Lube-Tech PUBLISHED BY LUBE: THE EUROPEAN LUBRICANTS INDUSTRY MAGAZINE Dr. Raj Shah and Ms. Rachel Ly, Koehler Instrument Company Introduction
In 1877, Charles Friedel and James Mason Crafts conducted the first organic synthesis of hydrocarbons to develop synthetic fluids, the base fluids for modern synthetic lubricants. At that time, however, the abundance of cheap mineral oil discouraged the widespread commercialisation of this ingenious discovery. It was not until World War II that the scarcity of mineral oil worldwide paved the way for Germany’s first large-scale production of synthetic fluids in lubricants for aviation and high-pressure compressor applications. [1] Looking at 2023, the field of synthetic fluids and lubricants continues to garner more interest worldwide with the Global Synthetic Lubricants Market valued at $42.53 billion and an expected growth rate of 3.3% from 2024 to 2032. [2] Despite the steady dominance of conventional lubricants in the twenty-first century, many researchers are proposing synthetic lubricants as a more reliable, energy-efficient solution for friction due to their superior tribological properties and justifiable greater environmental sustainability as result of that. This paper will present our modern industrial and chemical understandings of conventional and synthetic lubricants, comparative tribological test studies between the two, and the latest breakthroughs in the organic synthesis of synthetic lubricants to highlight their long-term favorability.
Synthetic Lubricants: Properties and Applications Synthetic lubricants are produced from man-made synthetic-based fluids containing specific petroleum- derived chemical compounds. The most seen synthetic-based fluids (SBF) are referred to as Group V SBFs, which are categorised into synthetic hydrocarbons, organic esters, polyglycols, phosphate esters, silicones, alkylated naphthalene, and blends of SBFs; the first four fluids listed comprise 90% of SBF usage worldwide. [3]
These compounds in SBFs have relatively low molecular weights with controlled molecular structures to yield desirable and predictable properties for their specialised functions: [3][4]
Synthetic hydrocarbon fluids, like polyalphaolefins (PAOs), are often used in engine oils, gas turbines, and aircraft hydraulic systems due to their hydrolytic stability, low temperature fluidity, and high shear rate viscosity.
Organic esters, like diesters or polyol esters, offer biodegradability, high film strength, and metal-wetting properties at low vapor pressures for compressor lubricants, turbines, and aviation applications. However, diesters could damage paint
LUBE MAGAZINE NO.185 FEBRUARY 2025 31
No.156 page 1
Recent developments in Synthetic Lubricant technology
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