Lube-Tech PUBLISHED BY LUBE: THE EUROPEAN LUBRICANTS INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
Dr. Amit Bhattacharya, Customer Application Specialist, Dow Microbial Control Debasis Senapati, Data Analyst, Quintiles Ims
INTRODUCTION
Be it the automobile sector, the aerospace industry or any electrical equipment manufacturing site, the need and importance of metalworking fluids (MWF) are immense. They provide lubrication between the tool and the work piece, remove heat from surfaces, and flush away debris from the surface. But as important as they are, their formulation is also as critical and complex. MWF are generally divided into two categories, neat oils and water based MWFs. Water based MWFs are again divided into soluble oils, semi-synthetics and synthetics. The semi-synthetic fluids give much better efficacy and stability as compared to other fluids and so the demand and cost of these fluids is higher compared to other fluids.
The formulation of these fluids is very critical especially in Indian conditions because the MWFs are exposed to hostile working conditions yet they are expected to work effectively for long periods of time and give long sump lives and extended stability. Considering these aspects, formulating a robust MWF concentrate becomes a very important but highly challenging task in an Indian scenario. First of all, apart from making the emulsion of oil and water, many other additives are included in the formulation, e.g. amines, esters, biocides, corrosion inhibitors, emulsifiers, anti-foaming agents etc. Providing a stable and compatible formulation of these substances represents a challenge. The concentrate formulation makes just 3%-5% of the final diluted MWF emulsion that goes into actual use. This is because water based MWFs generally are diluted by up to 20-30 times before they are used in the machining area. The water quality, which is used for dilution, also plays an important role due to its variability. Also, MWFs are not disposed of just after one time use but are kept in sumps and are recycled multiple times until they start smelling or show major changes in their physical characteristics such as low pH, colour change, or slime formation. Also, MWFs are recycled for longer periods and come into repeated contact with workers, who generally display low hygiene awareness and therefore unknowingly contribute to fouling of the MWF.
No.109 page 1 Biocides for Metal Working Fluids: India Outlook
For a metalworking fluid manufacturer, factors playing a role at customer’s site are difficult to control. In order to make the fluid robust and qualitatively superior, a possible area of focus is to develop some tolerance in the concentrate formulation towards mishandling or the hygienically compromised working conditions prevalent in India.
The major hindrance for longer sump life generally comes from bacterial and fungal contamination of the fluid. In this scenario, the biocides as additives used in the formulation of MWFs play a very important role.
INDUSTRY SCENARIO OF INDIA FOR MWFs Nearly all the MWF manufacturers use some form of biocides in their concentrates, but their performance varies. It would be wrong to deny the fact that most of them face microbial issues more often than expected. Earlier in India, mostly soluble oil based MWFs were used because they were cheaper, but they were expected to have lower sump lives. However, since the early 2000s, with the expansion of global MWF manufacturers in India, the use and demand for semi-synthetic MWFs have increased, and with that also the sump life expectation. Fig 1 shows a consumption based market segmentation of MWFs’:
Figure 1. MWFs share by consumption
LUBE MAGAZINE NO.138 APRIL 2017
37
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