|
Green Industrial Fluids
What are Hydraulic Fluids?
These are fluids that are used in machines that perform work through the transfer of power from one location to another. The science of hydraulics dates back thousands of years, to the use of water wheels, sluice gates and dams by farmers to control the flow of water to irrigate their crops. Today?s hydraulic systems are more complicated and involve motors, actuators, gear, vane, and piston pumps to convert hydraulic power into useful work. Hydraulic systems are used in tractors, farm implements, vehicles, industrial factory machines, elevators, aircraft, and other mechanical devices. In addition to transferring power, hydraulic fluids must lubricate, transfer heat, and be compatible with other materials such as gaskets, seals, and metal components in the system. Today most hydraulic fluids are petroleum-based, and perform well.
What is a Biodegradeable Hydraulic Fluid
The American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) defines biodegradation as ?the process of chemical breakdown or transformation of a material caused by organisms or their enzymes.? To be classified iodegradable, lubricants such as hydraulic fluids, gear oils, engine oils, and other industrial oils must pass one or more tests currently used to assess biodegradability.
If Petroleum-Based Hydraulic Fluids Are Working Well, Why Change?
The United States and the world are facing a future crisis due to the depletion of world oil resources. The availability of oil may be peaking, and over the next several decades will be declining, while alternative sources of fuels and lubricants increase. The U.S. currently uses over 20 million barrels of oil per day, of which about 60 percent is imported. A barrel of crude oil contains 42 gallons of oil. At the refinery, this oil is processed to produce 44.2 gallons of products. Over 60% of the barrel is used as fuel and only 1.2% (0.5 gallons/bbl) goes to make lubricants. Hydraulic fluids make up a major portion of the lubricant fraction. Even though the numbers appear small, we can reduce the amount of imported oil by over 15 million barrels per year by using vegetable oils as lubricant base fluids. More importantly, we are replacing this imported oil with a renewable resource.
More Info >>
|
|
View Cart (0)
