Lubricant Additives to Safeguard Health of Engine & Other Metal Parts

Lubricant additives are chemical compounds suspended or dissolved in lubricants and other functional fluids to improve performance. Heavy duty vehicles and passenger car segments need lubricant additives to reduce lubricant consumption and improve performance of vehicles. The lubricant additive types are dispersants, detergents, viscosity index improvers, antioxidants, anti-wear agents, friction modifiers & emulsifiers, corrosion inhibitors, and others. Additives contribute to 0.1 to 30 percent in lubricants and oils depending upon the requirements of the machine. Viscosity is a vital part of a lubricant. The health of oil and lubricant depends on viscosity. 

Role of additives is to improve existing characteristics, eliminate unwanted characteristics, and introduce new characteristics in lubricants or base oil. Polar additives help lubricants by creating a directional attraction to polar materials present in base oil. Sponge, dirt, water, and wood pulp are polar substances. These substances cling to additives and reside at bottom or filtered out of the system. Polar mechanisms, such as water emulsifying, particle enveloping, and metal wetting can be used for improving performance of additives. 

Particle enveloping involves additives clinging to particles in lubricants and envelope it. Detergents, metal deactivators, and dispersants are some of the particle enveloping agents used specially in engines. It is used to disperse polar particles in order to prevent agglomeration, settling, and deposits. This mechanism is used at low to moderate temperature. It simplifies repairing and elimination of issues detected through oil analysis tests. 

View more details of the report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/lubricant-additives-market

Water emulsifying mechanism is used when polar additives stick to micro-droplet of moisture. While conducting an oil analysis test, water level in reservoir need to be checked. As per the level, water needs to be eliminated if it has entered the system. A root-cause maintenance approach is used to detect whether additive package is affected. This process is also known as additive depletion which determines whether additives are remaining in the lubricant. 

Metal wetting is process in which additives attach to metal surfaces to improve performance. Additives cling to the interior of the gear teeth, gear casing, shafts, bearings, and others. Additives that carry out metal wetting are rust inhibitors, oiliness agents, anti-wear (AW) & EP additives, and corrosion inhibitors. Anti-wear additives protect interiors of metal surfaces in boundary conditions. One of the most common anti-wear additive is zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP). It is used to reduce the probability of metal-to-metal contact that might lead to increased heat, and consequently leads to oxidation to affect the film strength.

According to a survey conducted by machinerylubrication.com, 63 percent of lubrication health professionals track additive health as the part of their lubricant analysis program. The Market for Lubricant Additives is growing with rising concerns over the health of engines, steam turbines, gears, hydraulic systems, and other parts. 

A report published on lubricant additives market states that the market is expected to reach $17,153 million by 2022, registering a CAGR of 2.6% from 2016 to 2022. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of drivers & opportunities, detailed segmentation, growth scenario, and SWOT analysis of key manufacturers.                                                             

Related Post