How to Apply and Maintain Biodegradable Lubes

Lloyd Leugner, Maintenance Technology International Inc.

Much has been said and written about biodegradable lubricants for the past several
years. Manufacturers and blenders of these products promote biodegradables for use
based on the importance of biodegradability and nontoxicity. But performance issues -
like oxidation stability, antiwear protection, hydrolytic stability, viscosity- temperature
properties and cost factors - are usually presented only wherever these features
provide an advantage to the particular manufacturer. The two primary classes of
biodegradable lubricants, vegetable oils and synthetics, have been described and well
documented, when compared with traditional mineral oil-base lubricants. However,
little information has been provided by maor oil companies or the manufacturers of
these biodegradable products with regard to application guidelines or the maintenance
of these products once they are in use as machine lubricants. !ndustrial users of these
products must be prepared to treat biodegradable lubricants somewhat differently than
standard mineral-base oils. !n order to understand these application and maintenance
re"uirements, it is necessary to review the various types of biodegradable lubricants to
point out their advantages and disadvantages.
Vegetable Oils
#egetable oils include corn, soybean, rapeseed $canola%, sunflower, peanut, olive oil
and others. !n their natural form, these oils consist primarily of triglyceride molecular
structures and as such they have performance limitations, most notably, poor thermal,
hydrolytic and oxidation stability. &or example, most natural vegetable oils cannot
withstand reservoir temperatures greater than '()* $+,-)&%.
!n addition, water, even in small amounts of a few hundred parts per million, is the
natural enemy of vegetable oils and can cause serious foaming and degradation
problems. !n general, these oils also exhibit low cold-flow abilities. .n the other hand,
most of these natural oils have good lubricating "ualities due to their polar nature. This
provides good metalwetting attraction and also makes them good solvents for helping
keep dirt and debris off metal surfaces. Their molecular structure provides for a high
natural viscosity and viscosity index. /enetic modifications have also overcome much
of the thermal and oxidative stability problems, particularly with soybean and canola
oils.
Figure 2. Hydraulic oils for use in
mobile equipment can be made from a
blend of syntetic diester and canola
!rapeseed" oil to deli#er e$cellent
temperature #iscosity properties and
good o$idation stability % e#en in te
colder operating conditions found in
&ortern climates.
'yntetic Oils
The primary synthetic biodegradable lubricants available today include0
(olyalpaolefins !(AOs"
These exhibit excellent low-temperature properties, but tend to shrink rubber seal
materials.
)iesters
These have good antioxidation characteristics and seal swell properties.
(olyal*ylene +lycols
!Also ,nown as (olyglycols or (A+s"
12/s can be both water soluble $ethyleneoxide% and water insoluble $propylene oxide%.
3ater soluble 12/s are ideally suited for fire-resistant lubricants. .ne disadvantage of
12/s is their tendency to emulsify water in certain e"uipment, such as gear boxes,
which will cause foaming, sludge and corrosion.
2 maor disadvantage of both 12.s and 12/s is their poor solubility with regard to
additives. Because the additives themselves must also be biodegradable, this limits the
additives that can be used to formulate effective biodegradable lubricants from 12.s
and 12/s.
Today, some manufacturers are blending diesters with 12.s to form base oils which are
biodegradable, have good solubility, resist oxidation and have good temperature
viscosity characteristics. .thers are blending synthetic diesters with canola oil to
provide similar results.
Figure -. .n sawmills/ te use of
biodegradable cain bar/ blade and
saw%guide lubricants is critical because
te oil enters te en#ironment
immediately after use. 0e saw%guide
lubricant used ere is made from
natural canola oil wic is more tan
11 percent biodegradable in 22 days.
Before 3ou 'witc . . .
.bviously, biodegradable lubricants are desirable for e"uipment used in certain
resource industries, such as forestry, mining, petroleum exploration and production or
wherever the lubricants themselves might come into contact with the environment.
The practical considerations associated with conversion from mineral-base lubricants to
biodegradable fluids are often ignored. These biodegradable lubricants may be different
in their characteristics, and the conversion necessary for their effective use is not "uite
as simple as draining the used mineral oil and dumping in the new biodegradable
lubricant.
Before converting to a biodegradable lubricant, it is first necessary to consider the
lubricating system4s operating and design characteristics, such as the operating
temperature, pressures and flow rates, the type of sealing or hose materials used, the
potential for contamination, such as water or dust and dirt and whether or not the
"uality of the existing filtration system is sufficient for the new fluid.
2 most important consideration that is also fre"uently ignored, is whether or not the
new biodegradable fluid is compatible with mineral oil. !f it is not, serious problems
may result if all of the old mineral oil is not thoroughly flushed from the system before
the new fluid is installed.
5ymptoms of a poor or incomplete conversion to biodegradable fluids include severe
foaming, leaking seals, plugged filters, higher-than-normal wear on some components
$such as the hydraulic pump%, and increased operating temperatures.
4at +oes 4ere
5o where are the best places to use each type of biodegradable fluid discussed above6
&or successful conversions in specific applications, users should consider the following0
Vegetable Oils5 These products are ideally suited to applications such as
sawmill blade or chain drive lubrication where the lubricant is used on a 7once
through8 basis and where low toxicity is re"uired. They are also well-suited for
use in low to medium pressure hydraulic systems, or lightly loaded gear drives
where the operating temperature does not normally exceed -()* $+9()&% and
where there is little chance of water ingress or high contamination. 3here the
threat of contamination exists, filters must be inspected more fre"uently, due to
the lower filterability of these fluids. /ear boxes and hydraulic systems should
be thoroughly flushed to remove debris, sludge and silt prior to the application
of vegetable-base lubricants to avoid any unnecessary incompatibility potential.
