Synthetic Lubricants: Reducing Downtime and Energy Costs

Many industrial operators assume that if their equipment is up and running their lubricants must be working fine. With oils and greases only accounting for a fraction of operational costs, this is perfectly understandable. But it’s not necessarily the case.

As a Field Engineer, we’re often called in to help solve an operational challenge – from component wear to unplanned downtime, to sudden increases in oil consumption. Often, this can be addressed by upgrading to a high-performance, synthetic lubrication solution.

How Synthetic Lubricants Improve Industrial Equipment Performance

Whereas conventional oil is just refined crude oil, synthetic base oils undergo more advanced processes that enable them to be tailored to meet specific performance requirements. Synthetic-technology base oils are built from the ground up to create an end product with a more consistent molecule size, higher purity and quality than conventional oils.

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This is important because lubricants have a far longer job description than you might think. First and foremost, they work to separate and lubricate metal surfaces by forming a thin film that reduces friction and wear.

Their second key role is to dissipate the heat generated by friction and combustion, helping combat oxidation. They also remove and suspend wear debris and combustion by-products to prevent damage while reducing sludge, corrosion and surface deposits.

With these roles in mind, synthetic lubricants offer multiple advantages over mineral-based alternatives, the most significant being:

• Increased wear protection: Their superior fluid film protection guards against metal-to-metal contact, while their high shear stability helps retain film strength at high loads and high temperatures.
• Performance over a wide temperature range: Synthetic lubricants’ high viscosity index helps retain viscosity when temperatures change. Their wax-free formulation helps maintain fluid film protection at high temperatures, while their lower pour point helps ensure greater fluidity at low temperatures so equipment can start-up faster, fully protected, without pre-heating the oil.

Synthetic vs Mineral Oil: What’s the Difference?

Synthetic and mineral oils may appear similar in function, but they differ significantly in how they are engineered and how they perform in demanding industrial environments.

Synthetic lubricants are designed at a molecular level to deliver a highly uniform and consistent structure. This molecular consistency helps ensure more predictable performance, improved film strength and greater stability under varying operating conditions. In contrast, mineral oils are refined from crude oil and naturally contain a wider range of molecular sizes and impurities, which can lead to more variable performance over time.

One of the key advantages of synthetic oils is their improved resistance to oxidation. This helps slow the natural degradation process that occurs when oil is exposed to heat, oxygen and contaminants, allowing synthetics to maintain performance for longer periods. As a result, they also offer superior thermal stability, making them better suited to high-temperature industrial applications where conventional oils may break down more quickly.

At the opposite end of the temperature range, synthetic lubricants also provide better cold-start protection. Their lower pour points mean they remain more fluid in low-temperature environments, helping equipment start up more efficiently and reducing wear during initial operation when lubrication is most critical.

These performance characteristics contribute to significantly longer service intervals compared to mineral oils. Because synthetic lubricants degrade more slowly and maintain their protective properties for longer, they can often remain in service for extended periods, reducing the frequency of oil changes and associated maintenance activity.

Another important benefit is the reduced formation of varnish, sludge and other deposits. Synthetic oils are generally more resistant to breakdown and contamination, helping keep systems cleaner and reducing the risk of blocked filters, restricted flow and premature component wear.

Overall, synthetic lubricants are particularly well suited to modern industrial equipment, which typically operates under higher loads, tighter tolerances and more demanding efficiency expectations than legacy machinery. Their ability to deliver consistent performance across a wide range of conditions makes them a strong choice for operators looking to improve reliability, efficiency and total cost of ownership.

How Synthetic Lubricants Reduce Maintenance Costs and Downtime

While lubricants only represent a fraction of operating costs, the initial investment involved in making the switch can often be seen as a barrier. Operators often wonder how a more expensive lubricant can save them money. For field engineers, it’s one of the easiest questions to answer.

The first source of potential savings comes from lower maintenance costs. This is because synthetic lubricants typically offer better wear protection and longer-lasting performance compared to conventional oils, meaning less intervention is required.

Operators can also expect to make savings on oil and waste disposal as synthetics generally ensure better thermal and oxidative stability, typically allowing for three to five times longer oil change intervals. And finally, high-performance oils and greases often have lower friction coefficients, which can result in improved energy efficiency, allowing operators to produce more while using less energy and/or fuel.

Many industrial operators assume that if their equipment is up and running their lubricants must be working fine.

In fact, based on energy savings alone, the potential financial savings generated by investing in a synthetic instead of a mineral lubricant can pay back in just over a year. Though the initial cost is higher, it is outweighed by their longer life, and the potential energy and carbon credits savings over 15 years. As a result, the combined in-use benefits can far exceed the lubricant cost over the machine’s lifetime! That’s why it’s important to focus on the total cost of ownership.

As an illustration, in just twelve months, my team documented €38.5 million customer savings in the EMEA region alone. Examples of customers who saved from an upgrade include a mining-metallurgical plant which was having issues with the drive of their ball mill.

It was lubricated with mineral oil and required days of manual cleaning. By switching to a synthetic solution, the customer was able to significantly reduce maintenance interventions, use 40% less oil and increase production by 8%, delivering a €160,000 revenue improvement.

In another example, a paper mill needed a durable solution to protect the heavily loaded dryer bearings in their paper machine. After transitioning to a synthetic paper machine oil, the customer was able to triple oil life vs. a conventional mineral oil.

The original fill oil lasted over 18 years, generating company-estimated savings of over €90,000 per year. And when a ceramics mill was looking to make energy savings, switching to a synthetic solution improved the energy efficiency of tested gearboxes by 2.4%, yielding annual energy cost savings of €272,000.

