Know thy enemy varnish
Sun Tzu in the Art of War famously said, “Know thy enemy”. If varnish is the enemy, the better we understand it, the higher chances of winning the battle against lube oil deposits. We know that varnish consists of oil degradation products, but what is the chemistry of varnish? Understanding varnish chemistry enables us to make better formulations and gives insights on how to best manage in-service lubricants. In this presentation, I will present data from deposit characterization studies from controlled accelerated aging experiments. Data interpretation will be done on multiple different formulations stressed at two different temperatures to give much great insight as to what varnish is. Ultimately, this data provides guidance on varnish avoidance strategies.
Speakers: Douglas Purnell, Jr.PhD, Senior Chemist, Fluitec