There may also be some negative reaction to sealing materials such as
neoprene and nitrile.
(olyalpaolefins5 Biodegradable 12.s are finding increased use as hydraulic
and engine oils, particularly in cold-climate applications and where hydraulic
pressures are high. These oils are also finding selected use as gear lubricants
due to their ability to provide lower operating temperatures and their lower
coefficient of friction, both of which help reduce wear. These products are
generally compatible with mineral oils and as a result, there is no re"uirement
for extensive flushing prior to conversion unless re"uired by the manufacturer.
12.s have a negative effect on certain sealing materials causing shrinkage, so
initial leakage may be a problem.
)iesters5 These biodegradable fluids are excellent lubricants for compressors
and turbines. :iester fluids may have a negative effect on certain varnish or
paint surfaces, due to their exceptional solvency and detergency, so it would be
wise to remove the paint from any internal contact surfaces such as the
reservoir, prior to conversion.
!n addition, these fluids can negatively affect sealing materials, and fluorocarbon seals
should be considered for these applications.
(olyglycols5 12/s can be either polyethylene or polypropylene oxide-based,
with water solubility differing according to type. 1olyethylene-based 12/s are
highly water soluble, are poorly miscible with mineral oils and are very polar. 2s
a result, thorough flushing of the system should be carried out prior to the
conversion from mineral oil-based products. Their water solubility helps to
provide biodegradability, but also provides a disadvantage in lubricant
applications, because free water contamination tends to occur "uickly.
2d
ditionally, the high specific gravity of these fluids tends to elevate solid particle
contaminant retention $that is particles are less prone to settle%. To offset this threat,
the filtration systems should be modified or upgraded to ensure that bearing surfaces
are not exposed to high contaminant levels. Three-micron filters installed in a side-
stream are beneficial in controlling contamination in hydraulic applications.
.perating temperatures must be controlled in order to avoid excessive and
unnecessary evaporation of these water miscible fluids. The recommended operating
temperature should be kept within a range of about ;()* to -()* $+<<)& to +9()&%.
2nother consideration when using biodegradable water-based and water soluble fluids
in a hydraulic application is cavitation damage to pressure relief valves which may be
re"uired to remain in the discharge or open position for long periods. #apor phase
cavitation can cause erosion of the valve seat due to high vapor pressure, which can
lead to premature relief valve failure. 1roper valve selection prior to conversion should
be considered.
Figure 6. (ower generation is closely lin*ed to ri#er
systems. 0e potential for ad#erse en#ironmental
effects from mineral oil lea*s or spills is a serious
concern. Operational tests confirm tat diester
biodegradable oil is equal or superior to mineral
base oil in its ser#ice capability in turbine
applications. 0e researc also confirmed tat
#egetable oil !canola" is not appropriate were lead
babbitt slee#e bearings are used in turbine
equipment. 0e canola oil sowed an increase in
acidity due to its poor ydrolytic stability wic
resulted in increased corrosi#e wear of te lead
babbitt material.
,eeping it +oing
!t has been said that the lubricant contained within a piece of machinery is also a
component of that machine. !t therefore must be maintained and monitored for its
condition ust like the machine itself. =nfortunately, the lubricant4s condition is
fre"uently ignored until a problem arises and only then does anyone seem concerned
about the maintenance of the lubricant.
.ne cause for this situation is the tendency by many in industry to arbitrarily extend oil
drains without giving any thought to the conse"uences. !n most cases, biodegradable
lubricants, such as synthetic 12.s or vegetable oils, can cost three, four or five times
the price of mineral oil. The users fre"uently attempt to recoup their initial investment
by ignoring common sense and extending oil drains without a regularly scheduled,
carefully selected oil analysis program.
/enerally speaking, biodegradable oils should be maintained and monitored during use
ust like mineral-base oils. They must be kept cool, clean and dry $water-free% and
their condition should be monitored on a regularly scheduled basis using readily
available oil analysis techni"ues.
5pecifically, biodegradable lubricants must be monitored for viscosity $at both 9()*
and +(()*%> free water content $using an accurate techni"ue such as the ?arl &ischer
test%> acid number $which can provide an accurate indication of any increase in
oxidation% and solid particle contamination $using particle-count testing techni"ues%.
2ny result which indicates that a problem is developing must be investigated and the
condition corrected, if satisfactory service life from biodegradable lubricants is to be
achieved.
7eferences
+. ?lamann, :. Lubricants and Related Products. /ermany0 #erlag *hemie. p. +(,-
++@, +<+, @<;-@<-.
<. Aeugner, A. The Practical Handbook of Machinery Lubrication, <nd Bdition.
*anada0 Maintenance Technology !nternational, !nc. p. ,;-,-, +99, +9C.
8ditor9s &ote
This article originally appeared in LubesNGreases, Dune +CC'.
'idebar5
:oefficient of Friction
2 lubricant4s coefficient of friction $*.&% represents the lubricant4s ability to minimiEe
the amount of frictional resistance between moving components. The *.& is a measure
in pounds of force necessary to move an obect with fixed dimensions $surface area
and weight% over a test surface, and is provided in foot pounds of force.
This two-disk test result was reported by Folf Auther in Aubricants and Aubrication. The
figure $right% demonstrates the load bearing comparison between a mineral oil and a
polyol ester $trimethylolpropane ester or TM1-Bster%.
This test condition indicates that this 1.B has a friction coefficient of approximately
half of the e"uivalent viscosity mineral oil. There are differences between mineral oils
and 12.s and other synthetics as well.
7eference
Mang, T. and :resel, 3. Lubricants and Lubrication. 3iley-#*H, <((+. p. +;(.