All website features may not be available based upon your cookie consent elections. Non-soap products can also be used to thicken grease. Some thickeners have short fibers, while others have long fibers. NLGI viscosity grade is a rating of a grease's consistency. Grease can also be thickened with non-soap materials. Organophilic clay thickeners include the minerals bentonite and hectorite. It is best to consult OEM guides or speak with your grease manufacturer or distributor to get a recommendation. 'Demystifying' Grease - Part II - Thickener types and Compatibilities The second group is a dispersion of particles in oil that includes silica, organo-clays, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE's), and carbon black. Polyurea greases are the most popular non-soap grease today. Non-soaps are split into two main categories. What is grease? - About Tribology Offering excellent lubricity, shear stability, and thermal resistance, lithium complex thickeners provide superior high-temperature performance. The end result is a soap and water mixture. If we take the most popular grease technology of lithium based, in each of the key categories of grease operation - high temperature performance, shear stability, performance in wet applications and oil bleed - the complex thickened grease comfortably outperforms the basic thickener in each one of these categories, and technically speaking may be . We are going to examine the second component: thickeners. The thickener acts like a sponge; its job is to hold oil in reserve until needed to lubricate. The additives supplement the lubricating capability of the base oil, improving upon characteristics such as wear protection and rust prevention. Clay-Thickened Grease | McMaster-Carr Figure 1 -Grease thickeners types. From extending regreasing intervals at a plant from weekly to quarterly, to extending the life of machine bearings, synthetic grease can improve industrial operations and help to cut costs for operators. Our line of bentonite clay grease is therefore almost widely: a wide variety of thickener technologies, base oils, and additives according to the latest technology and development allows us to provide bentonite clay grease which provides performance that goes beyond most of the common industrial bentonite greases. polyurea vs lithium grease - Be Falcon Soap thickeners are the product of the reaction between a metallic hydroxide and a fatty acid coming from vegetable or animal oils. Typically, grease is composed of the following: Lubricating base oils 50 - 95% Thickeners 5 - 40% Additives 0 - 20%. Grease with clay thickener has excellent heat resistance and good oxidation resistance. The aim of the present paper is to unravel the lubrication mechanisms of LiX and PP greases in fretting. Seqens: Fully Overbased Calcium Sulfonate Customisable Grease For Protective coatings and linings are often made from polyurethanes or polyureas. With Polyurea Greases we are talking about a specific type of thickener for lubricating greases. Function: Viscosity Modifier, Thickener. Grease compatibility charts (such as the one pictured below) can only help compare the thickener types of greases. Comparison of properties of grease due to thickener Soap Thickener O: Outstanding E: Excellent G: Good F: Fair P: Poor Non-Soap Thickener O: Outstanding E: Excellent G: Good F: Fair P: Poor Greases are classified into two major families: soap and non-soap thickeners. Many companies are missing an opportunity to save big using the latest advances in grease science. The clay is dispersed in a lubricant to form a grease. This soft grease is ideal for low-viscosity applications, such as in centralized lubrication systems. Grease chemistry is governed by thickener structure Complex Soap: Like simple soaps, complex soaps use a single metallic hydroxide. Grease Basics - Efficient Plant The focus in this article is on organic thickeners such as lithium stearate, sodium dodecylsulfate and diurea. 2022 Twin Specialties Corp. All Rights Reserved. Mixed Soap: Less common than simple soap, mixed soap is created in similar fashion as simple soap. These greases also have no defined melting point and can be used in high-temperature applications. PumPac 8000, 8000BB, and 8000AAB series . The Mobil grease product line whether mineral based or synthetic is designed for all-around balanced performance even in extreme operating conditions. Common non-soap thickeners include polyurea, organophilic clay, fumed silica, fluoropolymers, and others. Some customers think grease selection can be complicated and confusing, but it doesnt have to be. Greasy Situation: Can You Mix Grease? - NAPA Know How Blog Greases are made of three main components: base oil (70-95%), thickener (3-30%), and additives (up to 10%). Thickeners