cavitation, will be a key functional requirement of future fluids.
Results and discussion
Overall energy efficiency and power ratio When torque and flow data are combined, they define total hydraulic efficiency. “The Motor Output Power Ratio” divided by “Pump Input Power Ratio” at each point gives the relative efficiency compared to the reference fluid.
Figure 2: Motor torque loss comparison between VBASE® and reference fluid at multiple speeds and pressures.
EAL hydraulic fluid
Motor torque loss represents energy loss due to friction and component drag within the hydraulic motor. Lower torque loss indicates reduced internal friction and higher mechanical efficiency. Across all speeds and pressure conditions, the novel SPE® hydraulic fluid consistently exhibited lower torque loss than the reference oil (Figure 2). The difference was most pronounced at high pressure and low speed, conditions where boundary and mixed lubrication regimes dominate, and up to a 25% difference was measured. This improvement is attributed to the low friction coefficients of SPE®
mixed lubrication conditions. System flow loss
Figure 4: Power ratio analysis showing higher motor output and lower pump input power with the SPE®
formulation.
Figure 4 illustrates the Power Ratio analysis showing higher motor output and lower pump input power with the SPE®
EAL hydraulic fluid normalised against base oils under thin-film or
the reference fluid. In the low-speed range, there is up to 25% higher overall efficiency compared to the reference fluid. In the mid- to high-speed range, the efficiency gain is ~ 5–12%. In practical terms, this means more useful work delivered at the actuator per unit of input power at the pump, leading to measurable reductions in fuel or power consumption.
The MSOE results confirm that a hydraulic fluid built on SPE®
base oils delivers measurable performance improve- ments in both mechanical and volumetric efficiency and this has key operational implications such as • Higher productivity: More effective work delivered at the tool or actuator.
• Lower energy use: Reduced pump power demand, translating into energy savings.
Figure 3: System flow loss reduction observed with VBASE® reference fluid.
EAL fluid versus
System flow loss encompasses leakage, compression, fluid resistance and shear losses within the pump and system plumbing. The novel SPE®
hydraulic fluid
demonstrated 10–20% lower flow loss than the reference oil over the entire duty cycle (Figure 3). The advantage remained consistent across all pressures and speeds, suggesting improved sealing efficiency, and reduced fluid leakage under load resulting in improved system responsiveness.
16 LUBE MAGAZINE NO.191 FEBRUARY 2026
For OEMs and fluid formulators, these results demonstrate the potential of SPE®
technology to meet increasingly stringent efficiency and sustainability goals.
Connecting performance with the chemistry behind alkoxylated polyol esters SPE®
base oils are alkoxylated polyol esters. Their
structure incorporates highly controlled branching, multiple ester linkages, and oxyalkylene oligomer segments (alkoxy segments) each contributing to specific performance advantages in hydraulic systems. Below is an explanation of how the chemistry of
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