Track Lube Trends

Petroleum Trends International began releasing reports detailing finished lubricant prices and insights on cost drivers. The finished lubricant pricing reports aim to be an independent source of information for lube manufacturers and oil marketers to monitor price changes at the retail and manufacturer levels, develop pricing strategies, keep up with market dynamics and communicate the reasons for price increases to customers. In addition to the influence of crude and base oil, the reports analyze the impact of changes in the cost of lubricant additives, transportation, packaging, labor and others, reads a blog post from PTIs newsletter, JobbersWorld. The annual report for 2017 is now available for purchase on the PTI website, and the organization will release semiannual reports as well as periodic updates through the year. Web: www.petroleum trends.com

Chilled Purple

Keeping air conditioning and refrigeration compressors running is the goal of Royal Purples Purple Chill line. The polyol ester based lubes, manufactured in partnership with Calumet, have good lubricity and corrosion protection at higher temperatures while retaining miscibility at low evaporator temperatures to facilitate oil return, the company says. They are recommended for use with HFC, CFC, HCFC, HFO and CO2 refrigerants. The line also includes mineral oil products with low wax content and pour point, for use in traditional CFC and HCFC refrigerant systems. Both products are available in ISO 32 and ISO 68 viscosity grades and can be used in most reciprocating, scroll, screw and centrifugal compressors. Web:www.royalpurple
industrial.com

ExxonMobil Expands Base Oil Slate

Engine oil and industrial lubricant formulators have additional choices for base oil with a new heavy neutral grade from ExxonMobil. The EHC 120 base stock is part of the companys range of API Group II oils, which can be used to blend lubricants that provide better fuel economy, lower emissions and improved performance at low and high temperatures, the oil major boasts. The product will be available for distribution in Europe, the Middle East and Africa at ExxonMobils facility in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, at the start of 2019. Its refinery in Baytown, Texas, will make the same material for distribution in North and South America, the company adds. Web: www.exxonmobil.com

Keep Chains Turning

Metalube UK launched high-performance chain oils for food processing applications. The ester based Metachain FG-30, FG-35, FG-40 and FG-45 products are thermally stable and reduce carbon and varnish deposits. They function in operating temperatures between -30 to 300 degrees Celsius and have viscosities of 100, 220, 280 and 390 centiStokes, the company says. The oils can be used in travelling bakery ovens, rolling hotplates, automated lubrication systems, large pitch chains, hydrostats and large conveyors. All four products are registered with NSF International; FG-40 and FG-45 are H2 lubricants that can be used in equipment without any food contact, while FG-30 and FG-35 are registered as H1 lubes for incidental food contact. Web:www.metalube.co.uk

Oil Fights LSPI

Valvoline released a synthetic motor oil to protect smaller, modern engines against the effects of low-speed pre-ignition. The engine oil specifically defends gasoline direct injection, turbocharged direct injection and other newer engine technologies in cars manufactured since 2012 against oil and fuel based carbon deposits, timing chain wear, sludge formation, abnormal combustion and oil oxidation due to extreme temperatures, as well as viscosity breakdown in intake valves, pistons and turbochargers, the marketer notes. This maintains fuel economy and vehicle performance and prevents engine breakdown, Valvoline assures. The product meets API SN, API SN Plus, API SN-Resource Conserving and ILSAC GF-5 standards and is available in the United States. Web:www.valvoline.com

Mix Heavy Materials

Churning very viscous materials is now easier withCharles Ross & Son Co.s new 500-gallon VersaMix multi-shaft mixer. The device can process medium- to high-viscosity pastes, slurries, gels and suspensions up to several hundred thousand centipoise. The 500-gallon model is equipped with independently driven anchor and screw auger agitators that jointly work to mix products while bringing air pockets to the surface, the company says. It also features two saw-tooth, high-speed disperser blades that achieve high shear to break up and dissolve powders, air casters to allow mobility of the mixing vessel, production recipe controls with data acquisition capabilities, as well as a purged, explosion-proof operator station, Ross adds. Web:www.
mixers.com

New Oils from Tata Motors

Tata Motors launched a range of genuine lubricants for its commercial vehicles in the Indian market. The products include API CI-4 Plus and API CH-4 SAE 15W-40 heavy-duty diesel engine oils, a gear oil formulated for synchromesh transmissions in vehicles operating in rugged terrains, and a rear axle oil for trucks driving in high temperatures. The multipurpose oils are made for newer engines in both on- and off-road vehicles and are sold exclusively at the 1,400 Tata Motors authorized workshops in India. Web:www.tatamotors.com

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