Embracing the Power of Fully Synthetic Gear Oil
As technological advancements continue to permeate the automotive industry, the demand for top-tier lubricants like Fully Synthetic Gear Oil that can deliver improved performance and efficiency has surged. This article delves into the intricate world of synthetic gear oils, exploring their benefits, potential drawbacks, and their impact on machinery performance.
Understanding Synthetic Hydraulic Oils: An Overview
Synthetic hydraulic oils are high-performance lubricants engineered from chemically restructured petroleum components or other raw materials. The exact process of synthesizing these oils varies among manufacturers and is often a highly guarded industrial secret.
Originally developed in 1929, synthetic oils found use in a wide array of applications, from daily-use vehicles to high-performance machines, and even aircraft. The push for better synthetic oils gained momentum during the 1970s American Energy Crisis, with the goal of improving fuel economy.
Today, certain engines, particularly aircraft jet engines, require synthetic oils for optimal performance. The use of synthetic oil, once limited to high-performance vehicles, is becoming more mainstream to meet the rising demands for improved fuel efficiency.
Synthetic Hydraulic Oil vs. Conventional Oil: A Comparative Analysis
Superior Performance of Synthetic Hydraulic Oil
Compared to conventional oil, synthetic hydraulic oil offers superior overall engine protection and performance. Synthetic oils are manufactured with high-quality base oils that are more refined than conventional base oils, making them less likely to acidify and oxidize, more chemically stable, and less prone to breakdown.
Industry reports affirm that fully synthetic oils offer superior engine protection and performance over synthetic blends or conventional motor oils.
Subtle Differences that Matter
While there might be no visual difference between synthetic and conventional oil, the intricate details lie in their manufacturing process and their performance over time.
Conventional motor oil, being a petroleum-based oil, changes viscosity with temperature. Additives are used to modify its properties, reducing its viscosity at lower temperatures and thickening it at higher temperatures. However, these additives break down or vaporize over time, returning the oil to its original consistency.
Conversely, synthetic oils are designed to maintain a consistent viscosity throughout their lifespan. Even without additives, synthetic hydraulic oil does not degrade or significantly change viscosity, offering consistent performance.
Longevity of Synthetic Hydraulic Oil
Generally, synthetic motor oil offers longer intervals between oil changes. However, the exact duration depends on the brand of oil used and other factors such as driving conditions and driving style. Even so, it’s recommended to follow the oil change guidelines in your vehicle’s owner’s manual while it’s still under warranty.
Composition of Synthetic Hydraulic Oils
Synthetic hydraulic oil starts with high-quality base oil. Beyond that, manufacturers add specific additives to create the final product. Despite the differences between brands, it’s agreed that full synthetic oils offer better protection than conventional oils or synthetic blends.
Synthetic Hydraulic Oil: A Superior Choice
The complex manufacturing process of synthetic oils allows for the removal of impurities typically found in crude oil. This enables the creation of custom oil molecules designed to meet the demands of modern engines. Thus, synthetic oils offer higher levels of protection and engine performance than conventional oils.
Here are some benefits of synthetic oils:
- Enhanced engine protection: Synthetic oils offer superior engine protection, sometimes for as much as 250,000 miles.
- Cleaner engine: Synthetic oils resist sludge and deposit formation, resulting in a cleaner engine and extended lifespan.
- Optimal viscosity: Synthetic oils maintain better viscosity and stability at both low and high temperatures compared to conventional oil or synthetic blends.
- Turbocharger protection: Synthetic oils are ideal for turbocharged vehicles as they flow quicker to critical parts, providing the necessary lubrication.
However, synthetic oils are significantly more expensive than conventional motor oils. They may also have issues with decomposition in certain industrial environments.
Synthetic Hydraulic Oil Change Interval
Typically, synthetic oils are rated to last between 10,000 to 15,000 miles, or six months to a year. However, severe driving conditions may require more frequent oil changes. It’s advisable to change your oil more frequently if you drive less than 10 miles a day and don’t drive on highways, as your engine may not heat up to a temperature high enough to boil off the condensation that accumulates in the system.
Exploring the World of Synthetic Gear Oils
Synthetic gear oils come into play when mineral gear oils can no longer meet the application requirements, such as very low or high temperatures, extremely high loads, or extraordinary ambient conditions.
While additives can enhance many properties of mineral oils, they cannot indefinitely influence all their properties. This is particularly true for physical properties like thermal resistance, low-temperature properties (fluidity, pour point), flash point, and evaporation losses.
The Pros and Cons of Synthetic Gear Oils
While synthetic oils offer many advantages, they may not outperform mineral oils in all aspects and may even have some drawbacks despite their benefits.
Advantages
Depending on the base oil, the benefits of synthetic lubricating oils can include improved thermal and oxidation resistance, improved viscosity-temperature behavior, high viscosity index, improved low-temperature properties, lower evaporation losses, reduced flammability, improved lubricity, lower tendency to form residues, and improved resistance to ambient media.
