samedi 15 décembre 2018

Useful Information Regarding Aircraft Turbine Oil

By Sharon Davis


It was in the 1940s that the initial turbine plane was developed. This was the time when the new engine was lubricated using mineral oils. Later on, the use of mineral oils turned out to be challenging. The problem was that mineral oils only needed a short period of time to reach their limits of capability. This necessitated more research in order to develop improved engine oils. This is what Aircraft turbine oil are all about.

After the research was undertaken, synthetic oil technology was invented. In those times, research was mostly conducted by the military, leading to the production of I or 3 centistroke jet oils. Created from esters, type I oils were completely synthetic. The oils operated perfectly in the beginning since jet engines of that time were less powerful and produced less heat than the modern ones

However, in the late 50s and early 60s, engine technology had undergone a lot of development and newer engines were in existence. These newer engines produced much more power and heat. As a result, type I engine oils reached their limits very fast when used. These oils also caused coking, which is the formation of heavy oil deposits in the engine. That necessitated for more regular maintenance and the oils had to be placed on fixed drain intervals.

Type I oils challenges made it important for more research to be carried out. This led to type II oils being unveiled as a result. Type II afterward came to be referred to as second generation jet oils while the phrase first generation was used in reference to type I oils. Type II oils like type I, were produced from synthetics that were ester-based.

Type II jet oils have proven to be quite useful because they are currently adopted by all turbine powered aircraft in the world. They are being used and sold at the moment as the most technically and commercially successful and long-lived oils to ever be developed by the aviation industry. However, in order for them to have the level of efficiency that they have, they must be used together with additives.

In addition, type II oils have to be made using comparatively more enhanced esters than type I oils. As a result, they can reach an improvement of 38 degrees Celsius in high temperature limit compared to first generation oils. This is helpful because it eliminates the need for draining jet oil from jet engines like was the case with first generation oils.

The invention of the two types of jet oil salvaged the aviation industry. Lack of proper lubrication would most definitely cause jet engines to fail as soon as the plane takes off. However, with proper lubrication, losses caused by friction in the engine are minimized. Considering numerous factors such as time of year, engine usage, location, climate, engine design and ambient temperature, friction losses can be minimized a lot.

There are a number of functions performed in the engine by jet oils. Cooling, sealing, noise reduction, maintenance, maintenance of persistent operation of the blade and protection against corrosion are some of the functions. Lubrication ranks highest on the list. Oils reduce friction by forming a protective layer on parts.




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