Managing the Risk of Mixing

Lubricating Oils

Arnold Shugarman
Tags: lubricant storage and handling
Todays high performance lubricants are
specifically formulated with a carefully
selected balance of performance additives
and base stocks to match the lubrication
requirements of the equipment in which they
are used. When lubricants are mixed, this
balance is often upset. echanical problems
leading to shorter equipment life can occur,
sometimes catastrophically.
odern lubricants are sophisticated
products, formulated to meet the demanding
lubrication requirements of modern equipment. The old saying, !oil is oil" no longer applies.
ixing lubricants is fraught with danger # to your equipment, to your business and to your wallet.
When in doubt, dont mix different lubricants. $f it occurs accidentally, address the problem
immediately. %ont be afraid to bring in an expert, whether it is the lubricant manufacturer, the
additive supplier or an independent consultant to your site. &our response to a situation where
different lubricants are mixed will depend on the products in the mixture, the end#use
application, the relative concentrations of products and the total volume involved.
'ee Table (
$n its mildest form, mixing different lubricants may lead to a degradation of lubricant
performance. ixing the same )*$ grades of synthetic passenger car motor oil and mineral oil#
based engine oil wont damage the engine, but you will lose the performance features you
expect from the synthetic. )t the other end of the spectrum, adding typical turbine oil to an
antiwear hydraulic oil in a hydraulic pump could spell disaster. %eposits may form that could
increase wear and plug filters.
Why Formulation is Important
To understand why some mixed oils are +, but others are not, one must understand how
modern lubricants are formulated. ost performance lubricants are a blend of base stocks and
additives. The base stock is the oily portion of the lubricant, chosen for the physical and
chemical properties needed in the final blend. -ase stocks, in most industrial lubricants, are
selected based on the requirements for viscosity, oxidation stability, fire#resistance,
biodegradability and water miscibility in the final product. They carry the load in hydrodynamic
lubrication, remove heat and debris from friction and wear and help seal out contaminants.
ost lubricants are formulated with mineral base stocks that are severely refined, low#wax,
heavy distillate fractions of crude oil. They are relatively low cost, generally good solvents for
most additives, available in a wide viscosity range and compatible with a number of seal
materials. 'ynthetic base stocks are made by chemical manufacturers to impart special qualities
to the finished oil. *olyalphaolefin .*)+/, organic esters, glycols and phosphate esters are
examples of synthetics that are used to meet specific needs. 'ynthetics are used where the
value of their special functional properties, oxidation stability, fire#resistance, etc., outweigh their
cost.
0ubricants made with synthetic base stocks should not be mixed with products made with
mineral oil, even if they are designed for the same application. The limited exceptions include
some *)+ and ester#based products. 1ven then, compatibility is often concentration#
dependent. %eposits may form because of additive incompatibility or seal compatibility may be
compromised.
)dditives impart special performance features to the finished oil. The choice of additives and the
balance among them differentiate an antiwear hydraulic oil from a turbine oil, for example. 'ome
additives affect the physical properties of the finished lubricant. +thers change the lubricants
chemical properties or are added for cosmetic purposes.
Lubricant Incompatibility
'ome lubricants are incompatible because of differences in additive chemistry that lead to
undesirable chemical reactions. $f these oils are mixed, insoluble material may form and then
deposit onto sensitive machine surfaces. 2or a hydraulic fluid, this could lead to lubricant
starvation, valve failure or increased wear.
) second form of lubricant incompatibility is more insidious because no visible changes occur
when the products are mixed. The problem appears only after the mixture is used in a piece of
equipment that consequently fails or loses performance. 2or example, hydraulic3tractor fluid that
is contaminated by motor oil can lead to brake chatter and failure in farm equipment. +ptimum
performance requires carefully balanced frictional and antiwear properties in the finished
product that are upset when the lubricants are mixed.
'ome incompatible lubricant mixtures may also affect synthetic rubber seals. 0ubricants are
formulated to be neutral to seals or cause them to swell slightly. Too much seal swell, seal
shrinkage or chemical deterioration may occur with some combinations of lubricants. 1ngine oils
formulated with certain types of dispersants attack fluorocarbon seals. 0ubricants contaminated
by products containing ester base stocks may swell seals unacceptably. 1* gear oils are known
to deteriorate silicone seals.
0ubricant incompatibility is a chemistry problem. $t has nothing to do with the manufacturers of
the oil4 two oils made by the same manufacturer may be incompatible. The most common cause
of lubricant incompatibility that results in the formation of harmful solids is the reaction of an
acidic component in one oil with a basic component in another. The reaction is accelerated by
water and heat.
+ils containing acidic rust inhibitors are incompatible with oils containing basic rust inhibitors.
