VBASE SPE™ Technology

Designed for Sustainability

With Secondary Polyol Ester™ technology, VBASE base oils provide exceptional hydrolytic stability, oxidation stability, and built-in detergency to enable the formulation of high-performance Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants (EALs).

Now available in ISO VG 32-460, all VBASE® base oils are USDA BioPreferred, EU Ecolabel LuSC-list, and certified NSF HX-1 for use in lubricants used in food equipment.

VBASE Secondary Polyol Ester™ (SPE™) base oils are designed to allow formulators to develop a new generation of innovative environmentally acceptable lubricants. The technology is an evolution over the well-established primary polyol esters (neo-polyol esters) which are commonly used in refrigeration, aviation, and compressor lubricants for their excellent oxidative stability and low temperature properties. However, a limiting feature of primary polyol esters is their susceptibility to hydrolysis in equipment where water ingress is possible.

Novel VBASE oils are branded as Secondary Polyol Ester™ base oils because the esterification occurs on a secondary hydroxyl of a polyol. The inclusion of secondary ester bonds in SPE™ oils slows hydrolysis compared to primary ester bonds (see chemical structures). There are a vast array of polyol structures and by carefully selecting the choice of polyol and fatty acid (and their mixtures), it is possible to design a wide range of SPE base oils with different architectures and thereby control their functional, tribological and environmental performance.

Ester bonding in a primary polyol ester structure
Ester bonding in a primary polyol ester structure
Ester bonding in a Secondary Polyol Ester™ structure
Ester bonding in a Secondary Polyol Ester™ structure

This ‘Designed for Sustainability’ approach has led to a new class of hybrid synthetic base oils which offer the outstanding functional performance of PAGs and excellent environmental properties of esters such as high biodegradability, non-toxicity and non-bioaccumulation.

Performance

The unique structure of VBASE SPE base oils enables outstanding physical properties, exceptional functional performance, and excellent environmental attributes. 

VBASE base oils exhibit excellent low temperature properties and high viscosity indices making them a good choice for formulating lubricants for all season performance. VBASE base oil's viscosity indices are typically much higher than hydrocarbon base oils and other synthetic esters of the same viscosity grade. This suggests they would be ideal for use in energy efficient lubricants when switching to a lower ISO-viscosity grade lubricant is practical. Energy efficiency gains can be further boosted due to their excellent low traction values under mixed-EHD conditions, thereby minimizing friction and energy losses in equipment and improving fuel consumption.

With a novel molecular structure, VBASE® saturated base oils provide excellent thermo-oxidative and hydrolytic stability in formulated lubricants. Unlike hydrocarbon oils which can degrade under high thermal stresses to form deposits and varnish, VBASE base oils have a significantly lower propensity to form deposits due to their oxygen-rich polar structure which helps solubilize any polar oxidation by-products, thereby keeping the lubricant and equipment clean and varnish free. 

Learn more here:  Oxidative Stability | Low Deposits (vbaseoil.com)

Lubricants formulated with VBASE® base oils are compatible with most conventional lubricants formulated with API Group I-IV hydrocarbon oils and Group V esters and PAGs. This fluid compatibility allows for a seamless change over in equipment from aged oils to lubricants with VBASE technology.  VBASE lubricants show good seal and paint compatibility (John Deere Fluid Resistance Testing and Caterpillar Fluid Immersion Resistance Testing)

Designed for performance first, all VBASE® products are an excellent choice for formulating environmentally acceptable lubricants and suitable for use in many environmentally sensitive areas such as hydropower plants, agricultural, forestry, and marine environments. VBASE base oils have a high inclusion of renewable carbon (>50%), are biodegradable (>80% by OECD 301B), non-toxic, and do not bioaccumulate.

VBASE® base oils are manufactured from feedstocks that are widely available and this ensures stable production and supply. They are available in drum, tote, and bulk quantities.

VBASE unsaturated ester base oils offer high fire points making them an ideal choice for formulating fire resistant fluids. Moreover, they have similar VI values and pour points to classical polyol oleates (e.g., TMP trioleate) that are used widely in applications such as fire-resistant hydraulic fluids. However, because of their superior oxidation and hydrolytic stability, they are recommended as an alternative when longer life and more stability is needed in a fire-resistant fluid.

VBASE Base Oils | Fire Resistance | Hydraulic Fluids | FRF (vbaseoil.com)

VBASE Grades for Various Applications

VBASE® base oils have been available in four saturated grades (32S, 46S, 68S, and 100S) and two unsaturated grades (46U and 68U) since 2021. Launched in May 2024, 5 new Complex Saturated Grades are now available (VBASE 100CS, VBASE 150CS, VBASE 220CS, VBASE 320CS, VBASE 460CS).

HYDRAULIC OILS

row of excavators

VBASE 32S and 46S
Varnish Control
Shear Stability

GEAR OILS

Tooth gear wheel with oil splashes, freeze motion, lubrication concept

VBASE 150CS and 460CS
High Temperature Stability
Friction Control and Efficiency

METAL WORKING FLUIDS

The CNC milling machine cutting the  mold parts with oil coolant method. The mold and die manufacturing process by CNC machining center.

VBASE 46U and 68U
Hydrolytic Stability
Friction Control

AIR COMPRESSOR OILS

Blue Air Compressor

VBASE 32S and 46S
Varnish Control
Oxidative Stability

GREASES

Close up of lubricant grease in hand Mechanic for putting into ball bearing in the industrial factory, Mechanic Industrial Concept

VBASE 46S AND 460CS
High Temperature Stability
Friction Control

REFRIGERATION OILS

industrial compressor refrigeration station at manufacturing fac

VBASE 32S and 46S
Refrigerant Compatibility
High Temperature Stability

TURBINE OILS

VBASE 46S and 68S

Varnish Control
Hydrolytic Stability

CHAIN OILS

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VBASE 150CS and 460CS
High Temperature Stability
Cleanliness

MARINE OILS

VBASE Lubes & Base Oils

VBASE 32S and 46S
Hydrolytic Stability
Oxidation Stability

TWO STROKE OILS

Enduro bike rider

VBASE 32S and 460CS
Wear Performance
Cleanliness

FOOD GRADE LUBRICANTS

VBASE 32S and 46S
Food Safety
Oxidation Stability

Gen 1: VBASE 32-100

New May 2024: VBASE 100CS-460CS

  • Formulating with Antioxidants

  • Fire Resistance

  • Elastomer Compatibility

  • Coating Compatibility

  • Detailed Base Oil TDS

VBASE splash image

Certifications

VBASE® SPE™ Base Oils Enable Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants

VBASE® base oils are biobased (inclusion of renewable carbon >50%), readily biodegradable (>80% by OECD 301B), non-toxic (OECD 201, OECD 202, OECD 203, OECD 236), and non-bioaccumulating (OECD 117). VBASE base oils are also certified NSF HX-1 and thus suitable for formulation of H1 lubricants for use in and around food processing areas. All VBASE base oils are included on the European Ecolabel LuSC-List.

EU Ecolabel LuSC-list