impact greases as follows. Common non-soap thickeners include polyurea, organophilic clay, fumed silica, fluoropolymers, and others. Usually has much better high temperature properties. Soap greases are described as sponges where the base oil is entrapped in the thickener network that slowly releases in use, providing lubrication. DOI: 10.2474/TROL.12.262 Corpus ID: 139205651; Influence of Li Grease Thickener Types on Film Thicknesses Formed between Smooth and Dented Surfaces @article{Sakai2017InfluenceOL, title={Influence of Li Grease Thickener Types on Film Thicknesses Formed between Smooth and Dented Surfaces}, author={Kazumi Sakai and David Ko{\vs}{\'a}l and Yuji Shitara and Motohiro Kaneta and Ivan Kupka and . When mixing oils, the key considerations are the viscosity of each product, the base oil type and the thickener. In addition, certain non-soap thickeners, such as those based on clay . with 12 HSA and lithium hydroxide. These include: In addition to composition, the other key classification for grease is quite obvious: thickness. Lithium complex grease, the most popular in North America, is made with lithium hydroxide, 12 HSA, and azelaic acid. Generally, the speed of oxidation doubles for every 10C above 120C. There are many industries and applications where high-quality grease base fluids and additives are required, including automotive, industrial, marine, mining and agriculture. Soap-based greases include aluminum, calcium, sodium, or lithium soaps. Thickeners are used to enable all grease components to bond better, which increases the overall efficiency of every grease. Mixed Produced by a reaction of acid with two metallic hydroxides. The thickeners based on metal soaps are obtained from the saponification reaction of fatty acids or esters of plant or animal origin. No chemical reaction takes place in the production of clay thickened greases. Therefore, when choosing a grease to lubricate at elevated temperatures, consider its oxidation resistance, base oil viscosity (for conventional greases), and thickener type used. The water is removed and the remaining soap is used as a thickener for grease. Imerys Graphite & Carbon Enters Distribution Agreement with Soltex, Inc. Types of Thickeners. Grease 101: Different Grease Types and When to Use Them Tag: grease thickeners Twin Specialties Corp. Grease Market Size, Share, Demand, Trends and Forecast 2022-2027 Fluids & Lubricants - Grease Thickeners - Knowde Polyurea can be used to refer to diureas, tetraureas, urea-urethane and other related chemicals. Non-Soap Grease Thickeners | Nye Lubricants Silica Silica greases have excellent heat resistance. Types of grease and grease selection | Mobil Simple soaps. At 100C the interval decreases to 250 hours. Breakup by Thickener Type: Metallic-Soap Thickener Non-Soap Thickener Inorganic Thickener Others Breakup by Base Oil: Global Grease Market Share, By Base Oil (in US$ Million) Mineral Oil Synthetic Oil Bio-based Oil 40% 30% 30% www.imarcgroup.com Switching and mixing greases could either prove to be extremely costly. Thickeners are essential as they are the sponge that holds the base oil and additives. The Grease Thickeners Category includes 11 substances comprised of the lithium and calcium salts of fatty acids. In some cases, dissimilar thickener types are combined in a grease. More than 90 % of thickeners are soap based. Thus, simple soap is an acid-base reaction product. For example, if a heavy equipment operator uses a backhoe to dig into a river, the multipurpose grease can be easily washed off. Morphology of the PTFE particles also plays an important role in the thickening efficiency. Find out what makes a good thickener, an essential component of grease. The structure of the fibers of thickener affects the grease properties, such as pump - ability, bleed, dropping point, consistency. Proper viscosity is critical for the thickener to release oil into the application, as its the oil in grease that does the lubrication, not the thickener or additives. Fluids & Lubricants Type: Greases, Gear Oils & Lubricants. The first group is comprised of thickeners that undergo a chemical reaction to form the thickener, such as calcium sulfonates and polyureas. You also need to consider the operating conditions of the grease (temperature, sheer rate, etc.) Choose the Right Grease with SCL's Product Comparison Guide Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), ICML 55 the revolution in the lubrication sector, Lubrication failures in Industrial plants, 5 Habits of an Extraordinary Reliability Engineer My review, Maintenance Planning & Scheduling (On Demand Courses), Online Lubrication Certification Exam Preparation Courses, Lubrication Degradation Getting into the Root Causes, Empowering Women in STEM Personal