JP2010536972A - Lubricating oil composition usage - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of using a lubricating oil composition comprising a base oil and one or more viscosity index improvers, having a viscosity index (VI) according to ASTM D2280 of 190 or greater, to improve energy consumption in a hydraulic system. I will provide a.
[Selection figure] None

Description

  The present invention relates to the use of lubricating oil compositions as hydraulic fluids, particularly in hydraulic systems.

Lubricating oil compositions are widely used as hydraulic fluids, for example in the fields of manufacturing, construction and transportation.
When formulating “multi-grade” hydraulic fluids, ie, fluids having a relatively high viscosity index (VI) (> 150) that can be used in equipment where the operating temperature can vary greatly, formulators have base oils and VI improvers. By appropriately selecting the type and amount of the desired VI, a desired VI can be provided.

API Group I mineral oils typically have a viscosity index of 90-100. Other types of base oils, such as polyalphaolefins (PAO) and esters, have VIs of about 135 and about 160, respectively.
“VI improvers”, “VI modifiers” or “thickeners” are used to increase the VI of the intended composition. The thickening or VI addition power of a VI modifier usually increases with its molecular weight. However, as the molecular weight of the VI improver increases, the shear stability decreases. “Shear stability” is the tendency of large molecules to degrade as they move around a pressurized system during use.

Thus, in order to formulate a composition that meets the desired goals, the formulator must carefully choose the base oil (or base oil mixture), thickening power and shear stability.
In recent years, especially in the case of lubricating oil compositions made for low temperature (below 0 ° C.) hydraulic systems, this trend can be attributed to the operating climate conditions from the formulation of high VI fluids with relatively high VI but poor shear stability. And considering the optimum shear stability, it was necessary to switch to a fluid formulation that met the minimum required VI value.

  One reason for the tendency to switch such high VI fluids is that it is currently estimated that fluid energy consumption varies inversely with fluid VI. In other words, as the VI of the fluid increases (as the fluid becomes more viscous), energy consumption increases, and using this fluid in a hydraulic system requires more energy to operate. It is estimated that In this regard, for example, the conventional S.A. submitted to International Exploration for Power Transmission and Technical Conference on April 4-6, 2000 in FIG. N. Herzog, T .; E. Marougy and P.M. W. Michael, “Fluid Viscosity Selection Criteria for Hydraulic Pumps and Motors”, Technical Report Series No. See related discussion in I00-9.12. Thus, what is conventionally understood is that the lower the VI, the greater the desired energy consumption.

The object of the present invention is to improve the energy consumption of a lubricating oil composition, especially below 0 ° C.
Another object of the present invention is to shorten the lifting time of a hydraulically operated lifting device.

  One or more of the above objects or other objects of the present invention is to provide a lubricating oil composition comprising a base oil and one or more viscosity index improvers and having a viscosity index (VI) according to ASTM D2280 of 190 or more, as a hydraulic system. This can be achieved by providing a method that can be used to improve energy consumption.

  In accordance with the present invention, it has been surprisingly found that energy consumption is reduced, especially when using fluids with a VI greater than 190, especially at low temperatures below 0 ° C. As a result, for example, energy consumption can be reduced during lifting using a hydraulically operated lifting device.

  Further, according to the present invention, when a lubricating oil composition having a VI of 190 or more is used, the energy consumption is −60 ° C. to + 75 ° C., preferably −40 ° C. to + 40 ° C., more preferably −40 ° C. to 0 ° C. It has been found that still more preferably -20 ° C to 0 ° C, in particular -20 ° C to -5 ° C, most preferably -20 ° C to -10 ° C.

In this invention, there is no special restriction | limiting about the base oil in this invention lubricating oil composition. The base oil is preferably a petroleum base, a synthetic hydrocarbon base and / or an ester base. If desired, a mixture of two or more base oils may be used.
The base oil in the lubricating oil composition of the present invention may be selected from mineral base oils and / or synthetic base oils.

The base oil is preferably present in an amount of 50% by weight or more, more preferably 60% by weight or more, preferably 90% or less, more preferably 80% or less, based on the total weight of the lubricating oil composition.
Mineral lubricating base oils that can be conveniently used include liquid petroleum and paraffinic, naphthenic, or mixed paraffinic / naphthenic solvent-treated or acid-treated mineral lubricating base oils (these are further hydrocracked and hydrogenated). And may be purified by a finishing step and / or dewaxing).