How Synthetic Lubricants Support Sustainability and Energy Efficiency Goals

In today’s competitive marketplace, it’s critical to be able to meet environmental goals while preserving, or improving, efficiency. High-performance oils and greases can help here too. While the GHG emissions associated with the lubricant production phase of synthetics are higher than for conventional alternatives due to their higher component complexity.

The situation is reversed when you consider the use of the product over a longer period. This is because a synthetic lubricant can be used for far longer than a mineral product, delivering numerous in-use benefits – in particular extended oil drains and energy efficiency.

“Synthetic-technology base oils are built from the ground up to create an end product with a more consistent molecule size, higher purity and quality than conventional oils.”

As shown in the model example below, a mineral oil can need replacing every year, generating a consistent level of lubricant product-related emissions. The synthetic oil, however, has the potential to offer three times longer drain intervals, in the right applications and with ongoing condition monitoring.

Indeed, by upgrading to a synthetic solution, oil drain intervals can be extended in certain applications by five times or more. Over 15 years, this represents the potential for 38% lower cumulative GHG emissions.

But the biggest benefit typically comes through the potential for reduced energy consumption. This is because synthetic lubricants maintain their viscosity more effectively, which helps reduce friction. The more effective the lubricant, the less energy is lost. This can also support operators in achieving energy management standards, such as ISO 50001, and conform with energy efficiency legislation, such as the EU’s Energy Efficiency Directive (EED).

In the model example below taken from a recent Mobil whitepaper, the impact of in-use energy savings is 23x greater than the oil production phase, making reduced energy use the highest potential GHG saving driver, even in conservative energy efficiency scenarios.

How High-Performance Lubricants Help Maintenance Teams Work Smarter

Switching oils can be a daunting exercise, particularly as qualified engineering staff retire, and maintenance teams become increasingly stretched. But with the right support, the benefits of upgrading to synthetics can help bridge any skills gap, enhancing safety and allowing maintenance teams to generate more value.

As operators today strive to conduct the same maintenance programmes with smaller, less experienced teams and/or remote service solutions, the enhanced reliability and extended oil drain intervals offered by high-performance lubricants can help reduce the involvement of maintenance staff.

For example, by upgrading to a synthetic solution, we helped an energy customer operating industrial gas turbines to reduce human-machine exposure by over 1,300+ hours.

“As a result, the combined in-use benefits can far exceed the lubricant cost over the machine’s lifetime!”

As machine operators are increasingly expected to conduct routine lubrication interventions, lubrication suppliers also often offer training to help customers extract maximum value from their solutions. This should be offered in addition to tailored guidance, to ensure the right products are applied in the right situations, and supplemented with regular oil condition monitoring, allowing maintenance teams to identify potential problems before they hamper production.

Why Should You Care About Synthetic Lubricants?

Studies show that the majority (60%+) of machine failures are down to improper lubrication. This puts a great deal of pressure on maintenance teams to keep machines running, and support the company’s business goals by ensuring effective lubrication.

In this context, there are four very tangible potential benefits to using synthetic oils and greases:

1. Performance benefits: Safeguard your equipment performance by ensuring you are using the most appropriate lubricant for the job.
2. Bottom-line benefits: Reduce downtime and your maintenance spend with products that can help protect against wear, extend equipment life, and improve efficiency.
3. In-use efficiency benefits: Optimise your operational efficiency while supporting your sustainability ambitions with solutions that can help you achieve more with less.
4. Team benefits: Upgrade the safety and value of your team with solutions that reduce human-machine interaction.

FAQs

What are synthetic lubricants used for?

Synthetic lubricants are used to protect industrial equipment such as gearboxes, bearings, compressors, turbines and hydraulic systems. They help reduce friction, minimise wear and improve operational efficiency.

How do synthetic lubricants reduce downtime?

Synthetic lubricants provide stronger film protection, better thermal stability and longer oil life. This helps prevent equipment wear, overheating and unexpected mechanical failures that can cause production stoppages.

Are synthetic lubricants more energy efficient?

Yes. Synthetic lubricants can reduce internal friction within machinery, helping equipment operate more efficiently and lowering energy consumption.

What industries benefit most from synthetic lubricants?

Industries including mining, paper manufacturing, cement, ceramics, food processing, power generation and chemical processing can benefit significantly from synthetic lubrication solutions.

How long do synthetic lubricants last compared to mineral oils?

Depending on the application and operating conditions, synthetic lubricants can often last three to five times longer than conventional mineral oils.

Can synthetic lubricants help with sustainability targets?

Yes. Longer oil drain intervals, reduced energy consumption and lower maintenance requirements can help manufacturers reduce waste and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

What is the difference between synthetic and mineral oil?

Mineral oil is refined from crude oil, while synthetic lubricants are chemically engineered for specific performance characteristics such as thermal stability, oxidation resistance and wear protection.

Can synthetic lubricants improve equipment reliability?

Yes. By reducing friction, controlling heat and protecting against wear, synthetic lubricants can help improve machine reliability and extend equipment lifespan.

Why is lubrication important in predictive maintenance?

Lubrication condition monitoring can help maintenance teams detect contamination, wear particles and equipment issues early before they lead to unplanned downtime.

Are synthetic lubricants worth the higher upfront cost?

Although synthetic lubricants typically cost more initially, many operators achieve significant long-term savings through reduced maintenance, lower energy use, longer equipment life and improved productivity.