Environmentally Considerate Lubricants in Fixed and Mobile Hydraulic Systems

摘要

Today, technology and a long-term sustainable environment can be made reconcilable. In many countries, however, there is still the notion that sustainable, healthy and long-term environmental and industrial activities cannot fit together; one can only be in favor of one or the other. State-of-the-art lubricants help to make this reconciliation possible. Taking lubricants for hydraulic systems as an example, we show in this paper that such negative perceptions are no longer justifiable. Technology and environment are not necessary contradictory targets. Contemporary lubricants are well balanced regarding the key aspects of economy, technology and environmental impact. Assessing the environmental impact of lubricants is quite a complex task. In this paper key parameters are explained. In addition, the scheme for the European Eco-label, the so-called Euro-Marguerite, is outlined. This label facilitates the selection process for lubricant users who want to be sure of selecting the best lubricants without getting involved in all the related scientific questions. In Europe during the 1990’s natural oils or unsaturated oils were very often used. In most cases this ended in disaster because oils like canola polymerize under mild conditions and block the whole hydraulic system. In this paper an overview is given of the long-term field experience with top tier Environmentally Considerate Lubricants in demanding applications, such as excavators or hydropower plants. With this lubricant class, technical compromises in favor of the environment are not required. Cost performance is also addressed. Lubricant costs depend, in particular, on the product price, the drain period and the maintenance costs. Field data will be reported which shows that the long term costs for Environmentally Considerate Lubricants e.g. in an excavator are more favorable than those of mineral oil based alternatives. The main reason for this advantage lies in the much longer drain period of top tier Environmentally Considerate Lubricants. This not only reduces the volume of oil consumed over time, but also minimizes labor costs for oil changes whilst reducing disposal costs for used oils.