricant film becomes too thin to provide total surface separation. This may be due to excessive loading, low speeds or a change in the fluid's characteristics. In such a case, contact between surface asperities (or peaks and valleys) occurs. Friction reduction and wear protection is then provided via chemical compounds rather than through properties of the lubricating fluid.
The third type of lubrication situation is known as Elasto-hyro-dynamic Lubrication (EHD or EHL). This situation occurs as pressure or load increases to a level where the viscosity of the lubricant provides a higher shear strength than the metal surface that it supports. As a result, the metal surfaces deform elastically in preference to the highly pressurized lubricant. This increases the contact area and decreases the effectiveness of the lubricant.
To minimize friction, an effective lubricant should be able to handle the pressures and speeds of the surfaces it will separate.
WHAT EVERY LUBRICANT MUST DO
Though the ability to minimize friction is the number one function of a lubricant, there are other major functions that must be considered. A lubricant is likely to also be required to:
Clean - A lubricant must maintain internal cleanliness by suspending contaminants or keeping contaminants from adhering to components.
Cool Moving Elements - Reducing friction will reduce the amount of heat that is generated and lower the operating temperature of the components. A lubricant must also absorb heat from the components and transport it to a location where it can be safely dissipated.
Prevent Contamination - The lubricant should act as a dynamic seal in locations such as the piston, piston ring and cylinder contact areas. This minimizes contamination by combustion byproducts (for example) in the lubricating system. Lubricants are also relied upon to support mechanical seals found elsewhere and to minimize external contamination and fluid loss.
Dampen Shock - The lubricant may be required to cushion the blows of mechanical shock. A lubricant film can absorb and disperse energy spikes over a broader contact area.
Transfer Energy - A lubricant may be required to act as an energy transfer median as in the case of hydraulic equipment or lifters in an automotive engine.
Prevent Corrosion - A lubricant must also have the ability to prevent or minimize internal component corrosion. This can be accomplished either by chemically neutralizing the corrosive products or by setting up a barrier between the components and the corrosive material.
COMPONENT OF A LUBRICANT
Lubricants are generally composed of two groups of materials. The first is a base or stock fluid. This fluid will make up 75 to 95 percent of the finished product. The most commonly used stocks today are derived from petroleum crude oil. These stocks are also referred to as mineral or synthetic oils.
To this, base or stock chemical compounds may be added to enhance or impart new properties to the mineral oil. These compounds are commonly referred to as additives. The use of such special chemical compounds is another way to minimize friction and wear. The main role of these compounds is to offer protection when the lubricating fluid can not maintain component separation.
THE EVOLUTION OF SYNTHETIC OILS
As time goes on, the lubrication needs of equipment continue to change. As equipment becomes more sophisticated, the demands placed upon the required lubricants become more severe. What may have been a preferred lubricant in the past is likely to be totally unacceptable today.
The automotive industry is an excellent example of how demands on equipment have changed. The engines used in today's cars require significantly more from a motor oil than they did only a few years ago.
For improved fuel economy, most cars are now using lighter oils. Yet the same cars have engines that put out more power per cubic inch of displacement than ever before. To achieve this power level, designers are adding turbo chargers which expose the oils to higher temperatures and greater stress. Requirements for cleaner exhaust emissions have contributed to higher levels of contaminants in the oil and also increased the oil's operating temperature. By reducing the aerodynamic drag of new vehicles, designers have also minimized the amount of air that flows over engines and drive trains, and caused operating temperatures to increase still further. Even with all of these changes, designers are still requiring lubricants to last longer than they ever did before. The demand for synthetic lubricants has never been higher.
