Development of Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants for Hydropower Applications

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I proposal addresses the development of Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants for hydropower plants. Eco-friendly lubricants are necessary to safeguard marine environments from lubricant leaks, spillage, or accidental release from malfunctioning systems or equipment. By developing the next generation of high performing lubricants using eco-friendly additives and oils which are non-toxic, biodegradable and non-bioaccumulative, this development work mitigates issues related to leaks, spills, and accidental release of today’s commonly used petroleum-based lubricants to water. These incidents are notorious for causing economically and environmentally costly situations disastrous to aquatic life. The Phase I work focuses on developing environmentally friendly lubricants that are used for turbine and hydraulic systems in hydropower stations. This includes identifying and selecting suitable base stock oils which are thermally stable, biodegradable, non- toxic to the aquatic environment, and non-bioaccumulative. It also focuses on identifying, selecting, and optimizing treat levels of eco-friendly additives which are necessary ingredients for these specific lubricants to meet performance specifications for turbine oils and hydraulic fluids, as well as using industry standard tests on laboratory scale formulations to select the best formulated lubricant for additional optimization, scaling, and testing in Phase II.