CA2274379C - Method for increasing the electrical resistivity of hindered polyol ester refrigerant lubricants - Google Patents
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Abstract
The electrical resistivity of hindered polyol ester lubricants can be raised to very high levels by treating the lubricants with activated alumina, preferably after the acid values of the lubricants treated have already been reduced to low levels by conventional refining with alkali or other acid scavengers.
Description
METHOD FOR INCREASING THE ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY OF
HINDERED POLYOL ESTER REFRIGERANT LUBRICANTS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention This invention relates to processes for increasing the electrical resistivity of ester lubricants, particularly esters of hindered poiyols, which are defined far s this purpose as organic molecules containing at least five carbon atoms, at least 2 -OH groups, and no hydrogen atoms on any carbon atom directly attached to a carbon atom bearing an -OH group, more particularly such esters that are intended to be used to lubricate refrigerating compressors and similar machinery which will bring the lubricant esters into contact with, and thus form ,o mixtures of them with, hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants. Substantially chlorine-free hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants (hereinafter often abbreviated as "HFC's") are scheduled by international treaty and the laws and regulations of most in-dustrially advanced countries to replace the most common previously used chiorofluorocarbon refrigerant heat transfer fluids ("CFC's"), in order to reduce ,s the threat to the earth's ozone layer from the chlorine content of the emissions from imperfectly sealed and/or discarded refrigerators.
Statement of Related Art and Obiect of the Invention CFC's and the mineral oil lubricants normally used with them generally have high electrical resistivities. This resistivity was relied on to provide an Zo important part of the electrical insulation needed in many existing compressor designs. Commercial HFC's themselves are more polar than and have lower electrical resistance than commercial CFC's, and commercial examples of the ester type lubricants that are often needed for adequate miscibility with HFC's have often .had considerably lower electrical resistance than commercial zs mineral oil lubricants. There is therefore a demand for lubricants with higher electrical resistivities that also are well adapted for use with HFC's.
Esters of hindered poiyols have already been recognized in the art- as high quality lubricant basestocks for almost any type of refrigeration machinery employing a fluorocarbon refrigerant, particularly one free from chlorine.
HINDERED POLYOL ESTER REFRIGERANT LUBRICANTS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention This invention relates to processes for increasing the electrical resistivity of ester lubricants, particularly esters of hindered poiyols, which are defined far s this purpose as organic molecules containing at least five carbon atoms, at least 2 -OH groups, and no hydrogen atoms on any carbon atom directly attached to a carbon atom bearing an -OH group, more particularly such esters that are intended to be used to lubricate refrigerating compressors and similar machinery which will bring the lubricant esters into contact with, and thus form ,o mixtures of them with, hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants. Substantially chlorine-free hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants (hereinafter often abbreviated as "HFC's") are scheduled by international treaty and the laws and regulations of most in-dustrially advanced countries to replace the most common previously used chiorofluorocarbon refrigerant heat transfer fluids ("CFC's"), in order to reduce ,s the threat to the earth's ozone layer from the chlorine content of the emissions from imperfectly sealed and/or discarded refrigerators.
Statement of Related Art and Obiect of the Invention CFC's and the mineral oil lubricants normally used with them generally have high electrical resistivities. This resistivity was relied on to provide an Zo important part of the electrical insulation needed in many existing compressor designs. Commercial HFC's themselves are more polar than and have lower electrical resistance than commercial CFC's, and commercial examples of the ester type lubricants that are often needed for adequate miscibility with HFC's have often .had considerably lower electrical resistance than commercial zs mineral oil lubricants. There is therefore a demand for lubricants with higher electrical resistivities that also are well adapted for use with HFC's.
Esters of hindered poiyols have already been recognized in the art- as high quality lubricant basestocks for almost any type of refrigeration machinery employing a fluorocarbon refrigerant, particularly one free from chlorine.
However, these esters as practically made have often not had adequate electrical resistivity for the uses most demanding of this property. Providing such esters with higher electrical resistivity is a major object of this invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Except in the claims and the operating examples, or where otherwise expressly indicated, all numerical quantities in this description indicating amounts of material or conditions of reaction and/or use are to be understood as modified by the term "about" in defining the broadest scope of the invention. Practice of the invention within the boundaries corresponding to the numerical quantities stated is usually preferable, however. Also, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, the description of more than one chemical compound or class of compounds as suitable or preferred for a particular purpose in connection with the invention shall be understood as implying that mixtures of any two or more of the entities so described individually as suitable or preferred are equally as suitable or preferred as the individual entities, and all descriptions of mixtures in terms of ratios, percentage, or parts shall be understood as ratios, percentages, or parts by weight or mass.
