Types of lubricants?

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There are basically two types of lubricants: petroleum-based and synthetic. Each of these is suitable for particular purposes and conditions. The different types are also subject to different levels of oxidation and degradation and are only compatible with certain types of components, requirements and machinery environments.
Anyone who owns a car knows that engine oil needs to be changed regularly to extend the life of the engine. The engine oil in an automobile engine is commonly a petroleum-based lubricant. Although it contains the same hydrocarbon base as the gasoline used to fuel the automobile, the formulations are quite different. Hydrocarbon or petroleum-based lubricating motor oil is designed to protect the various moving parts of the engine, while gasoline, also a petroleum product, is formulated to produce the explosive heat needed to fuel the engine.

Lubricants can be liquids, such as motor oil and hydraulic oil; they can be semi-solid or solid, such as grease or Teflon® tape, or they can be dry, or powdery, such as dry graphite or molybdenum disulfide. All lubricant materials for mechanized equipment are designed to form a kind of protective coating between the moving parts of machinery to protect these parts from excessive wear, contamination and oxidation.

Synthetic lubricants have precisely engineered chemical reactions on particular components. These reactions are created by specifically applying varying amounts of heat and pressure to the components. Synthetic motor oil is gaining popularity with car owners who are using it instead of petroleum-based motor oil. This type is also used more widely in industry because, although more expensive to use originally, they are better suited to the demands of modern engine and machine technology. Because synthetic motor and machinery oils don’t have to be changed as frequently, consumers actually save money in the long run.

There are also petroleum-based and synthetic hydraulic lubricants, also known as hydraulic oils, which are formulated to be lighter in weight and smoother. They are used not only for lubrication, but for the actual operation of hydraulic machines. Hydraulic oils must be able to flow freely through the pumps which compress the oil for the operation of the machinery and, at the same time, must have film-forming additives to lubricate the moving parts of the pumping equipment.

Although most modern lubricants are petroleum based, synthetic bases such as vegetable oil, silicones, esters and fluorocarbons are gaining popularity for this purpose. The basis of a particular lubricating fluid is the main determinant of whether it is petroleum-based or synthetic oil.

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