Disadvantages
Possible disadvantages of synthetic oils include a higher price, reactions in the presence of water (hydrolysis, corrosion), material compatibility issues with paints, elastomers, and certain metals, and limited miscibility with mineral oils.
Despite these potential drawbacks, application-related advantages often prevail, especially under critical operating conditions. The most commonly used synthetic types include synthetic hydrocarbon oils (SHC), polyglycols (PAG), and ester oils (E).
Synthetic Hydrocarbon Oils
Synthetic hydrocarbon oils are similar to mineral hydrocarbons in their chemical structure. They share similar properties related to compatibility with sealing materials, disposal, reprocessing, and miscibility with mineral oils. Their primary advantage is their excellent low-temperature behavior. Special additives allow for the production of food-grade lubricants for the food processing and pharmaceutical industries.
Polyglycolic-Based Lubricating Oils
Polyglycol-based lubricants are suitable for gears with a high sliding percentage like worm and hypoid gears due to their low friction coefficients. They offer excellent antiwear protection in steel/bronze worm gears and have a good extreme pressure performance.
However, polyglycol oils may negatively impact sealing materials and may dissolve some paints. Miscibility with mineral oils is limited, and thus mixtures should be avoided.
Ester Oil-Based Lubricating Oils
Ester oils result from a reaction of acids and alcohols, with water splitting off. Historically, these lubricating oils were predominantly used in aviation technology for lubricating aircraft engines, gas turbines, and gear systems in pumps and starters.
Ester oils demonstrate high thermal resistance and excellent low-temperature behavior. However, certain ester oils may have low hydrolytic stability. Hydrolysis is the cleavage of the ester into alcohol and acid in the presence of water. The hydrolytic stability of an ester depends on the type of ester used, the type of additives used, how the ester was processed, and the application.
Application-Related Advantages of Synthetic Lubricating Oils
The improved properties of synthetic lubricating oils compared to mineral oils offer several application-related advantages. These include improved efficiency due to reduced tooth-related friction losses, lower gearing losses due to reduced friction, oil change intervals three to five times longer than mineral oils operating at the same temperature, and reduced operating temperatures under full load, which increase component life and may even eliminate the need for cooling systems.
Reduction of Gearing Losses and Efficiency Improvement
Due to their special molecular structure, synthetic lubricating oils based on poly-alpha-olefins (a type of SHC) and polyglycols ensure that tooth-related friction is considerably lower than with mineral oils. This leads to increased gear efficiency.
Advantages of Synthetic Gear Oils Based on Reduced Friction
With synthetic gear oils, you can achieve increased gear efficiency, reduced oil temperatures, and reduced energy consumption.
Improved Efficiency and Reduced Wear When Using Synthetic Oils
Tests have shown that synthetic oils make gears more efficient than mineral oils. Synthetic base oils have excellent wear protection behavior, which is enhanced by appropriate antiwear additives.
Extended Oil Change Intervals Using Synthetic Oils
Synthetic oils have better resistance to aging and high temperatures, offering a longer service life than mineral oils. Depending on the base oil (SHC or PAG), the oil change intervals maybe three to five times longer at the same operating temperature.
Synthetic Oils Help Save Maintenance and Disposal Costs
Compared to mineral oils, the oil change intervals of synthetic oils maybe five times longer under the same thermal conditions. Despite the higher purchase price and the costs of disposal of synthetics, the extended oil change intervals can offset these costs when taking into account the gear unit’s extended service life.
Selecting the Gear Oil Type
To select the type of gear oil to use in a gearbox, it’s crucial to understand the gearbox’s mode of operation. The application factor (KA) identifies the type and magnitude of load the gears will experience.
Viscosity
Viscosity is the most critical physical property of lubricating oil. A high Viscosity Index (VI) indicates a much lower rate of change in viscosity with respect to changes in temperatures. The ability of an oil to maintain a small viscosity differential over the operating range of the gearbox provides a more consistent lubricating film to the gears and a more predictable wear performance.
Viscosity Selection
The correct viscosity is an important parameter in the proper selection of gear oil. The manufacturer of the gearbox or gear system generally offers a viscosity recommendation, and these recommendations should be followed in most cases.
Synthetic oils have a lower friction coefficient than mineral oils in a gearbox and a more favorable viscosity-temperature relationship. This generally allows for the use of synthetics at lower viscosity grades and also offers the possibility of reduced oil temperature during operation.
The Verdict: The Power of Fully Synthetic Gear Oil
In conclusion, Fully Synthetic Gear Oil offers superior performance and longevity compared to conventional oils. While they may come with a higher price tag, the benefits they offer in terms of performance, efficiency, and reduced maintenance costs make them a worthwhile investment. Whether it’s for your car’s engine or your factory’s machinery, Fully Synthetic Gear Oil is a reliable choice for maximizing performance and efficiency.