VBASE SPE™ Technology
Designed for Sustainability
With Secondary Polyol Ester™ technology, VBASE base oils provide exceptional hydrolytic stability, oxidation stability, and built-in detergency to enable the formulation of high-performance Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants (EALs).
Now available in ISO VG 32-460, all VBASE® base oils are USDA BioPreferred, EU Ecolabel LuSC-list, and certified NSF HX-1 for use in lubricants used in food equipment.
VBASE Secondary Polyol Ester™ (SPE™) base oils are designed to allow formulators to develop a new generation of innovative environmentally acceptable lubricants. The technology is an evolution over the well-established primary polyol esters (neo-polyol esters) which are commonly used in refrigeration, aviation, and compressor lubricants for their excellent oxidative stability and low temperature properties. However, a limiting feature of primary polyol esters is their susceptibility to hydrolysis in equipment where water ingress is possible.
Novel VBASE oils are branded as Secondary Polyol Ester™ base oils because the esterification occurs on a secondary hydroxyl of a polyol. The inclusion of secondary ester bonds in SPE™ oils slows hydrolysis compared to primary ester bonds (see chemical structures). There are a vast array of polyol structures and by carefully selecting the choice of polyol and fatty acid (and their mixtures), it is possible to design a wide range of SPE™ base oils with different architectures and thereby control their functional, tribological and environmental performance.
This ‘Designed for Sustainability’ approach has led to a new class of hybrid synthetic base oils which offer the outstanding functional performance of PAGs and excellent environmental properties of esters such as high biodegradability, non-toxicity and non-bioaccumulation.
Performance
The unique structure of VBASE SPE base oils enables outstanding physical properties, exceptional functional performance, and excellent environmental attributes.
VBASE base oils exhibit excellent low temperature properties and high viscosity indices making them a good choice for formulating lubricants for all season performance. VBASE base oil's viscosity indices are typically much higher than hydrocarbon base oils and other synthetic esters of the same viscosity grade. This suggests they would be ideal for use in energy efficient lubricants when switching to a lower ISO-viscosity grade lubricant is practical. Energy efficiency gains can be further boosted due to their excellent low traction values under mixed-EHD conditions, thereby minimizing friction and energy losses in equipment and improving fuel consumption.
With a novel molecular structure, VBASE® saturated base oils provide excellent thermo-oxidative and hydrolytic stability in formulated lubricants. Unlike hydrocarbon oils which can degrade under high thermal stresses to form deposits and varnish, VBASE base oils have a significantly lower propensity to form deposits due to their oxygen-rich polar structure which helps solubilize any polar oxidation by-products, thereby keeping the lubricant and equipment clean and varnish free.
Learn more here: Oxidative Stability | Low Deposits (vbaseoil.com)
Lubricants formulated with VBASE® base oils are compatible with most conventional lubricants formulated with API Group I-IV hydrocarbon oils and Group V esters and PAGs. This fluid compatibility allows for a seamless change over in equipment from aged oils to lubricants with VBASE technology. VBASE lubricants show good seal and paint compatibility (John Deere Fluid Resistance Testing and Caterpillar Fluid Immersion Resistance Testing).
Designed for performance first, all VBASE® products are an excellent choice for formulating environmentally acceptable lubricants and suitable for use in many environmentally sensitive areas such as hydropower plants, agricultural, forestry, and marine environments. VBASE base oils have a high inclusion of renewable carbon (>50%), are biodegradable (>80% by OECD 301B), non-toxic, and do not bioaccumulate.
VBASE® base oils are manufactured from feedstocks that are widely available and this ensures stable production and supply. They are available in drum, tote, and bulk quantities.
VBASE unsaturated ester base oils offer high fire points making them an ideal choice for formulating fire resistant fluids. Moreover, they have similar VI values and pour points to classical polyol oleates (e.g., TMP trioleate) that are used widely in applications such as fire-resistant hydraulic fluids. However, because of their superior oxidation and hydrolytic stability, they are recommended as an alternative when longer life and more stability is needed in a fire-resistant fluid.
VBASE Base Oils | Fire Resistance | Hydraulic Fluids | FRF (vbaseoil.com)
VBASE Grades for Various Applications
VBASE® base oils have been available in four saturated grades (32S, 46S, 68S, and 100S) and two unsaturated grades (46U and 68U) since 2021. Launched in May 2024, 5 new Complex Saturated Grades are now available (VBASE 100CS, VBASE 150CS, VBASE 220CS, VBASE 320CS, VBASE 460CS).
HYDRAULIC OILS
VBASE 32S and 46S
Varnish Control
Shear Stability
GEAR OILS
VBASE 150CS and 460CS
High Temperature Stability
Friction Control and Efficiency
METAL WORKING FLUIDS
VBASE 46U and 68U
Hydrolytic Stability
Friction Control
AIR COMPRESSOR OILS
VBASE 32S and 46S
Varnish Control
Oxidative Stability
GREASES
VBASE 46S AND 460CS
High Temperature Stability
Friction Control
REFRIGERATION OILS
VBASE 32S and 46S
Refrigerant Compatibility
High Temperature Stability
TURBINE OILS
VBASE 46S and 68S
Varnish Control
Hydrolytic Stability
CHAIN OILS
VBASE 150CS and 460CS
High Temperature Stability
Cleanliness
MARINE OILS
VBASE 32S and 46S
Hydrolytic Stability
Oxidation Stability
TWO STROKE OILS
VBASE 32S and 460CS
Wear Performance
Cleanliness
FOOD GRADE LUBRICANTS
VBASE 32S and 46S
Food Safety
Oxidation Stability
Certifications
VBASE® SPE™ Base Oils Enable Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants
VBASE® base oils are biobased (inclusion of renewable carbon >50%), readily biodegradable (>80% by OECD 301B), non-toxic (OECD 201, OECD 202, OECD 203, OECD 236), and non-bioaccumulating (OECD 117). VBASE base oils are also certified NSF HX-1 and thus suitable for formulation of H1 lubricants for use in and around food processing areas. All VBASE base oils are included on the European Ecolabel LuSC-List.
Learn More
- STLE's TLT Magazine: Secondary Polyol Ester Technology. Novel, High Performance & Sustainable Base Oils
- UKLA / UEIL's Lube: LUBE TECH feature, "Exploring the Functionality of Oxygen-Rich Secondary Polyol Ester Base Oils."
- Lubes N Greases feature article, "Secondary Polyol Ester Technology: A Novel Base Oil Family for Developing Bio-Lubricants"
- White Paper: Fire Resistant Hydraulic Fluids
- LUBE Magazine Editor Interview with CEO, Dr. Jeff DiMaio, "In Conversation With..."
- LUBE Magazine Lube Tech Feature: Novel hybrid esters: Base oils designed for sustainability
- Hydro Leader Magazine: VBASE Oil Company’s Hydro T‑EL: A New Environmentally Safe Lubricant for Hydro
- STLE's TLT: VBASE® Base Oils A New Class of High-Performance, Environmentally Friendly Fluids
- Sea-Land Chemical Named Exclusive N. A. Distributor for VBASE Oil
- All VBASE Base Oils LuSC-list, HX-1, and BioPreferred
- VBASE Welcomes Martin Greaves as CTO
- VBASE 68SLV on LuSC-list
- VBASE All Grades Now NSF HX-1
- VBASE Expands Product Portfolio to include ISO VG 32 and 46
- VBASE Earns USDA BioPreferred Label
