ARS | Publication request: VEGETABLE OIL BASED LUBRICANTS

Submitted to: United States Japan Natural Resources Protein Panel
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: November 12, 1999
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: The beneficial aspects of vegetable oils in lubricant application are mainly being biodegradable and non-toxic properties that are not exhibited by conventional mineral base oils. They have very low volatility and narrow range of viscosity change with temperature. The most serious disadvantage of vegetable oil is their poor oxidative stability primarily due to the presence of bisallylic protons. This phenomena results in insoluble deposit formation, increase in oil acidity and viscosity, system corrosion, etc. The presence of ester functionality render vegetable oils susceptible to hydrolysis and thus contamination with water in the form of emulsion must be prevented. Low temperature study has also shown that vegetable oils solidify at -20C upon long-term exposure to cold temperature. In the present study, a series of vegetable oils were selected and their thermal and oxidative stability were determined under a thin film condition and an O(2) environment. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the nature, texture, and general morphology of high temperature vegetable oil deposits. Attempts were also made to explore how chemical modification of the triglyceride structure would affect the thermal, low temperature, and viscosity properties of vegetable base fluids explained in terms of their structural parameters.