Friction and wear are the main factors in the failure of the piston in automobile engines. The objective of this work was to improve the tribological behaviour and lubricant properties using hybrid Cellulose Nanocrystal (CNC) and Copper (II) oxide nanoparticles blended with SAE 40 as a base fluid. The two-step method was used in the hybrid nanofluid preparation. Three different concentrations were prepared in a range of 0.1% to 0.5%. Kinematic viscosity and viscosity index were also identified. The friction and wear behavior were evaluated using a tribometer based on ASTM G181. The CNC-CuO nano lubricant shows a significant improvement in term of viscosity index by 44.3-47.12% while for friction, the coefficient of friction (COF) decreases by 1.5%, respectively, during high and low-speed loads (boundary regime), and 30.95% during a high-speed, and low load (mixed regime). The wear morphologies results also show that a smoother surface was obtained after using CNC-CuO nano lubricant compared to SAE 40.
Trimethylolpropane triesters are biodegradable synthetic lubricant base oil alternative to mineral oils, polyalphaolefins and diesters. These oils can be produced from trimethylolpropane (TMP) and fatty acid methyl esters via chemical or enzymatic catalyzed synthesis methods. In the present study, a commercial palm oil derived winter grade biodiesel (ME18) was evaluated as a viable and sustainable methyl ester source for the synthesis of high oleic trimethylolpropane triesters (HO-TMPTE). ME18 has fatty acid profile containing 86.8% oleic acid, 8.7% linoleic acid with the remaining minor concentration of palmitic acid, stearic acid and linolenic acid. It's high oleic property makes it superior to produce synthetic lubricant base oil that fulfills both the good low temperature property as well as good oxidative stability. The synthetic base oil produced had a viscosity of 44.3 mm(2)/s at 40°C meeting the needs for ISO 46 oils. It also exhibited an excellent viscosity index of 219 that is higher than some other commercial brands of trimethylolpropane trioleate. Properties of base oil such as cloud point, density, acid value, demulsibility and soap content were also examined. The oil was then used in the formulation of tapping oil and appraised in term of adaptability, stability and field test performance.
For environmental reasons, a new class of environmentally acceptable and renewable biolubricant based on vegetable oils is available. In this study, oxirane ring opening reaction of monoepoxide linoleic acid (MEOA) was done by nucleophilic addition of oleic acid (OA) with using p-toluene sulfonic acid (PTSA) as a catalyst for synthesis of 9(12)-hydroxy-10(13)-oleoxy-12(9)-octadecanoic acid (HYOOA) and the physicochemical properties of the resulted HYOOA are reported to be used as biolubricant base oils. Optimum conditions of the experiment using D-optimal design to obtain high yield% of HYOOA and lowest OOC% were predicted at OA/MEOA ratio of 0.30 : 1 (w/w), PTSA/MEOA ratio of 0.50 : 1 (w/w), reaction temperature at 110°C, and reaction time at 4.5 h. The results showed that an increase in the chain length of the midchain ester resulted in the decrease of pour point (PP) -51°C, increase of viscosity index (VI) up to 153, and improvement in oxidative stability (OT) to 180.94°C.