Looking for info on Bio degradable Hydraulic Fluid and how it compares to Mineral based Fluids.

What is the price comparison per gallon and service life?. Is there any real benefit to converting other than the the obvious enviro impact, such as service life?

I have 12 Units that I will be considering changing to Bio Fluid, each unit has 800+ liters of Mineral fluid ( AW46 )that will need converting.

Now I haven't talked to my supplier yet, just looking for a ballpark on Pricing per liter / Gallon and some insight from those who have used Bio degradable fluids in high pressure systems in similar operating conditions.

This fluid will be used on 4500 psi systems with average operating Temps of 50*C with ambient operating temps ranging from -20*C to +32*C

Thanks in advance !

 

I dont know how much this helps, but the manufacturers of hyd. equipment at the plant where I work will ONLY warranty their equipment with AW46, any other hyd. fluid voids mfg. warranty. But this is on stationary industrial systems, so it may not apply to your needs.

 

I'm not sure exactly what it's is or what it cost but the hydraulic rescue tools we use on the fire department operate with a type of mineral oil.

 

I run all my drill rigs on aqua marine fluid. When the first Bio fluids came out they were not a good as they are now. They did not dissapate or hold up to heat well. Now with the newer fluid ( aqua marine 32 by Citco ) I cant notice any difference, except in the pocket. Its more than double the cost, I think I paid $900+ for my last 55gal drum.

 

We're getting into a lot of infrastructure work, and a few projects are in some sensitive areas, So there is absolutely No Mineral Slobbering demons allowed on-site. When these things blow a line they make a helluva mess, gotta get on it fast, shut it down quick, could drop a 100 liters in no time.

This is when the fun starts..

Now you got 160'ft of boom stretched out completlely full of concrete plus the deck pipe and a hopper full roughly 1 meter of crete in the total system and you are slobbering prefusly... Time is ticking your job is getting harder (literally), primary objective at that point is to get the system washed out but the problem is there is no way to isolate any one part of the system, so in order to fold up the boom, you need power same as for the actual pump kit, all of which is needed to wash the beast out, which leaves a disgusting mess and at that point can get quite exspensive.

So the way I see it is, it's a proactive approach as well as possibly minimizing liabilities, and perhaps offering a competitive edge in targeted markets.

The problem we face is , when a line blows it's as Murphy's Law would suggest, it's at the the most inconvenient time in the most inconvenient place such as ...having every other replacement line but the one you need on the truck or pumping in the city where there is always a sewer just waiting to enhance your experience in the event you have a environmental disaster to deal with or perhaps pumping over a house and slobering all over the road, driveway, shingles, neighbours...etc. then there's the eniviro impact job sites.

Talked to a Rep today, gave me a bit of info and is coming by to see me tomorow afternoon to see what he can do for me.

Apparently this particular supplier says their AW 32/46/68 and MV 32/46 exceeds OEM warranty specs, and carries it's own warranty so I'm interested in seeing what they can offer.

 

I'm sure I'll need to be seated, when we talk about price !

 

Yeah, those are problems we dont worry about. We have ALL the pumps mounted in catch basins, and since everything is inside, we just shut it down, throw down the spill-sorb and make the repair. Leaks are almost a daily occurance, we fix it and move on.......I cant even imagine working with DEQ looking over your shoulder, outside on the ground. In your case bio might be a real asset.