Power October 2022 140th Anniversary Supplement - 26

LUBRICANTS
From Ancient Chariots to Modern
Turbines-A History of Lubricants
Lubricants have been around for thousands of years, serving a multitude of purposes.
The technology has come a long way since olive oil was used to move stones and other
heavy objects as far back as the 17th century B.C., according to archaeological discoveries.
Petroleum-based products helped usher in the industrial age, and advancements in
refining and production techniques continue the historical arc.
POWER
L
ubricants for industrial systems
have evolved over time, though
their basic purpose-to improve
the performance, and prolong the lifecycle,
of machines-has not changed
over the years. In a world increasingly
dependent on those machines, materials
that lubricate moving parts are essential
to everyday life.
A lubricant is defined as any substance
placed between surfaces to
decrease friction and wear, though
lubricants today also act as electrical
insulators, coolants, cleaning agents,
and even rust preventatives. Lubrication
systems date at least to ancient
Egypt, when olive oil was used to help
move large objects. Lubricants, mostly
made from animal fats and vegetable
oils, were used on the axles of
chariots and other transport vehicles
for centuries.
Examples of early chariots were
found in tombs of Egyptian nobles
that date to 1,400 B.C. It's said that
the Egyptians realized the wheels of
their chariots were being charred by
heat created by friction. Using olive
oils and fats not only dissipated heat;
the lubricants prevented its creation in
the first place. The wheels also turned
more freely, and machine lubrication
was born.
In the 8th century B.C., the Chinese
developed a friction-reducing mixture
of vegetable oils. Plenty of advancements
took place in the intervening
centuries, with scientific studies of
friction and the movement of objects.
From an industrial perspective, a major
step forward occurred after the first
oil well was drilled in Titusville, Penn26
PAST,
PRESENT & FUTURE
sylvania, in 1859. The advent of the
petroleum age brought forth a new
economy based on oil, natural gas, and
refined products from petroleum. Several
companies entered the business
to serve the growing need for lubricants
across various industries.
The first U.S. commercial power
plant-the coal-fired Pearl Street Station
in New York City-entered service
in 1882, the same year POWER
was first published. The power generation
industry presented a major opportunity
for lubricant manufacturers,
much as the auto industry did a few
decades later.
Among the companies created to
serve the ever-growing need for
industrial
lubricants was the Phillips
Petroleum Co., founded in 1917 in Bartlesville,
Oklahoma. The company specialized
in extracting liquids from natural
gas; by 1925, Phillips was the largest
U.S. producer of natural gas liquids.
" Industrial lubrication has been
used since the time of the Egyptians, "
said Steve Plopper, product engineer
at Phillips 66. " It wasn't until the industrial
revolution of the 19th century
that there were major advances in
formulations. Phillips 66 has been refining
since acquiring our first refinery
in 1927 and we continue to produce
quality fuel and finished lubricants to
this day. "
Phillips 66 for years was part of ConocoPhillips.
It became a standalone
company a decade ago, spinning off
from its parent.
Built on more than 130 years of experience,
Phillips 66 is a growing energy
manufacturing and logistics company.
Its diverse portfolio has vast opportuniwww.powermag.com
ties
in a changing energy landscape.
Phillips
66
Lubricants
reaches
across every key lubricants market,
including automotive, trucking, agriculture,
aviation, power generation,
mining, and construction. Known for
high-quality base oils and sophisticated
formulations, Phillips 66 Lubricants
also
operates
proprietary
research
and development facilities, as well as
a comprehensive global distribution
network.
Today the company is involved in
several fields across a range of technologies,
including solid oxide fuel
cells, organic photovoltaics, and batteries-in
addition to lubricants and its
signature fuels stations.
According to the Phillips Petroleum
Company Museum in Bartlesville, the
" Phillips 66 " name came about by a
combination of events. The specific
gravity of the gasoline was close to
66; the car being used to test the fuel
traveled at 66 miles per hour; and the
test took place on U.S. Route 66, one
of the original highways in the U.S.
Numbered Highway System. It's easy
to see why a company naming committee
unanimously voted for " Phillips
66 " ... and as the phrase goes, " the
rest is history. "
Industry Provides Boost for
Lubricants
Growth in the power generation industry
in many ways has paralleled that of
the automotive industry, and the evolution
of today's lubrication technology
got a jumpstart in the 1920s as the
auto industry began to boom. Lubricant
manufacturers diligently worked to improve
their petroleum-based lubrication
POWER Supplement | October 2022

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Power October 2022 140th Anniversary Supplement

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