Range of Lubricants
Automotive Oils
i) Engine Oils
ii) Two stroke engine oils
iii) Gear Oil
iv) Transmission Oils
v) Hydraulic Brake Fluid
vi) Tractor Oil
vii) Generator Set Oil
viii) Radiator Coolant
ix) Shock Absorber Oil
x) Agricultural Pumpset Oil
Greases
i) Chassis Grease
ii) Wheel Bearing Grease
iii) Multi Purpose Grease
iv) High Temperature Grease
Industrial Oils
i) Turbine Oil
ii) Hydraulic Oil (anti-wear)
iii) Hydraulic Oil (RO Type)
iv) Hydraulic Oil (HLP Type)
v) Machine Tool Way Oil
vi) Industrial Gear Oil
vii) Machinery Oil
viii) Pneumatic Tool Oil
ix) Compressor Oil
x) Refrigeration Oil
xi) Sugar Mill Oil
xii) Open Gear Oil
Industry Specialty Oil
i) Heat Transfer Fluid
ii) Rubber Process Oil
iii) Mould Oil
iv) Agricultural Spray Oil
v) Rubber Spray Oil
vi) Fire Resistant Hydraulic Fluid
vii) Ink Oil
Marine Oil
i) Engine Oil
ii) Turbine Oil
iii) Hydraulic Oil
iv) Gear Oil
v) Cylinder Oil
Metal Working Fluid
i) Grinding Fluids
ii) Soluble Cutting Oil
iii) Semi Synthetic Cutting Oil
iv) Synthetic Cutting Oil
v) Neat Cutting Oils
vi) Quenching Oils
vii) Polymer Quenchant
viii) Rust Preventives
ix) Metal Drawing Neat
x) Metal Drawing Water Dilutable
xi) Rolling Oil
xii) Aluminum Rolling Oil
Textile Oil
i) Spindle Oil
ii) Machinery Oil
iii) Scour able Oil
iv) Bio Degradable Oil
v) Coning Oil
vi) Wool Combing Oil
Speciality Oil & Waxes
i) Light Liquid Paraffin
ii) Heavy Liquid Parafiin
iii) White Mineral Oil
Sulphonates
i) Sodium Petroleum Sulphonate
ii) Calcium Petroleum Sulphonate
iii) Barium Petroleum Sulphonate
Solvents
i) Paraffinic Rich Low Aromatic Solvent
Emulsifiers
i) Conkut
Fuel Additives
What is viscosity?
Viscosity is the resistance to flow of a liquid (in this case, of oil).
An example would be the flow of lubricant at extreme temperatures.
High viscosity = Low flow (thick oil).
Low viscosity = Fast flow (thin oil).
What is a base oil?
The base oil is the main component used for the production of end products (lubricants), and is classified into the following categories, based on its clarity and composition:
|
Group I, II, III (produced from the refinement of crude oil through fractional distillation in vacuum and complex chemical processes). |
|
Group IV, V (a base oil produced through chemical processes). |
What is an additive?
Additives are chemicals added to a base oil to enhance its qualities, increase its performance and protect the lubricated surfaces and the lubricant itself. There are a number of different types (packages) of additives and combinations thereof, which when added to a base oil, create the different groups of lubricants (automotive oils, gear oils, hydraulic oils, etc.).
What is a mineral oil?
A mineral oil is a mixture of a base oil, which corresponds at least to 85% of the final product (GROUP I, II, III) and various types of additives depending on the type of the lubricant we wish to create.
What is a synthetic lubricant?
This is a mixture of a highly clear base oil (GROUP IV, V) produced through chemical cleaning processes and isolation of fractions (polymerization), with specific types of additives (depending on the type of the lubricant we wish to create).
What is a semi-synthetic lubricant or a synthetic based lubricant?
This is an intermediate group of lubricants manufactured from base oils used in the production of mineral oils, as well as synthetic lubricants and additives in order to produce an intermediate group of lubricants
What is a Mono-grade lubricant?
Mono-grade lubricants are mineral oils capable of ensuring lubrication within a limited range of temperatures (SAE 30, 40, 50). They are used in applications with limited lubricating demands, mainly in older technology engines usually in the warmer months of the year.
What is a Multi-grade lubricant?
Multi-grade lubricants are those lubricants whose main characteristic is the limited change in viscosity (fluidity) under different temperatures existing due to a change of seasons (winter – summer), as well in winter months due to day-night changes (SAE 5w-40, 10w-40 , 15w-40 , 20w-50, etc.). They are used for lubricating all modern engines, whose lubricating needs are high and keep increasing.
What are the quality differences in lubricants?
The quality-based specifications are API, ACEA, JASO and DIN.
What does API stand for?
API stands for “American Petroleum Institute”, an organization focusing on the control and certification of all oil products manufactured and traded by oil companies, which provides them with certification based on the specifications established by the organization (API).
With regard to lubricants in particular, API has grouped them based on its own specifications depending on their ability to protect engines. Thus, “S” refers to petrol engines and “C” refers to diesel engines. The Latin character placed after “S” or “C” indicates the lubricant protection level, where “A” stands for the lowest level of protection and “Z” stands for the highest level of protection. Thus, we can see “API SL” for petrol engines and “API CI-4” for diesel engines, as well as “API SL / CF” and “API CI-4 / SL” as certain lubricants can be used in both types of engines (petrol and diesel).
Please, note that API groups and establishes specifications for American engines.
What does ACEA stand for?
ACEA stands for “Association des Constructeurs Europeensd΄ Automobiles“, the European equivalent of API responsible for grouping and establishing specifications for European engines. Like API, ACEA uses the Latin alphabet for its specifications, but in a different, more detailed way. Thus, it uses “A” for petrol engines, “B” for light duty diesel engines, “E” for heavy duty diesel engines (HDDE) and “C” to refer to all engines, and classifies lubricants depending on their composition and compatibility with various types of catalysts used by automobile manufacturers. After “A”, “B”, “C” or “E” a serial number (1, 2, 3 …) is placed. For example, we will see such specifications as ACEA Α3/Β3 for petrol engines, and ACEA E7 / E5 / E3 for heavy duty diesel engines.
