THE RISING VALUE OF CALCIUM SULFONATE COMPLEX GREASE IN MACHINERY RELIABILITY

Lubricant choice has a large impact on machinery reliability. Maintnance engineers have many options when selecting the proper grease for their machinery.

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This choice can largely be driven by OEM specifications or by past experience with a type of grease in an application.

Grease formulated with lithium-based thickeners account for about 70 percent of the industrial grease market. Lithium-based grease has been prevalent for a long time because it was cost effective, reliable and readily available. Two of those attributes are no longer as true. The rise of lithium batteries used in electric vehicles (EVS) has caused a huge surge in lithium demand, which has greatly impacted the ability of grease manufacturers to reliably and cost effectively supply lithium-based grease.

Understanding Supply Constraints

Before delving into the advantages of alternatives, it's crucial to understand the supply constraints affecting the lithium market. The exponential growth of the EV industry coupled with increasing demand for lithium-ion batteries in other applications has led to a significant imbalance between lithium supply and demand. Grease formulators and blenders are struggling to compete with the battery market for the lithium needed to produce this ubiquitous grease technology, severely limiting the supply of this once common commodity. As a result of lithium prices skyrocketing, operators are finding it challenging to secure stable supplies of lithium-based grease that are essential for machinery lubrication.

Grease Formulation 101

Grease is made up of three basic components: base oil, additives and thickener. The base oil performs the vast majority of lubrication tasks and makes up 70 to 95 percent of grease volume. Grease performance can be modified with additives that improve extreme-pressure performanceor act as corrosion inhibitors, among other enhancements. Additives may add as much as 10 percent to total grease volume. Finally, the grease contains a thickening agent that provides between three to 30 percent of the volume of a grease.