  Naphthenic base oils have a low viscosity index (VI) (generally 40-80) and a low pour point. Such base oils are produced from feedstocks rich in naphthenes and low wax content, and are used in lubricating oils where color tone and color stability are important, and VI and oxidation stability are the next most important.

Paraffinic base oils have a high VI (generally> 95) and a high pour point. The base oil is manufactured from a feedstock rich in naphthenes and is used in lubricating oils where VI and oxidation stability are important.
Fischer-Tropsch derived base oils are for example EP 777959, EP 668342, WO 97/21788, WO 00/15736, WO 00/14188, WO 00/14187, WO 00/14183, WO 00/14179, WO 00/08115, Fischer-Tropsch derived base oils disclosed in WO 99/41332, EP 1029029, WO 01/18156 and WO 01/57166 can be conveniently used as lubricating base oils in the lubricating oil compositions of the present invention.

Depending on the synthesis method, a molecule can be produced from a simple substance, or it can have a modified structure so as to give the molecule the required precise characteristics.
Synthetic lubricating base oils include hydrocarbon oils such as olefin oligomers (also known as poly α-olefins (PAO)). A synthetic hydrocarbon base oil sold by the Shell Group under the name “XHVI” (trade name) can be conveniently used.

Preferred lubricating base oils for use in the lubricating oil compositions of the present invention are Group I, Group II, Group III, Group IV or Group V base oils, or poly α-olefins, Fischer-Tropsch derived base oils and their It is a mixture.
In the present invention, “Group I to V” base oil means a lubricating base oil according to the definition of American Petroleum Institute (API) standards I to V. Such API standards are defined in API Publication 1509, 15th edition, April 2002.

Group I base oils contain less than 90% saturates (according to ASTM D2007) and / or more than 0.03% sulfur (according to ASTM D2622, D4294, D4927 or D3120) and have a viscosity index of 80 or more and less than 120 (According to ASTM D2270).
The Group II base oil contains 90% or more of a saturate and / or 0.03% or less of sulfur, and has a viscosity index of 80 or more and less than 120 (the above is based on the ASTM).

Group III base oils contain 90% or more of saturates and 0.03% or less of sulfur, and have a viscosity index exceeding 120 (the above is based on the ASTM).
As described in US Pat. No. 6,180,575 and US Pat. No. 5,602,086, polyalphaolefins and methods for their production are well known in the art. Preferred poly alpha-olefins may be used in lubricating oil compositions of the present invention may be derived from C ₂ -C ₃₂ alpha-olefin.

Particularly preferred feedstocks for the poly α-olefin are 1-octene, 1-decene, 1-dodecene and 1-tetradecene.
The lubricating base oil that can be conveniently used in the lubricating oil composition of the present invention preferably has a kinematic viscosity at 100 ° C. (according to ASTM D445) of 1 to 300 mm ² / s, more preferably 1 to 100 mm ² / s. is there.

The lubricating oil composition of the present invention, (according to ASTM D445) kinematic viscosity at 40 ° C. is preferably 15~150mm ² / s, more preferably 20 to 100 mm ² / s, most preferably 25~68mm ² / s It is a range.

Here, the preferred lubricating base oils used in one embodiment are group V base oils, in particular naphthenic gas oils. Usually, naphthenic gas oils having a low pour point of less than −50 ° C. are particularly suitable. An example of a suitable naphthenic gas oil is Shell Petroleum Co. , Ltd., Ltd. Commercially available under the trade name Risella 907.
In this invention, there is no special restriction | limiting about the viscosity index improver in the lubricating oil composition of this invention.

  Examples of viscosity index improvers include non-dispersant viscosity index improvers such as polymethacrylates and olefin copolymers such as ethylene / propylene copolymers and styrene / diene copolymers and these monomers as nitrogen-containing monomers. Examples thereof include a dispersion type viscosity index improver such as a copolymer obtained by copolymerization. The addition amount is conveniently in the range of 0.1 to 35% by weight, preferably 10 to 35% by weight, more preferably 20 to 30% by weight, based on the total lubricating oil composition.