Summary of the Invention The present invention provides a process for increasing the electrical resistivity of a liquid mixture consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols selected from the group consisting of neopentyl glycol, trimethylolpropane and pentaerythritol with organic carboxylic acids, which is used with chlorine-free hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants, said process comprising the steps of:
(1 ) pretreating the liquid mixture by alkali refining in order to reduce the acid value of the mixture;
(2) mixing the pretreated liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid-liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alumina in said solid-liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30°
C. for a period of time;
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Except in the claims and the operating examples, or where otherwise expressly indicated, all numerical quantities in this description indicating amounts of material or conditions of reaction and/or use are to be understood as modified by the term "about" in defining the broadest scope of the invention. Practice of the invention within the boundaries corresponding to the numerical quantities stated is usually preferable, however. Also, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, the description of more than one chemical compound or class of compounds as suitable or preferred for a particular purpose in connection with the invention shall be understood as implying that mixtures of any two or more of the entities so described individually as suitable or preferred are equally as suitable or preferred as the individual entities, and all descriptions of mixtures in terms of ratios, percentage, or parts shall be understood as ratios, percentages, or parts by weight or mass.
Summary of the Invention The present invention provides a process for increasing the electrical resistivity of a liquid mixture consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols selected from the group consisting of neopentyl glycol, trimethylolpropane and pentaerythritol with organic carboxylic acids, which is used with chlorine-free hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants, said process comprising the steps of:
(1 ) pretreating the liquid mixture by alkali refining in order to reduce the acid value of the mixture;
(2) mixing the pretreated liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid-liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alumina in said solid-liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30°
C. for a period of time;
(3) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid-liquid mixture formed at the end of step (2) to produce a second liquid consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids;
(4) mixing the second liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid-liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alumina in said solid-liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30°
C. for a period of time; and (5) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid-liquid mixture formed at the end of step (4) to produce a third liquid consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids and having an electrical resistivity that is higher than that of the first liquid mixture.
In another aspect, the invention provides a process for increasing the electrical resistivity of a first liquid mixture consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids selected from the group consisting of pentanoic acid and 2-ethyl-hexanoic acid, which is used with chlorine-free hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants, said process comprising the steps of:
(1 ) pretreating the first liquid mixture by alkali refining in order to reduce the acid value of the mixture;
(2) mixing the pretreated liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid-liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alumina in said solid-liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30°
C. for a period of time;
(3) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid-liquid mixture formed at the end of step (2) to produce a second liquid mixture consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids;
(4) mixing the second liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid-liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alumina in said solid-liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30°
C. for a period of time; and (5) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid-liquid mixture formed at the end of step (4) to produce a third liquid mixture consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids and having an electrical resistivity that is higher than that of the first liquid mixture wherein the esters of said first liquid mixture.
It should be noted that the standard definitions for the acronyms NPG, TMP, PE, DTMP and DPE apply herein and these are:
NPG - neopentyl glycol TMP - trimethylol propane PE - pentaerythritol DTMP- di-trimethylol propane DPE - di-pentaerythritol It has now been found that treatment with activated alumina is surprisingly effective in increasing the electrical resistivity of lubricant esters as commonly made commercially in the past, even when the esters have already been extensively refined to reduce their acid values. This treatment is particularly effective when applied to esters of the types described in copending Canadian Patent Applications Nos. 2,136,852, 2,136,853, 2,137,257, 2,137,263, 2,136,851 and 2,137,149, all filed May 27, 1993 and in U.S. Patent No. 5,021,179 of June 4, 1991 to Zehler et al.
In one aspect the process for increasing the electrical resistivity of a first liquid mixture consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids, said process comprising the steps of:
( 1 ) mixing the first liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid - liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid mixture and the alumina in said solid - liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30 ' C for a time of at least one minute;
(2) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid - liquid mixture formed at the end of step (1) to produce a second liquid consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids;
(3) mixing the second liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid - liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alurnina in said solid - liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30' C for a time of at least one minute; and (4) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid - liquid mixture formed at the end of step (3) to produce a third liquid consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids and having an electrical resistivity that is higher than that of the first liquid mixture and an acid value of not greater than 0.10.
In a more preferred aspect the invention provides the process for increasing the electrical resistivity of a first liquid mixture consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids, said process comprising the steps of ( 1 ) pretreating the first liquid mixture by alkali refining in order to reduce the acid value of the mixture;
(2) mixing the first liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid - liquid mixture=and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alumina in said solid - liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30' C for a time of at least 1 minute;
(3) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid - liquid mixture formed at the end of step (2) to produce a second liquid consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids;
C. for a period of time; and (5) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid-liquid mixture formed at the end of step (4) to produce a third liquid consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids and having an electrical resistivity that is higher than that of the first liquid mixture.
In another aspect, the invention provides a process for increasing the electrical resistivity of a first liquid mixture consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids selected from the group consisting of pentanoic acid and 2-ethyl-hexanoic acid, which is used with chlorine-free hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants, said process comprising the steps of:
(1 ) pretreating the first liquid mixture by alkali refining in order to reduce the acid value of the mixture;
(2) mixing the pretreated liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid-liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alumina in said solid-liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30°
C. for a period of time;
(3) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid-liquid mixture formed at the end of step (2) to produce a second liquid mixture consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids;
(4) mixing the second liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid-liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alumina in said solid-liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30°
C. for a period of time; and (5) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid-liquid mixture formed at the end of step (4) to produce a third liquid mixture consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids and having an electrical resistivity that is higher than that of the first liquid mixture wherein the esters of said first liquid mixture.
