What is Calcium Grease and Why Do We Use Them?

Calcium grease, a versatile lubricating agent, holds a pivotal role in numerous industrial and automotive applications. Composed of calcium hydroxide and fatty acids like tallow or vegetable oil, it boasts a thick, robust composition with excellent water resistance and a high melting point.

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Understanding Calcium grease properties and applications is crucial for optimising its effectiveness in lubricating mechanical parts and ensuring smooth, long-lasting operation across diverse equipment and machinery. In this blog, we will discuss Calcium grease, its various applications, and the benefits it offers for industrial operations.

What is calcium grease?

Calcium grease, also referred to as calcium soap or calcium stearate, is a specialised type of lubricating grease widely utilised in industrial and automotive settings. The unique composition of calcium grease produces a thick and opaque substance known for its exceptional lubricating properties and durability.

Key properties of calcium grease include its notably high melting point, which allows it to maintain its viscosity and effectiveness even under elevated temperatures. Additionally, calcium grease exhibits excellent water resistance, making it particularly well-suited for applications where exposure to moisture or other liquids is a concern. Its remarkable heat resistance further enhances its suitability for use in demanding environments, ensuring reliable lubrication across a wide range of operating conditions.

Industrial and automotive applications of calcium grease

Calcium grease, renowned for its robust properties, finds extensive usage across various industrial and automotive applications. Here are some common Calcium grease usage for industrial operations:

Industrial bearings

Calcium grease is highly suitable for lubricating bearings due to its exceptional heat and water resistance. It finds widespread application in electric motors, fans, pumps, and other machinery where bearings are subjected to heavy loads and elevated temperatures.

Heavy-duty gears

In gear lubrication, Calcium grease offers significant advantages owing to its ability to withstand high loads and temperatures. It is commonly used in vehicles, industrial machinery, and power tools, ensuring smooth gear operation even under harsh operating conditions.

Automotive equipment

Within the automotive industry, Calcium grease serves multiple purposes, including lubricating wheel bearings, steering gears, and various other components exposed to high loads and temperatures. Additionally, it is utilised in braking systems, further highlighting its importance in ensuring vehicle safety and performance.

Construction and mining equipment

Heavy-duty machinery in construction and mining operations relies on Calcium grease for its high-temperature stability and water resistance. Equipment such as excavators, bulldozers, and drilling rigs benefit from the superior lubricating properties of Calcium grease, enhancing their operational efficiency and longevity.

Food industry equipment

In the food industry, Calcium grease is utilised in machinery requiring lubrication in the presence of water or steam. However, it is crucial to use food-grade Calcium grease to meet safety and regulatory standards, ensuring product integrity and consumer safety.

Electric motors and power generation equipment

Calcium grease plays a vital role in lubricating bearings in electric motors and power generation equipment, thanks to its water resistance and high-temperature stability. Equipment exposed to extreme conditions, such as turbines and generators, rely on Calcium grease to maintain optimal performance and longevity.

Benefits of using calcium grease

Here are some key benefits of using Calcium grease in industrial operations:

Higher operating temperature range: Calcium sulfonate greases offer an additional 37°C degrees in the operating temperature range compared to other greases, making them advantageous for many industrial applications where extreme temperatures are encountered.

Greater shear stability: Calcium greases exhibit greater shear stability than lithium complex greases, meaning they can withstand pressure better and for longer durations, ensuring reliable lubrication in high-stress conditions.

Extended service life: Some Calcium greases can last twice as long as other grease types, with minimal loss in performance even after hours of operation, resulting in cost savings and reduced downtime.

Compatibility with other greases: Both lithium complex and Calcium grease are compatible with each other and with many other conventional grease lubricants, offering versatility and ease of use in various lubrication applications.

Superior performance characteristics: Calcium grease demonstrates better dropping point, shear stability, and oxidative resistance compared to other types of greases, making them suitable for demanding operating conditions where reliability is paramount.

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Conclusion

To conclude, understanding the specific applications of Calcium grease is crucial for ensuring its effective use in various industrial and automotive settings. By leveraging its unique properties, such as high-temperature stability and water resistance, users can achieve optimal performance and longevity in their machinery and equipment.

Grease is grease, right? Unfortunately, the answer is not that simple, because there are many types of greases. If the right grease is not being used in equipment, you could be paying too much for replacement parts. On the other hand, the right grease can allow equipment to run for years without a maintenance problem. The key is learning which grease is right for your needs.

Calcium Sulfonate

Not new to the grease scene, calcium sulfonate thickeners have been around for almost 50 years. This particular type of grease has inherent extreme pressure (EP) properties that stand out from the rest. These properties, combined with the fact that it can be formulated for use in H-1 (food-grade) applications, make it an attractive alternative to other greases.

