Major efforts are being made to improve the operational reliability and energy efficiency of industrial machinery with the help of nanolubricants.
By adding nanoparticles to lubricating oils friction can be reduced and the loading capacity of locations requiring lubrication boosted. By employing these new mixtures the intention is to get more out of industrial machinery under extreme conditions.
As part of the NanoFluid preliminary study, nano-oils were tested in Jyväskylä around the beginning of 2008. The properties of lubricating oil with nanoparticles added were compared to the properties of the same lubricating oil without the nanotechnology enhancement. There are around five per cent of nanoparticles in the oils and this has no effect on their composition. The results show that nanolubricants make higher loadings possible in bearings and, at the same time, friction is reduced, says Jaakko Fonselius, Senior Lecturer at Jyväskylä Polytechnic.
Blending tiny nanoparticles with ordinary oil is a challenge. Fonselius explains that if the nanoparticles do not mix with the oil properly, they can form sediment and create blockages in the lubrication systems.
Further research is necessary and applications for follow-up research have been submitted on the basis of this preliminary study, Fonselius continues.
Behind the project coordinated by Jyväskylä Polytechnic there is a preliminary study of lubricants commissioned by Jyväskylä Innovation. Both large and small businesses are involved in the investigatory work. In addition, international cooperation is being conducted with companies and training organisations in various countries, including Sweden, Germany, Israel and Canada.
By Tommi Salo