Bentonite lubricants are used for lubrication of rolling bearings, sliding bearings, sliding guides, which are operated at high temperatures and low speed, and drill rods.
Specifics of Bentonite Plastic Lubricants Production Technology
Bentonite lubricants production technology is different from production of other kinds of lubricants in that its main component is bentonite clay, which is an inorganic substance resistant to high temperatures and high loads. The main difference of these lubricants production is the need for better dispersion of the thickener in the dispersion medium and homogenization (mechanical processing) of the finished product.
Bentonite clays have a lamellar structure, which allows the oil to penetrate the structural framework, however, for the complete distribution of the thickener in the dispersion medium, organic modifiers and mechanical processing are used. The degree of clay dispersion in the oil medium determines the characteristics of the lubricant under operating conditions, most often extreme, for which they are developed.
Role of Homogenization
Homogenization is the main stage of bentonite lubricants production. It evenly distributes the thickener in the oil, which increases its thickening effect, gives uniformity to the texture of lubricants, and improves their appearance. In addition, homogenization destroys condensation and forms a coagulation thixotropic structure of the lubricant, improving mechanical, colloidal stability and other characteristics.
Equipment for Production of Bentonite Plastic Lubricants
In the production of bentonite lubricants, it is necessary to use powerful homogenizers. However, despite the currently available wide nomenclature, not all of them meet the requirements of mechanical processing of lubricants. Non-specialized homogenizers from the paint or food industry are often used for the production of bentonite plastic lubricants.
Based on this, the GlobeCore company has developed a technology for dispersing and homogenizing bentonite plastic lubricants, which is implemented in colloidal mills of the CLM type.
CLM Colloid Mills for Bentonite Plastic Lubricants
CLM colloid mills are designed for the production of highly stable colloidal solutions and operate on the basis of the “wet grinding” principle due to the different gap widths of the rotor and stator cones at the inlet and outlet. Complex micro-relief surfaces of the rotor additionally provide fine grinding. For production of bentonite plastic, GlobeCore has developed and created laboratory colloid mills with a capacity of up to several tens of liters per hour, as well as industrial colloid mills with a capacity of up to 25 cubic meters per hour.
After just one pass through the CLM colloidal mill, complete dispersion and homogenization of the thickener in the oil is achieved, as well as a low destruction coefficient, which makes it possible to obtain a mechanically stable lubricant that will hardly lose its properties during operation in the friction unit.
Colloid mills CLM produced by GlobeCore can be used when installing new and upgrading existing technological lines for the production of bentonite plastic lubricants for simultaneous dispersion and homogenization either at the final stage of production or for multiple processing at each stage in continuous processes.