SPE Technology
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 lubricants.
Available in ISO VG 32-460, all VBASE® base oils are USDA BioPreferred, EU Ecolabel LuSC-list, and certified NSF HX-1.
VBASE Secondary Polyol Ester® (SPE®) base oils 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 conventional primary polyol esters is their susceptibility to hydrolysis in equipment where water ingress is possible.
Novel VBASE oils are termed 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. 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 has led to a new class of hybrid synthetic base oils offering the outstanding functional performance of PAGs and excellent environmental properties of esters.
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)
Applications
VBASE Secondary Polyol Ester® base oils offer exceptional hydrolytic and oxidative stability, outstanding compatibility, and in-built detergency to enable the formulation of your next high-performance lubricant.
HYDRAULIC OILS
Varnish Control
Shear Stability
CHAIN OILS
High Temperature Stability
Cleanliness, HX-1
FOOD GRADE LUBRICANTS
Food Safety, HX-1
Oxidation Stability
AIR COMPRESSORS
Varnish Control
Oxidative Stability
GEAR OILS
High Temperature Stability
Friction Control and Efficiency
GREASES
High Temperature Stability
Friction Control
TURBINE OILS
Varnish Control
Hydrolytic Stability
REFRIGERATION OILS
Refrigerant Compatibility
High Temperature Stability
MARINE OILS
Hydrolytic Stability
Oxidation Stability
TWO STROKE OILS
Wear Performance
Cleanliness
METAL WORKING FLUIDS
Hydrolytic Stability
Friction Control
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
- WHITE PAPER: Demonstrating Hydraulic Efficiency Improvements Using VBASE® SPE® Base Oils
- STLE's TLT Magazine, "Advancing Lubricant Performance using VBASE Secondary Polyol Ester Base Oils"(Nov 2025)
- ILMA's Compoundings: Advancing Alternatives: Sustainability and performance are starting to coexist as bio-based lubricants evolve, by Mindy Long. (Stephen Eck, Contributor)
- STLE's TLT Magazine: An Unvarnished Look at Synthetic Lubricants for Compressors and Turbines (Contributor)
- STLE's TLT Magazine: Biobased Additive Advancements in Lubricating Products" by Dr. Yulia Sosa with VBASE Contributor Dr. Martin Greaves
- 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
- STLE Webinar recording: Oct 2, 2025 - "Trial Data Demonstrating Efficiency and Operational Reliability in Industrial Equipment with SPE Base Oils" with Dr. Martin Greaves and Stephen Eck
- Lubrication Expert Rafe Briton's Interview with VBASE CTO, Dr. Martin Greaves
- Podcast from Lubrication Expert Interview
- InnoVision Award Video
- SC Business Review Radio Interview with VBASE CEO, Dr. Jeff DiMaio