Background

There are a number of grease thickeners available, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Briefly, typical lithium-based greases (the most common) are made from a fatty acid, usually 12-hydroxystearic acid, and a lithium base to produce a simple soap which acts as the grease thickener. Components are then added to give it EP and other desirable properties that allow equipment to run at peak performance.

Figure 1. Calcium Sulfonate Grease

To make a lithium-based complex grease, part of the fatty acid is replaced with another acid (usually a diacid), which makes the complex soap. This type of mixed soap structure has special properties that enable the grease to be heated to a higher temperature without losing its structure or oil separating from the thickener.

This maximum temperature is referred to as the dropping point. The dropping point is critical because it is the point at which the grease reverts back to a liquid (the oil separates from the thickener). Calcium sulfonate-based greases have a higher dropping point, making them attractive for some high-temperature applications.

Calcium sulfonate greases are made by converting a fluid detergent that contains amorphous calcium carbonate to a grease containing calcite particles. Because of the calcite particles’ lubricating properties, performance additives containing sulfur, phosphorous or zinc may not be needed. This is why some calcium sulfonate-based greases are attractive to the food industry.

The Art of Making Grease

Max Born, a German mathematician and physicist, once said, “Science is not formal logic. It needs the free play of the mind in as great a degree as any other creative art.” Making a grease is no exception. With respect to calcium sulfonate greases, the art involves the process used to convert the detergent to grease.

How one executes this can affect the EP performance and dropping point. There’s more to the art of making grease. There is a range of manufacturers, and sometimes the process used for one manufacturer’s equipment must be modified for another. Therefore, art also plays a role in the manufacturing process.

Concerns with Calcium Sulfonates

Although calcium sulfonate greases have desirable properties, an inhibiting factor is the cost. Calcite particles are the business end of making the product work, but reaching that point can be expensive. In addition, calcium sulfonate supply is limited, while costs are escalating.

Plants are operating at capacity, and grease is not the only bidder. Calcium sulfonates are used in engine oil, metalworking, automatic transmission fluid, industrial and automotive gear oil additives as well as other applications. To complicate the situation, let’s compare the treat rates.

Heavy-duty diesel applications require an approximate treat level of five percent. In grease applications, the treat levels spike to between 20 and 50 percent. That’s a big difference and a major reason for the high cost.

Another downside is their performance with respect to pumpability and water sprayoff. Pumpability is a concern that can be alleviated through proper base oil selection. In the ASTM D sprayoff test, a thin layer of grease is placed on a panel and sprayed with water. After the test is completed, the percent of grease lost is calculated. Many calcium sulfonate greases typically show significant sprayoff.

Table 1. Test Results Comparing Lithium Complex Grease
to Calcium Sulfonate-based Greases.

Advantages and Applications

When would you want to use calcium sulfonate grease? When the benefit outweighs the cost. If an application has specific requirements that only this type of grease can meet, then it is worth the price.

This grease excels in EP performance, as demonstrated in the ASTM D four-ball EP test, and in the ASTM D Timken test. Some formulas also excel in salt fog performance. Applications that fit this category include marine environments, suspension bridges, automotive or other applications exposed to salt conditions.

General applications for calcium sulfonate greases include automotive, agricultural, construction, food, industry, mining, paper manufacturing and steel mills. Specific automotive applications include chassis, ball joints, universal joints and wheel bearings. Industrial applications include continuous casters, conveyors, ball mills, crushers, off-shore and underwater applications.1

Calcium sulfonate greases are also used in motor-operated steam valves to control high-pressure steam. These steam valves are typically found in nuclear plants and thermal-generating stations. An article in NLGI Spokesman, July , supports that the calcite particles, inherent in calcium sulfonate greases, make them a good choice for high-temperature applications.

Calcium sulfonate greases are generally beneficial for rust performance, with oxidation stability considered good or excellent. Rust inhibitors are surfactants that neutralize acids on the surface of metal. They can also make an oily surface, or barrier, to stop rust on the surface. Although the thickener can affect oxidation, it is often based on the oil’s quality.

In the case of the four-ball weld test, a weld of 315 kg, 400 kg or even higher is common with a calcium sulfonate grease. Calcite particles have been described as forming a wafer- or scale-like structure which creates shear planes that trap between the metal surfaces. This forms a sacrificial layer on the metal that is constantly sheared away. After all, it is better to shear the calcite particles than the metal on the equipment.

In summary, if the application requires H-1 approval, heat resistance or water tolerance, a properly manufactured calcium sulfonate grease that meets your needs may be worth the price.

References

1. Jeff St. Aubin. Calcium Sulfonate Grease. Chemtool Inc.

2. W. Mackwood, Crompton Co., and K. J. Brown, Utility Service Associates. Proper Grease Selection Reduces Steam Valve Maintenance.

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