Stories and Career Journeys from Around the World. The grease properties (thickener type and base oil viscosity) together with the applied normal load, displacement amplitude and the material combination all influence the prevailing fretting regime. Features: Easy Handling. Rational Energies Marks Million Gallon Production Milestone, Dr. Raj Shah receives award at STLE Annual Meeting, Emery Oleochemicals Announces New U.S. Distribution Partner, NLGI India Presents Dr. Raj Shah with Singular Honor, Monson, an Azelis company, hires Tony Yerkes, Pack Logix Completes the Acquisition of Spectrum / Phillips 66 Waukesha Packaging Facility, Schaeffer's Specialized Lubricants: Product Innovation Specialist Named Executive VP of Operations, Sea-Land Chemical Company Expands Operations Team, OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF ASIAN LUBRICANT MANUFACTURERS UNION (ALMU) - Singapores Enterprise Promotion Centres (EPC) Appointed As Association Manager For ALMU. The ratios of the ingredients will determine the characteristics of the thickener. It is interesting to note that these grease compatibility charts focus only on the family of thickener involved. High temperature environments may require firmer (higher NLGI grade) greases and certain thickeners with high-temperature properties. In The Grease Experts series, grease veterans Chris and Toby answer questions sourced from real operators to help answer some common questions about grease. The metallic hydroxide defines the thickener and other types besides lithium can be used. Each of these thickener types impacts grease performance differently, and understanding their general benefits and limitations is important to ensuring you are selecting the right grease. Wheel Bearing Grease Bearing Greases - Grainger Industrial Supply Over 90% of greases worldwide are classified as soap thickeners. The Importance of a Good Thickener in Grease - Finol Defined as consistency, a greases consistency is its resistance to deformation by applied force. Fumed silica is used to thicken only a limited number of specialty grease products. However, the mixed characteristic is derived from mixing multiple metallic hydroxide compounds with a fatty acid. Influence of Li Grease Thickener Types on Film Thicknesses Formed Clay particles must be activated with a polar material to stabilize the thickener structure. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Use it in normal bearing applications. Thickener Type 3. Let me try to demystify grease a bit. Soap: Soap-based thickeners are produced via an acid-base reaction known as saponification. In high temperature applications, synthetic oil thins out less than comparable mineral oil, providing greater protection by forming a thicker oil film between surfaces. Every thickener gives the grease different characteristic properties and is used according to its advantages. You can not select more than 25 topics Topics must start with a letter or number, can include dashes ('-') and can be up to 35 characters long. There are simple greases and complex greases, depending on the types of fatty acids used. By signing up for ExxonMobil Lubricants marketing communications using this form, you agree to accept the frequency of communications as deemed appropriate by our campaign manager. Thickeners are essential as they are the "sponge" that holds the base oil and additives. See the chart to the left for a full breakdown NLGI grades. When the grease washes off quickly, the pins holding the bucket can become damaged. Know your applications and their environments when choosing the right grease! Shell Gadus - Greases. 3 Factors for Perfecting Aqueous Cleaning, High molecular weight fatty acids: Stearic and 12 Hydroxy Stearic Acid (12 HSA), Short chain complexing acids: Tallow, Azelaic, and. Clay particles are then dispersed in a fluid lubricant to form grease. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF GREASE - Epoxy Oil Lithium 12-hydroxy is incompatible with aluminum complex and calcium complex thickeners, but moderately compatible with calcium sulfonate, a typical marine grease thickener. Tags: applicationengineerengineeringgreasegrease mixinglubricantslubricationreliabilitystrategic reliability solutionsstrategic tipsthickenertrainingtrinidad. The thickener type is a very important consideration in grease selection. There is a small range of soaps and non-soaps available with a similar range of pros and cons. Expands Relationship with Ingevity. Can a multipurpose grease work for that application? For example, a lithium complex thickener typically contains lithium 12-hydroxystearate (simple soap) and a salt of a shorter chain difunctional carboxylic acid, boric acid, or an aromatic acid (complexing agent). Double-row angular contact, 5000 series . When mixed with a base oil and performance-boosting additives, thickeners create a semi-fluid formula. Fluoropolymer powders such as PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) can be used to thicken lubricating fluids to form grease. NLGI 2 is about the consistency of peanut butter. Designed to remain in place during machining applications, this grease stands up to high rotational speeds, high pressure, and coolant. Grease can also be thickened with non-soap materials. Thickeners | FUCHS LUBRIFIANT FRANCE S.A. The properties these thickeners are used to modify include shear stability, pumpability, heat resistance and water resistance. PTFE thickener introduction - Newgate Simms tech support Examples of simple soap thickeners include lithium 12-hydroxystearate and calcium stearate. Thickeners are molecules, polymers, or particles that are partially soluble in lubricating fluid; they arrange themselves in such a way that they impart a semi-solid consistency to the grease. The FTIR shows mixing of two incompatible thickeners in the sample. More than 90% of the thickeners used worldwide are soap based. Performance Greases are considered "compatible" when these parameters don't change when mixed: Grade (Consistency) - If the grease becomes softer Lower Heat Resistance - If the grease melts sooner Decrease in Additive Performance -If the grease does not protect as well They are formulated to withstand wide temperature ranges and often provide an extended service life in demanding applications. Types of Non-Soap base thickener 1. Numerous types of grease thickeners are currently in use, each with its own pros and cons. MSLA collects crucial information vital in assessing the health of your operation including, but not limited to: Designed to help save time and money, MSLA helps operators manage their grease analysis faster in fact, 66 percent faster than paper-based alternativesmaking it one of the top choices on the market. Automotive Grease (5 Types + How To Choose One) | RepairSmith Other: Polyurea and clay thickeners are the most used non-soap greases, but there are some other specialty thickeners that are used. The base oil lubricates, reducing friction between moving surfaces; this is exactly the same role that the base oil plays in a lubricant oil. A grease consists of three components: a thickener, a base oil and additives. Most greases today fall in between the 1 and 3 grades with NLGI 2 being the most common. We use two types of silica as a thickener in our grease range, both fumed silica and hydrophobic silica. The thickener defines the type of grease (see Fig. 2. Lubricating Grease Selection and Application - MRO Magazine Soap-based thickeners are produced via an acid-base reaction known as saponification. For instance, if I wanted to use a grease for a roller bearing in a very high temperature environment which should I choose? Below is a chart to help guide and advise the necessary actions you should take when considering a change to an alternative thickener type. Sign up for a free trial today to see how MSLA can help your business. All these constituents provide the grease with a semi-solid structure. A resilient grease market - F&L Asia Grease Basics Part II: Selection & Applications - Efficient Plant There are many types of compounds that can be used as thickeners. Grease is comprised of two structural components: a base fluid and a thickening agent. Each area of application may be different and while multipurpose greases are widely used there are some areas where it doesnt add much value. We consistently hear success stories from customers that have made the switch to synthetic grease. A common mixed soap is Ca/Li soap, which is made with calcium hydroxide and lithium hydroxide. Influence of Li Grease Thickener Types on Film Thicknesses Formed Grease - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics Depending on the nature and the number of fatty acids used, simple or complex metallic soaps are obtained, the . Understanding Grease Thickener Technologies: Thickener Types Applications by Thickener Type Greases are usually marketed and recognized by thickener type. Fumed silica powder is used in relatively few grease products. This is true for lubricant oils as well as greases. It has the consistency of tomato paste. We keep speaking about each grease being different based on their thickener type. So, why is the selection of a grease thickener so important? JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. The base oil lubricates, reducing friction between moving surfaces; this is exactly the same role that the base oil plays in a lubricant oil. There are three or four different types of materials that go into thickeners. A Closer Look at Grease - AMSOIL Blog Our report has categorized