Diver Safe Grease

The US Navy is seeking an improved grease that is safe for divers (i.e. does not off-gas toxic compounds in a pressurized air or mixed gas environment), does not wash out readily in seawater, and provides acceptable lubrication properties. METSS proposes to develop and test new, environmentally benign grease formulations that are both safe and effective, using a proven approach to cost-effective materials development. METSS will draw on existing materials, working directly with industry participants to select the best materials for product formulation. This ensures a non-biased approach to achieving the program objectives and opens up the opportunity of creating customized formulations that can be designed to directly address performance requirements. This effort will include optimizing the performance of the grease to meet and exceed the performance of the currently used greases while considering environmental impact, safety, and toxicity. To meet the Navy’s requirements, METSS will focus on combining synthetic basestocks, thickeners and additives to produce a new class of marine lubricants with superior performance properties with respect to antiwear characteristics, oxidative stability and corrosion protection. The proposed program will also address additional questions related to personnel safety and environmental impact associated with these greases.