Air compressor oil's function is to form a lubricating film on the relatively moving friction surfaces of an air compressor, reducing friction and wear, lowering energy consumption, and cooling the friction surfaces.
Currently, there are many air compressor oil manufacturers, offering a wide variety of products with varying quality. Most mineral oils on the market have a service life of 1000-2000 hours, while synthetic oils typically last 5000-6000 hours.
Why is there such a large difference in service life between mineral and synthetic oils?
Synthetic oils have superior performance advantages such as oxidation stability, low carbon buildup tendency, and low volatility. Mineral oils have poor oxidation stability and water separation performance, resulting in shorter oil change intervals, oil darkening, excessive sludge, and severe carbon buildup, naturally leading to a shorter service life compared to synthetic oils.
Oxidation stability is a key quality indicator for compressor oils; it reflects the oil's quality, determines its service life, and affects its performance.
Synthetic air compressor oils have excellent oxidation stability, which delays oil oxidation and deterioration, resulting in a longer service life. Compared to mineral oil, synthetic compressor oil reduces the formation of sludge, deposits, and carbon buildup, slows down oil deterioration, extends service life, and effectively prevents fires or explosions caused by excessive carbon buildup during use.
Another major cause of screw compressor oil failure is the increased viscosity due to severe oxidation of the lubricating oil. Synthetic compressor oil has a significant advantage in terms of oxidation resistance. Furthermore, water is a catalyst for lubricating oil oxidation; therefore, diester synthetic compressor oils with excellent water separation properties and ether ester synthetic compressor oils with a certain water absorption capacity are more durable.