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Esters 

To help formulators meet increasing demand for high lubricant performance and long product life, we offer a full line of Esterex™ esters, which includes adipate, neopolyol, phthalate and trimellitate esters. Esterex esters are well suited for a wide range of applications, including automotive, textile, industrial, aviation, turbine and compressor lubricants.

Esterex esters can be used as a stand-alone base stock or in combination with other fluids. Their compatibility with polyalphaolefin (PAO) and other base stocks available from ExxonMobil Product Solutions offers another solution for your formulation challenges. Most Esterex esters are inherently biodegradable,* making them an appropriate choice for applications in which a lubricant is in contact with the environment.

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Key benefits

*Biodegradability is defined by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as meeting specific biodegradation criteria under defined testing conditions. For more information on the specific product and testing information for our various grades of Esterex
materials that have all been tested to OECD 301F and 301B, click here.

Product data

Proven performance

Ester solvency

To measure the solvency advantages of using Esterex esters in lubricant formulations, we used ASTM D611 (Standard Test Methods for Aniline Point and Mixed Aniline Point of Petroleum Products and Hydrocarbon Solvents). Compared to a 6 cSt and a 10 cSt PAO base stock, 5 cSt polyol and adipate esters demonstrate increased solvency.
Aniline Point by ester and PAO type.

Thermal-oxidative stability comparison

In this chart, we see a comparison between four types of esters, measuring thermal-oxidative stability.
Panel coker rating by ester type.
Data for chart republished with permission of CRC Press LLC, from Synthetic Lubricants and High Performance Functional Fluids, by
Leslie R. Rudnick, second edition, 1999; permission conveyed through Copyright Clearance Center, Inc.

Enhanced lubricity

Using ASTM D6079, Standard Test Method for Evaluating Lubricity of Diesel Fuels by the High-Frequency Reciprocating Rig (HFRR), we evaluated the impact of Esterex esters on reducing friction to enhance wear protection. By adding 20% polyol ester to a 2 cSt and 4 cSt PAO base stocks, the ester blends demonstrated increased performance.

Friction coefficient by PAO type

Biodegradability

This chart presents the results of two tests that measure biodegradability. It includes six types of esters along with mineral oil.
OECD and CEC by ester type.
Source: Synthetic Lubricants and High-Performance Functional Fluids, 2nd Ed. L.R. Rudnick, R. L. Shubkin, Ed. Chapter 3, P 80.
Additionally, mineral oil data from Biodegradation Test Methods and PAOs report, Lawrence K. Low, EMBSI, August 2005.

Applications

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