Dow Corning hydraulic oils extend equipment uptime and reduce maintenance costs
Molykote (R) lubricants ideal for food processing or paper making applications
Midland, Mich. - A family of high- moisture-resistant Molykote (R) brand hydraulic oils is now available from Dow Corning. The products are unique blends of synthetic polyalpha olefin (PAO) and chemically engineered mineral oils that provide exceptional life in high-moisture environments.
Molykote hydraulic oils feature a proprietary formulation designed to lower overall maintenance costs vs. conventional mineral-oil lubricants due to longer oil-drain intervals, wider operating-temperature ranges, reduced lubricant consumption, and extended equipment lifetime. These hydraulic oils help eliminate problems associated with high-humidity environments where conventional solvent-refined lubricants tend to bond to water, which causes oil emulsification and breakdown that results in a build up of varnish, sludge and/or deposits. As a result, Molykote hydraulic oils are particularly suited for use in wet processing environments such as the food and beverage and pulp and paper industries.
Conventional hydraulic lubricants can be sensitive to emulsification. The high pressures and pump rates common to hydraulic applications can exacerbate the situation further. But use of Molykote hydraulic oils yields different results. In fact, oxidation testing shows that Molykote hydraulic oils last three to five times longer than competitive fluids. And with water-contaminated applications that are commonly used in processing plants (e.g. meat dumpers), Molykote hydraulic oils can eliminate required oil changes caused by emulsification.
The reason that Molykote hydraulic oils provide better performance in hydraulic applications is that these lubricants are produced quite differently than conventional fluids. Whereas most competitive mineral oils are manufactured by refining - a solvent-based process that can retain contaminants from the crude-oil source - Molykote mineral oils are custom engineered at a molecular level to formulate a unique base oil that meets targeted performance specifications. Molecular reconstruction makes it easier for Dow Corning to tailor lubricant properties to meet customer requirements. This process also avoids the problem of retained contaminants common to conventional refined mineral oils, whose presence can lead to acid development and premature aging of the oil. Molykote hydraulic oils provide the additional advantages of lower lubricant consumption, longer oil-drain intervals, and extended equipment life - benefits that add up to reduced maintenance costs and effort.
For even better performance, Dow Corning blends its super-formulated mineral oils with powerful synthetic polyalpha olefins - well known for their hydrophobic (water shedding) properties - to create a unique formulation that is ideal for hydraulic applications. The resulting super-saturated molecule has no receptive sites (open orbitals) for water to bond to, so the oil is better able to resist emulsification in high-moisture environments than competitive fluids.
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