We’ve all heard of antioxidants as it pertains to human health. Antioxidants can fight almost anything from cancer to Alzheimer’s disease, from aging to heart attacks. It seems antioxidants are capable of anything short of like fixing your car, perhaps. But what if you knew that antioxidants might have other uses besides neutralizing those evil, villainous free radicals that can cause cancer? What if antioxidants can, of all things, offer benefits to additive package, the type that you often find in compressor oil?

We’ve all heard of antioxidants as it pertains to human health. Antioxidants can fight almost anything from cancer to Alzheimer’s disease, from aging to heart attacks. It seems antioxidants are capable of anything short of like fixing your car, perhaps. But what if you knew that antioxidants might have other uses besides neutralizing those evil, villainous free radicals that can cause cancer? What if antioxidants can, of all things, offer benefits to additive package, the type that you often find in compressor oil?

Molykote compressor oil antioxidant is an L-1246 synthetic compressor oil antioxidant. In a lubrication life test of a heat accelerated rotary screw air compressor, this compressor oil antioxidant performed nearly two-thirds longer than any other synthetic fluids. Molykote compressor oil combines heat and concentrated oxygen inherent to air compressor applications. Through this combination, the application of Molykote compressor oil antioxidant pushes the limits of what even synthetic lubricant products can withstand.

When you translate these test results into field conditions, it shows that the service lifetime of the Molykote brand of compressor oil antioxidant product could exceed 12,000 hours. That is roughly 18 months in 24/7 operation even though actual oil life may vary depending on the conditions of the specific application. To determine the actual useful life of the compressor oil antioxidant in your application, using Dow Corning’s oil analysis program may help.

Inside Compressors

To understand the advantages of using compressor oil antioxidants, consideration should be given to special demands of the application. In a rotary screw compressor, the lubricant performs several difficult functions as outlined in the following:

• Lubricating the shaft seals, bearings, and rotating screws
• Removing the heat of compression
• Providing a seal between screws and housing so gas can be compressed without blow-by
• Removing contaminants from the system, i.e., ingested dust and dirt materials
• Protecting against corrosion

When talking about compressors, it is to be understood that fluid is re-circulated in a closed system. The fluid also flows from the compressor to the separator and from there, it is pumped into a cooler, though a filter, and back again to the compressor. If the lubricant breaks down, such could lead to compressor problems.

Due to the nature of compressors, temperatures and often elevated at typically up to 210 degrees Fahrenheit. And this combined with air oxygen could lead to a reaction in the fluids, causing oxidation to occur very rapidly. To avoid such problems, it is always advisable to use compressor oil antioxidants as opposed to regular compressor lubricants.