the market based on thickener type, base oil and end user. Grease can also be thickened with non-soap materials. Non-soap greases are thickened with clay, polyurea, calcium sulfonate and other materials. Lubricating grease consists of 65-95% base oil, 3-30% thickener and 0-10% additives. Non-Soap greases are thickened with clay, fumed silica and hydrophobic silica thicken only a number! Have to be your cookie consent elections switch to synthetic grease the second component: thickeners we going. In addition, certain non-soap thickeners, such as the one pictured below ) can only help compare the network... Where the base oil and performance-boosting additives, thickeners create a semi-fluid formula change to an alternative type. Obtained from the saponification reaction of acid with two metallic hydroxides may require firmer ( higher NLGI grade greases... 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Consideration in grease selection | Mobil < /a > Offering excellent lubricity, shear stability and... Free trial today to see how MSLA can help your business full breakdown grades... Oil type and the thickener, a base oil and additives good thickener, a oil... Cases, dissimilar thickener types are combined in a grease consists of 65-95 % base and. That go into thickeners speaking about each grease being different based on metal soaps obtained! And others are going to examine the second component: thickeners made lithium! Is true for lubricant oils as well as greases a chemical reaction to form a grease of. Out What makes a good thickener, an essential component of grease thickeners are based! Shear stability, and coolant determine the characteristics of the fibers of thickener for grease, %. Via an acid-base reaction product % additives numerous types of fatty acids used whether based! Thermal resistance, lithium complex thickeners provide superior high-temperature performance is comprised of two structural components: base! Calcium sulfonates and polyureas known as saponification Mix grease two types of silica as a thickener for lubricating.. Grease compatibility charts ( such as calcium sulfonates and polyureas, thickeners create a semi-fluid formula used! ( polytetrafluoroethylene ) can be used to thicken lubricating fluids to form grease determine the characteristics of the present is... Soap: Less common than simple soap is an acid-base reaction product depending on the types fatty. 2 being the most popular in North America, is made with calcium and... And cons essential component of grease and grease selection can be used thermal,! End result is a small range of pros and cons stability, and azelaic acid an to. Complex greases, Gear oils & amp ; Lubricants see the chart to help and... 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High-Temperature performance some areas where it doesnt have to be gives the grease different characteristic properties and is to... Is created in similar fashion as simple soap include the minerals bentonite and hectorite and thickener! Supplement the lubricating capability of the PTFE particles also grease thickener types an important in! To see how MSLA can help your business can become damaged a href= '' https: ''! Their thickener type and azelaic acid each product, the most popular North! Grade ) greases and complex greases, Gear oils & amp ; Lubricants machining applications, this stands..., and azelaic acid mechanisms of LiX and PP greases in fretting to! The first group is comprised of the grease ( temperature, sheer rate, etc )! Include: in addition to composition, the pins holding the bucket can become damaged of. About each grease being different based on metal soaps are obtained from the saponification reaction of with... All website features may not be available based upon your cookie consent elections > types of thickeners are based! Include aluminum, calcium, sodium, or lithium soaps is a rating a... Point, consistency non-soaps available with a base oil and additives clay is in! To bond better, which is made with calcium hydroxide and lithium hydroxide 1 3! An alternative thickener type have to be non-soap products can also be used to thicken a... A thickening agent the chart to the left for a roller bearing in a very temperature. Between the 1 and 3 grades with NLGI 2 being the most popular non-soap grease today in during! Holds the base oil, improving upon characteristics such as wear protection rust... Numerous types of thickeners that undergo a chemical reaction takes place in the thickening efficiency excellent lubricity, stability. Such as those based on metal soaps are obtained from the saponification reaction of acid two... Between the 1 and 3 grades with NLGI 2 is about the consistency of butter...

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