Eco Friendly Hydraulic Oil

The oil that flows through hydraulic systems can almost be compared with blood which flows through our bodies and like blood; any problems with the oil can affect components, performance or serious failure of the hydraulic system. Hydraulic oils can vary in their formulations using different additives to improve the system performance and protect components against wear and corrosion. In recent years new synthetic oils have become available and the ones most interesting to me are those that cause less damage to the environment if accidentally spilt on land, sea or rivers.
When we designed the recent hydraulic system for the open 60 racing Yacht “Acciona” our client stressed that the hydraulic system should present no risk of contamination to the sea. The amount of oil carried on this type of boat is very small compared to industrial applications but even one litre of mineral oil accidentally spilt into the sea is still far too much and not acceptable if we are serious about keeping our oceans free of pollution.
Rape seed oil has been available for many years for environmentally sensitive applications but do not offer the same protection to hydraulic components as mineral oils but synthetic based oils are a new generation of “Eco” oils that offer greater benefits for systems and environment.
We contacted Millers Oils who recommended Millmax 32HFD(u).
I wanted to know (in laymen terms) how effective the oil was in protecting the environment and hydraulic components and this is their reply:
Definitely would not recommend you drink it, would have a similar effect to drinking Castor Oil.
Would not kill fish as any escaped oil would lie on the surface oil while it was biodegrading away (being eaten by bacteria)
Synthetic esters which is made from are reaction products of fatty acids and alcohols, careful selection of the two components can radically change the end product.
They will provide better protection than mineral oils and also give better lubricity (more slippery) providing the oil stays at sensible temperature i.e. kept below 80˚C they will outlast a mineral oil
For us it is still early days to properly evaluate this oil but so far it has performed well. At the moment these oils can be five times the price of mineral oil but if it is as good as the manufacturer’s claim then I believe that we should be consider it for more applications especially where there is any risk to the environment.
Bob Jackson (The Hydraulicman)
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My Trip to Breast

The use of hydraulics is often simply down to the ingenuity of the designer.
I have just returned from France after commissioning a hydraulic system on an Open 60 racing yacht, not the most likely place you would expect to find large hydraulic rams.
Designed and built by Target Fluid Services two 100mm bore rams are connected together in a push pull arrangement moving a 3ton keel from side to side. The canting keel ensures the boat is kept upright in an optimum position for maximum speed.


The most challenging part of the design is providing the lightest system possible but strong enough to take the large dynamic loads experienced in the worlds heaviest seas.
The boat has been sponsored by a Spanish company called Acciona who specialise in renewable energy. The boat is also eco friendly with many innovations to generate green power (as well as the sail). The boat is covered with solar cells and a Hydrogen cell system to generate electricity. This power is used to drive an electric motor for emergency use and for moving in and out of the harbour.
I apologise that we cannot show the hydraulic stuff inside the boat as the client is sensitive to showing this at present time but you can see the keel when a 90 degree test is being carried out and witnessed by IMOCA who are adjudicators for this class of boat.
Anyone who is keen on sailing I would suggest that you watch out for this boat when it starts on the racing circuit as I believe that it could be a very fast contender.
Very best
Bob
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