The lubricating oil composition of the present invention can further contain one or more additives such as antiwear additives, corrosion inhibitors, antioxidants, antifoaming agents, demulsifiers, pour point depressants and the like. The amount of the additive present in the lubricating oil composition depends on the specific compound used. As mentioned above, other additives are well known in the art and will not be described in sufficient detail here. The total amount of these additives may be conveniently in the range of 0.1 to 15.0% by weight relative to the total lubricating oil.

Examples of antiwear agents are zinc-based or zinc-free or ashless antiwear additives.
Examples of corrosion inhibitors are N-alkyl sarcosine acids, alkylate phenoxyacetates, imidazolines, alkaline earth metal salts of phosphate esters and alkenyl succinate esters based corrosion inhibitors as disclosed in EP 0801116.

  Examples of antioxidants are amine, sulfur, phenol and phosphorus antioxidants. These antioxidants can be used individually or in combination.

Examples of antifoaming agents are dimethylpolysiloxanes, organic silicates such as diethyl silicate and fluorosilicate, and non-silicone antifoaming agents such as polyalkyl acrylates.
Examples of demulsifiers are polyalkylene glycol based nonionic surfactants such as polyoxyethylene alkyl ether, polyoxyethylene alkyl phenyl ether and polyoxyethylene alkyl naphthyl ether.

An example of a pour point laxative is a polymethacrylate polymer.
The lubricating oil composition of the present invention can be conveniently prepared by blending one or more base oils, one or more VI improvers, and one or more other additives.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a method of using the lubricating oil composition to reduce the lifting time of heavy objects in a hydraulically operated lifting device.

Non-limiting examples of hydraulically operated lifting devices are forklift trucks, garbage trucks, cherry pickers, open cast mining equipment and the like.
The present invention also provides a method for improving energy consumption in a hydraulic system by using a lubricating oil composition as described above.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a method for shortening the lifting time of a heavy load in a hydraulically operated lifting device by using the lubricating oil composition as described above.
The invention will now be described with reference to the following examples, which are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

In order to obtain the viscosity characteristics outlined in Table 2, the formulations were blended in the conventional manner using the base oils and additives specified in Table 1.
The amounts in Table 1 are weight percent based on the total weight of the formulation.

Base oils 1 to 4 used in the formulations of Tables 1 and 2 are as follows.
Base oil 1 is Shell Petroleum Co. , Ltd., Ltd. API Group V, designated “Naphthenic Gas Oil” which is commercially available under the trade name Risella 907.
Base oil 2 is an API group V naphthenic gas oil having a kinematic viscosity at 40 ° C. (ASTM D445) of 7.9 to 8.9 mm ² / s.
Base oil 3 is Shell Petroleum Co. , Ltd., Ltd. From API Group I base oils obtained under the trade names “HVI 60”, “HVI 100” and “HVI 160”. This blend was adjusted to have the viscosity shown in Table 2.
Base oil 4 is an API Group III base oil obtained from Fortnum Nest OY under the trade name “Nextbase 3050”.

  The viscosity index improvers used in the formulations of Tables 1 and 2 were obtained from Rohmmax GmbH under the trade names “Viscoplex 8-238” (VI improver 1) and “Viscoplex 8-200” (VI improver 2). It is a thing.

The formulations of Tables 1 and 2 also contain conventional additive combinations of additives that act as corrosion inhibitors, demulsifiers, antiwear agents, pour point depressants and antifoaming agents.
Example 1 is an example, but the remaining examples in Tables 1 and 2 are originally comparative examples (also referred to as Comparative Examples 1 to 4).

Energy consumption test / average lifting time test The formulations listed in Tables 1 and 2 were tested for energy consumption.
For this purpose, the formulations in Tables 1 and 2 were used in a Jungheinrich forklift truck, EFG-DH type 12,5330, powered hydraulic system with a lifting capacity of 1.25 tons.

The forklift was controlled with air to ensure the same operating accuracy for each formulation.
Each formulation is placed in a standard container containing 1 metric ton of water and antifreeze (so that the contents of the container remain liquid at −20 ° C.) at ambient temperatures −20 ° C., −15 ° C., −10 ° C., − Tests were sequentially performed on this mechanism by raising and lowering 40 times at 5 ° C, 0 ° C, 5 ° C, 10 ° C, 20 ° C, 40 ° C.