When the two oils are mixed, especially when some water is present, a solid forms in the oil that
reacts further with the oil to form a grease#like insoluble substance. This can clog filters, form
deposits that interfere with lubrication and interfere with demulsibility .water#oil separation/.
+ne way to look at potential lubricant incompatibility is to classify lubricants as acidic or basic.
Table 5 is not meant to be totally inclusive and some exceptions may occur. %ifferent lubricant
manufacturers may use different additive chemistries to accomplish the same function, so
caution is warranted. 6heck with your manufacturer to be sure.
0ubricants that require good demulsibility .water separation/ should never be mixed with
lubricants that contain dispersants or high concentrations of detergents. 'mall amounts of oil
with good emulsion characteristics will destroy the water shedding properties of a highly
demulsible lubricant. 7arely can the demulsibility be restored with additive supplements.
0ubricants formulated with non#8inc antiwear and antioxidant additives such as railroad engine
oils and ashless or low#ash gas engine oils will cause engine damage if they are contaminated
with lubricants containing 8inc additives.
How to Avoid Lubricant Mixtures
-y now, you should have enough information to reali8e that consciously mixing lubricants
should not be undertaken without a thorough knowledge of the lubricant chemistry and the
intended application. $f in doubt, dont do it.
-ut problems can occur all along the supply chain from the lubricant manufacturer to the end#
use equipment. The manufacturer puts the wrong label on the drum. The marketer pumps oil
into the wrong storage tank.
The maintenance mechanic uses the wrong container to add makeup oil to the hydraulic fluid
sump.
$ncidents of lubricant mixing can occur without any evidence of negligence. ) trucking firm
changed the manufacturing source of heavy#duty diesel engine oil and upgraded to the newest
)*$ performance category. Within a few thousand miles, the oil was black and all oil condition#
monitoring signs indicated that the oil needed to be changed. )fter investigating the problem
with the bad oil, the lube engineer concluded that the replacement oil had such strong
dispersancy that it was cleaning all the engine deposits generated from the use of the original
lubricant. The remedy was to change oil at a shorter interval until the engines were clean, at
which point the trucking firm reali8ed the full benefits of the new oil.
)ccidental mixing of oils can be minimi8ed by sound practices # clearly labeling containers,
checking manifests on oil shipments against the delivered products, supervising the unloading
of bulk oil and segregating oils that are known to be incompatible. )void using common hoses,
funnels and containers to transfer lubricants from different families. 2or example, the same
lubricant handling equipment can be used for different engine oils, but never transfer turbine oil
with equipment used to transfer engine oils. 0ess than 9.5 percent engine oil can form
emulsions in turbine oil. -efore changing lubricant suppliers or accepting a new3improved
product from your current supplier, obtain assurance that the new product is compatible with the
old one. )sk what tests were conducted to demonstrate the product compatibility.
Fighting an Oil Mixing roblem
When an oil mixing problem occurs, certain prudent steps should be followed. 2or bulk oil,
empty the tank before adding the new product. $f products are incompatible, it may be
necessary to flush the tank with diesel or base oil. $f oil mixing is suspected, isolate the system.
Thoroughly drain the oil from equipment that contains a suspected mixture. When seeking
advice on how to handle the contaminated oil, provide the following information:
$dentity of each lubricant in the mixture. $nclude name of manufacturer and brand name.
:olume of each component in the mixture.
0ubrication application.
+ther lubricated equipment, often less severe applications, where the oil mixture might
be used.
Where the mixed oil is located # one bulk tank or (9 gear boxes.
)bility to store oil mixture until final disposition can be determined.
With this information, intelligent decisions can be made quickly to avoid equipment operating
problems or damage, minimi8e downtime and identify the best way to dispose of the oil mixture.
&ou can conduct some simple tests to confirm an oil mixing problem even without access to a
formal lubricant laboratory. ;eat an oil mixture or two oils you want to test for compatibility and
examine for clarity. $f the mixture is cloudy, the oils are not compatible. To check further, add a
small amount of water, mix thoroughly and continue heating. )llow the mixture to sit at room
temperature for several hours. $f a solid forms in the oil, they are incompatible.
To test for demulsibility .water#shedding properties/ in a mixture, mix equal parts of warm oil
and water in a bottle, shake thoroughly and allow the mixture to settle. $f both oils have good
demulsibility, the oil and water layers should separate cleanly with little or no emulsion between
the layers. 1ven if these tests indicate that the oils are compatible, check with the manufacturer
to see what other tests should be run before using the mixture in your equipment.
-efore mixing lubricants or using lubricants that have been mixed, check with the oil
manufacturer for the best course of action. ost importantly, look for ways to avoid the situation
in the first place.