DON'T LET YOUR LUBRICANTS GO-GO:MANAGING OXIDATION WITH WHAM!

The year was 1984, Ronald Reagan was the President, the average price of a gallon of gas was $1.13 and “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” was at the top of the music charts.

- By Wes Cash | Noria Corporation

This catchy song from the group WHAM! was wildly successful and launched George Michael’s career to new heights. Who would have thought that a song from what many consider the worst decade of music could hold a message about lubrication, or more specifically about how lubricants degrade?

Amongst the most common degradation pathways of lubricants is the oxidation of the base oil. This process involves the intake of oxidation and the production of highly reactive molecules that not only damage the surrounding base oil but can also impact the equipment health in a variety of manners. Long has oxidation been the bane of extended oil life, and many industries closely monitor it. However, the approach to proactively managing oxidation has a lot to do with what we allow in contact with the fluid in the first place. This is where WHAM comes into the story.

The leading catalysts for oxidation can be remembered using this simple mnemonic device:

• W – Water

• H - Heat

• A - Air

• M – Metals

These four agents working together greatly increase the oxidation rate and shorten the lubricant's usable life. Our job is to control each of these and reduce their interactions with the lubricant as much as possible. Some are more easily controlled than others though.

While most lubricants will oxidize eventually, we do have help in delaying the process or at least managing the results of oxidation to a point. The vast majority of lubricants will be formulated with antioxidant additives that function in multiple ways to minimize the impact of oxidation. These additives deplete as they work to slow or delay oxidation. Some of these additives can neutralize or decompose some of the highly reactive free radicals and hydroperoxides associated with oxidation.