  To adapt the forklift hydraulic system to the following temperatures, the temperature sequence is divided into two parts: a) a cool-down sequence starting at −20 ° C. to −5 ° C. and b) a warm-up sequence starting at + 40 ° C. and decreasing to 0 ° C. Divided. Each order was performed in one day, and the test was repeated the next day.

  The temperature of the formulation was measured continuously with the control unit, reservoir and hydraulic cylinder ("lifting frame"). The oil pressure was measured at the control unit, pump outlet and lifting frame.

The operation speed and lift height of the forklift were measured with a high-precision distance sensor. Each cycle of raising the vessel was timed and the direct current and voltage through the pump motor were measured. The total energy consumption (kWh) by the product of time (seconds), current (amperes) and voltage (volts) is as follows.
Energy = current x voltage x time / 3600 (kWh)
The test apparatus was conditioned at the test temperature until the formulation reservoir was at the target temperature. In subsequent tests, the test equipment was conditioned until all three temperature measurement points were within the target ± 2 ° C.

Results Table 3 below shows the cumulative electrical energy consumption (Wh) after lifting the container 10 times for each formulation.
Table 4 shows data represented as a difference (%) from Comparative Example 1 (VI = 95) as a reference basic line.
Furthermore, Table 5 shows the average lifting time (seconds) in 10 cycles.

Discussion As can be seen from Tables 3 and 4, there is no simple correlation between viscosity or viscosity index and energy consumption, as estimated in the art. As an example, Comparative Examples 2, 3, 4 show that energy consumption gain is observed at some temperatures (above 0 ° C.) and are defective at some temperatures (above 0 ° C.), or There is a tendency that there is no recognizable gain (0.1%) within the accuracy of the test method.

However, Example 1 of the present invention shows gain over the temperature range tested (−20 ° C. to + 40 ° C.).
According to the present invention, it has been found that at most temperatures, a viscosity index greater than 190 unexpectedly improves energy consumption. This tendency was very remarkable below 0 ° C.

To the average lifting time data in Table 5, a surprising gain can be seen even if the forklift truck represents the time it takes to lift the load (eg in a warehouse). More energy is needed to work faster, but the data in Table 5 shows that the formulation with the highest VI (Example 1) works fastest, especially at temperatures below 0 ° C. .
One skilled in the art will readily appreciate that such operations in, for example, a warehouse can be very advantageous in reducing lifting time and thus improving productivity.

EP 776959 EP 668342 WO 97/21788 WO 00/15736 WO 00/14188 WO 00/14187 WO 00/14183 WO 00/14179 WO 00/08115 WO 99/41332 EP 1029029 WO 01/18156 WO 01/57166 US Pat. No. 6,180,575 US Pat. No. 5,602,086 EP 0801116

S. N. Herzog, T .; E. Marougy and P.M. W. Michael, “Fluid Viscosity Selection Criteria for Hydraulic Pumps and Motors”, Technical Report Series No. I00-9.12

Claims (13)

  A method of using a lubricating oil composition comprising a base oil and one or more viscosity index improvers and having a viscosity index (VI) according to ASTM D2280 of 190 or greater to improve energy consumption in a hydraulic system.   The use according to claim 1, wherein VI of the lubricating oil composition is 200 or more, preferably 210 or more.   The use according to claim 1 or 2, wherein VI of the lubricating oil composition is 350 or less, preferably 310 or less, more preferably 300 or less.   The use according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is used at a temperature in the range of -60 to + 75 ° C.   The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is used at a temperature in the range of -40 to 0 ° C.   The use according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is used at a temperature in the range of -20 to 0 ° C.   The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which is used for shortening a lifting time of a heavy object in a hydraulically operated lifting device.   A method for improving energy consumption in a hydraulic system by using the lubricating oil composition according to claim 1.   A method for shortening the lifting time of a heavy load in a hydraulically operated lifting device by using the lubricating oil composition according to any one of claims 1 to 6.   A lubricating oil composition comprising 50 to 90% by weight of a Group V base oil and 10 to 35% by weight of one or more viscosity index improvers and having a viscosity index (VI) according to ASTM D2280 of 190 or more.   The lubricating oil composition according to claim 10, wherein the Group V base oil is a naphthenic gas oil.   The lubricating oil composition according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the base oil is present in an amount of 50 to 80 wt%. The lubricating oil composition according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the viscosity index improver is present in a total amount of 20 to 30 wt%.