Properties of Lubricating Oil

Composition of lubricating oils

Lubricating oil fractions extracted from crude oil are a widely varying
mixture of straight and branched chain paraffinic, napthenic aromatic
hydrocarbons having boiling points ranging from about 302 o to 593oC.
Some specialty lubricants may have boiling point extremes of 177 and
815oC. The choice of grade of lubricating oil base is determined by the
expected use.
General capabilities expected from an engine lubricant

capacity to keep cold parts of an engine clean

capacity to keep hot parts of an engine clean

capacity to withstand temperature changes

capacity to resist the action of oxygen

capacity to contain wear

capacity to preserve oil film even in the presence of high

pressures

capacity to neutralize acids formed during combustion

or other sources thereby preventing corrosive wear

capacity to separate contaminants

capacity to withstand the action of water which can

affect additives

capacity to pump at different temperatures

capacity to separate insoluble elements

capacity to resist rust, corrosive and foaming .

Properties for bearings

moderate bearing loads

improved heat transfer behavior

corrosion protection

cooling

low friction

good low temperature viscosity

good high temperature viscosity

Properties for gear case

corrosion protection

cooling

reduces friction

good viscosity on low temperature

good viscosity on high temperature

sound damping properties with cushioning effects

antifoam properties

Turbine oil
Compromise between above two requirements

Generally a good quality refined mineral oil derived from

paraffanic base stock used with various additives
including EP additives for highly loaded gearing.

Anti-foaming properties important

Additives
Improvements in lubricating oil over the last twenty years have come
about almost entirely from the use of additives.
These are added for three main reasons;
1. to protect the lubricant in service by limiting the
chemical change and deterioration
2. To protect the mechanism from harmful combustion
products and malfunctioning lubricating oil
3. To improve existing physical properties and to create
new beneficial characteristics in the oil

Typical additives are; Barium, calcium, phosphorus, Sulphur,

chlorine, zinc, oxidation inhibitor-increases oil and machinery life,
decreases sludge and varnish on metal parts
Corrosion inhibitor-protects against chemical attack of alloy bearings
and metal surfaces.
Anti wear improvers-protects rubbing surfaces operating with this film
boundary lubrication.
Detergent-tend to neutralize the deposits before formation under high
temperature and pressure conditions, or as a result of using a fuel with
high sulphur content.
Dispersant-used to disperse or suspend the deposits forming
contaminants.
Alkaline agents-neutralizes acids, these form the TBN of the oil and
includes additives .
Rust inhibitors- protect against rust
Pour point improvers -improves low temperature viscosity
Oiliness agent-reduces friction seizure point and wear rates
Antifoam agents-prevents stable bubble formation
Viscosity Improvers-an additive that improves the viscosity .
Antiseptic-killed bacteria
Oxidation
Oxidation degrades the lube oil producing sledges, varnishes and resins.
Presence of moisture, and some metals particularly copper tend to act
as a catalyst. Once oxidation starts, deterioration of the properties of the
oil is rapid.

Recharging

When recharging no more than 10 % of the working charge should be

topped up due to heavy slugging that can occur due to the heavy
precipitation of the sludge.
EMULSIFICATION
This occurs due to water contamination; also, contamination with grease,
fatty oils, varnish, paint and rust preventers containing fatty products can
also promote emulsification.
The presence of an emulsion can be detected by a general
cloudiness of the sample. Salt water emulsifies very easily and should
be avoided.
Water entrained in the oil supplied to a journal bearing can
lead to loss of oil wedge, rub and failure.
Fresh water contamination whilst not in itself dangerous can
lead to rusting. The iron oxides catalyses the oil to form sludge's. The
additives in the oil can leach out to change the water into an electrolyte.
Salt water contamination is very serious as it causes tin oxide
corrosion, and also leads to electrochemical attack on the tin matrix in
the white metal. The sea water act as then electrolyte.
A major problem of water within a lub oil is where the mix
enters a bearing, here it is possible for the water to be flashed off
collapsing the oil wedge.