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Abstract The use of environmentally adapted lubricants (EALs) is a subject of growing interest to industry as legislation increasingly demands the replacement of mineral oil lubricants. Vegetable‐based fluids are widely seen as providing lubricants from a renewable source, as well as meeting demands for improved biodegradability. However, at present, utilization of such fluids is limited due to their rapid oxidation. EALs produced from other base stocks (i.e. synthetic esters) have been shown to provide performance benefits in hydrodynamic thrust bearings. In the present study, a hydrodynamic journal bearing test rig has been employed to compare the performance of three EALs (a VG32 saturated ester, rapeseed base fluid and a propylene glycol dioleate) relative to three mineral turbine oils (ISOVG32, ISOVG46 and ISOVG68) in the hydrodynamic regime. Results are given in terms of temperature, power loss and minimum film thickness. The impact of oil viscosity index is also discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
McCarthy et al. (Wed,) studied this question.