What does JASO stand for?
JASO stands for “Japanese Automobile Standards Organization”, the equivalent of API and ACEA, and is an organization responsible for grouping lubricants depending on the requirements of Japanese engine manufacturers.
What does DIN stand for?
DIN stands for “Deutsches Institut fur Normung e.V.”, the German organization responsible for the quality classification of products.
It is used as a basis for the quality classification (e.g. DIN 51502) of industrial lubricants
What are the lubricant specifications based on fluidity (viscosity)?
Fluidity-based specifications are SAE, ISO, AGMA and NLGI.
What does SAE stand for?
SAE stands for “Society of Automotive Engineers”, an organization responsible for grouping Engine Oils and Gear Oils based on their viscosity (fluidity) at specific temperatures. For example, specification SAE 10w-40 is used for an engine oil and 80w-90 is used for a gear oil.
What does ISO stand for?
ISO stands for “International Standard Organization”, an international organization responsible for grouping industrial lubricants based on their viscosity (fluidity) at specific temperatures. For example, specification ISO 68 is used for a hydraulic lubricant and ISO 320 is used for an industrial gear oil.
What does AGMA stand for?
AGMA stands for “American Gear Manufacturer Association”, an organization also responsible (like ISO) for grouping industrial lubricants based on their viscosity (fluidity) at specific temperatures. For example, specification AGMA 4 is used for an industrial gear oil, which is the equivalent of ISO 150.
What does NLGI stand for?
NLGI stands for “National Lubricating Greases Institute”, an organization responsible for grouping lubricant greases based on their fluidity (that is their cohesion or their resistance to penetration) at specific temperatures. For example, specification NLGI 2 is used for a soft grease
Which Oil is right for you?
The current and previous API Service Categories are listed below. Vehicle owners should refer to their owner's manuals before consulting these charts. Oils may have more than one performance level.
For automotive gasoline engines, the latest engine oil service category includes the performance properties of each earlier category. If an automotive owner's manual calls for an API SH or SJ oil, an API SL oil will provide full protection. For diesel engines, the latest category usually - but not always - includes the performance properties of an earlier category.
MANUFACTURING PROCESS FOR LUBRICATING OILS
- In the manufacturing of Lubricating oil the first step involved is the receiving of base oils and additives.
- The base oils identified as SN500 & BS150, Bright stock are received in tankers or in barrels. The oil received in tankers is pumped to the respective storage tanks and material received in barrels are stacked under shed. The respective base oils are checked in laboratory for quality check as per our specification.
- Additives of different categories are received in barrels and are in stacked in the warehouse marked for the purpose.
- The lubricating oil being identified is processed through the process as mentioned.
- Base oil as per blending details are pumped to the Blending vessel through the flow meter. Once the blend is made with different base oils, the desired quantity of the Viscosity index improver, if required, is pumped to the blending vessel, with blend base oil temperature being 60 deg temperature. After that the kinematic viscosity of the blended oil is checked at 100 deg C. If the kinematic viscosity of the desired product matches our specification, the other additive package as per the formulation sheet is pumped to the blending vessel. The complete blend is stirred and circulated for 30-45 minutes, thereafter the final sample for quality check of the product is sent to laboratory.
- The laboratory checks the oil for kinematic viscosity at 100 deg C & 40 deg C, Total base number, flash point, Viscosity index as per the specifications made for the concerned oil.
- Once the oil passes the check it is transferred to finished oil storage tanks for filling into small or big packs as per the requirements.
TESTING FACILITY
- Kinematic Viscosity. ASTM D 445
- Viscosity Index. ASTM D 2270
- Flash & Fire Point by Cleveland (Open) Cup. ASTM D 92
- Density. ASTM D 1298
- Colour by ASTM Colour Scale. ASTM D 1500
- Total Acid No. ASTM D 974
- Total Base No. ASTM D 2896-85
- Saponification No. ASTM D 94
- Sulfated Ash. ASTM D 874-96
- Copper Strip Corrosion Test. ASTM D 130-94
- Pour Point Test. ASTM D 97
- pH test
- Aniline Point Test. ASTM D 611
- Four ball tester for measuring extreme pressure/anti-wear characteristics of oil.
- Cone Penetration for Grease Testing. ASTM D 217-94
- Drop Point Test. IS 1448 [P:52]
- Leakage Tendency of Grease. ASTM D 1263-94
- Thermal Stability of Grease & so many other lab related testing.