Technical Bulletins
Our experts share their knowledge with you through this series of bulletins. Covering topics from storage to synthetics, these bulletins will help you manage your equipment more efficiently.
Marine Lubricants Information Bulletin 1
Lubricant Storage, Stability & Estimated Shelf Life
Most lubricating oils and greases deteriorate with time. However,
good storage practices promote sufficient stock turnover so that
lubricants are used before performance loss occurs.
Marine Lubricants Information Bulletin 2
What About Water?
Chevron’s FAST™ Service is a comprehensive equipment condition
monitoring program which reports the condition of oil in service and
plots the trends of important properties, including presence of water.
Marine Lubricants Information Bulletin 3
Elemental Analysis
Most laboratories in the oil industry are equipped with an emission
spectrometer (ICP-AES or rotating disk spectroscopy), which can be
used for analyzing impurities in marine lubricants.
Marine Lubricants Information Bulletin 4
Base Number
Lubricating oils for modern diesel engines are not only designed to
provide adequate lubrication under varying temperatures and operating
conditions, they also keep the engine clean and provide protection
against chemical corrosion from acidic combustion products. These
important properties are “added” to the lubricating oil by means of
alkaline additives often referred to as detergents and dispersants.
Marine Lubricants Information Bulletin 5
Cleanliness of Hydraulic Oils
The hydraulic systems onboard every vessel range from small systems
for operating the engine room skylight to huge central systems to
operate cargo pumps, deck machinery, and steering gears. Common
in these systems is the hydraulic oil used to transport “fluid power”
to the equipment.
Marine Lubricants Information Bulletin 6
Viscosity Classifications
The first and most important task of lubricating oil is to keep moving
metal parts separated from each other, thus avoiding metal-to-metal
contact, which leads to destructive wear. Even finely machined metal
surfaces have a certain roughness.
Marine Lubricants Information Bulletin 7
Lubricant Compatibility
Often when switching from one supplier to another, the question arises
whether lubricants in use and in storage can safely be mixed with
lubricants from the new supplier. Some oils are incompatible because
of differences in additive chemistry. If these oils are mixed, insoluble
material may form and be deposited in the oil system.
Marine Lubricants Information Bulletin 8
Synthetic Oils
Mineral base oil and synthetic lubricants are widely available, especially
those used in industrial lubrication applications, and they have many
applications onboard ships. It is important to select the right lubricant
for your hydraulic system.
Marine Lubricants Information Bulletin 9
Wire Rope Lubrication
Vessel lubrication charts often list products suitable for general
lubrication onboard a ship. One product frequently listed is a lubricant
used to protect steel wire ropes.
Marine Lubricants Information Bulletin 10
Cetus® DE 100 Application Guidelines
Cetus® DE 100 is a synthetic lubricant used to lubricate piston air
compressors. It is formulated with diester-based fluid and exhibits
a high degree of inherent detergency that keeps compressor parts
clean and in service. The lubricant is miscible with nondetergent
mineral or PAO-based compressor oils, such as Chevron’s Compressor
Oil EP VDL or Cetus PAO synthetic compressor oil.
Marine Lubricants Information Bulletin 12
Marine Industry Greases
Grease lubricants have many applications onboard marine vessels; they
provide sealing and retention on lubricated parts. Unlike oil lubricants,
grease does not require frequent replenishment and, in open systems,
it is used to coat surfaces where it is impractical to use oil.
Marine Lubricants Information Bulletin 13
Bright Stock
Solvent-extracted bright stock, with a viscosity in the range of 28.0
to 35.0 mm2/s (cSt) at 100ºC, is often used in higher-viscosity grade
lubricants such as slow-speed engine cylinder oils. The old “bright
stock is bad” belief can no longer be confirmed.
Marine Lubricants Information Bulletin 14
Polyester-Based Synthetic Refrigeration Oils
Capella® HFC (polyolester) synthetic oil helps ship owners address
environmental issues and regulations and minimize the number of
different lubricating oils used onboard. Specifically developed for
use with HFC (chlorine-free) refrigerants, such as R134a and R404a,
Capella HFC exhibits excellent performance in HFC systems.
Marine Lubricants Information Bulletin 15
Complete Guide to Delo® XLI
Section 1 of this guide provides instruction on using Delo® XLI for
the first time, or changing over the system from another cooling water
treatment to Delo XLI.
Section 2 provides guidelines for monitoring and recording important
parameters of the cooling water during service.
Marine Lubricants Information Bulletin 16
Hydraulic Fluid Changeover Procedure
When switching suppliers, the question often arises on how to best
transition from one hydraulic fluid to another. Some hydraulic fluids
are incompatible, and may cause foaming, filter plugging, poor water
separability or other performance issues if mixed.