It should be noted that the standard definitions for the acronyms NPG, TMP, PE, DTMP and DPE apply herein and these are:
NPG - neopentyl glycol TMP - trimethylol propane PE - pentaerythritol DTMP- di-trimethylol propane DPE - di-pentaerythritol It has now been found that treatment with activated alumina is surprisingly effective in increasing the electrical resistivity of lubricant esters as commonly made commercially in the past, even when the esters have already been extensively refined to reduce their acid values. This treatment is particularly effective when applied to esters of the types described in copending Canadian Patent Applications Nos. 2,136,852, 2,136,853, 2,137,257, 2,137,263, 2,136,851 and 2,137,149, all filed May 27, 1993 and in U.S. Patent No. 5,021,179 of June 4, 1991 to Zehler et al.
In one aspect the process for increasing the electrical resistivity of a first liquid mixture consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids, said process comprising the steps of:
( 1 ) mixing the first liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid - liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid mixture and the alumina in said solid - liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30 ' C for a time of at least one minute;
(2) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid - liquid mixture formed at the end of step (1) to produce a second liquid consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids;
(3) mixing the second liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid - liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alurnina in said solid - liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30' C for a time of at least one minute; and (4) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid - liquid mixture formed at the end of step (3) to produce a third liquid consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids and having an electrical resistivity that is higher than that of the first liquid mixture and an acid value of not greater than 0.10.
In a more preferred aspect the invention provides the process for increasing the electrical resistivity of a first liquid mixture consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids, said process comprising the steps of ( 1 ) pretreating the first liquid mixture by alkali refining in order to reduce the acid value of the mixture;
(2) mixing the first liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid - liquid mixture=and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alumina in said solid - liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30' C for a time of at least 1 minute;
(3) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid - liquid mixture formed at the end of step (2) to produce a second liquid consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids;
(4) mixing the second liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid - liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alumina on said solid - liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30~C
for a time of at least one minute; and (5) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid - liquid mixture formed at the end of step (4) to produce a third liquid consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids and having an electrical resistivity that is high than that of the first liquid mixture and an acid value of not greater than 0.10.
More particularly, the invention provides the process for increasing the electrical resistivity of a liquid mixture consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids, which is used with chlorine-free hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants, said process comprising the steps of:
(1) pretreating the liquid mixture by alkali refining in order to reduce the acid value of the mixture;
(2) mixing the pretreated liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid - liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alumina in said solid - liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30°C for a period of time;
(3) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid - liquid mixture formed at the end of step (2) to produce a second liquid consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids;
(4) mixing the second liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid - liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alumina in said solid - liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30°C for a period of time; and (5) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid - liquid mixture formed at the end of step (4) to produce a third liquid consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids and having an electrical resistivity that is higher than that of the first liquid mixture.
for a time of at least one minute; and (5) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid - liquid mixture formed at the end of step (4) to produce a third liquid consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids and having an electrical resistivity that is high than that of the first liquid mixture and an acid value of not greater than 0.10.
More particularly, the invention provides the process for increasing the electrical resistivity of a liquid mixture consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids, which is used with chlorine-free hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants, said process comprising the steps of:
(1) pretreating the liquid mixture by alkali refining in order to reduce the acid value of the mixture;
(2) mixing the pretreated liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid - liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alumina in said solid - liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30°C for a period of time;
(3) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid - liquid mixture formed at the end of step (2) to produce a second liquid consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids;
(4) mixing the second liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid - liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alumina in said solid - liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30°C for a period of time; and (5) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid - liquid mixture formed at the end of step (4) to produce a third liquid consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids and having an electrical resistivity that is higher than that of the first liquid mixture.
Descriation of Preferred Embodiments A process according to this invention at a minimum includes a step of contacting a liquid lubricant ester containing composition, also containing some impurities of unknown chemical character that are present in the starting materials and/or produced during the esterification reaction under practical conditions, with solid activated alumina, maintaining the contact for a selected period of time, and then separating the solids to produce a product liquid lubricant ester containing mixture with higher electrical resistivity.
Preferably, contact between the solid activated aiumina and the lubricant to be refined is assisted by mechanical agitation.
The temperature during contact between the lubricant and alumina preferably is, with increasing preference in the order given, at least 30, 52, 72, 90, 98, 105, 111, 116, or 119 ° C and independently preferably is, with increasing preference in the order given, not more than 300, 210, 188, 168, 150, 142, 134, 128, 124, or 121 ° C.
The time of contact between alumina and ester before separation preferably is, with increasing preference in the order given, not less that 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 40, 48, 52, or 56 minutes (hereinafter often abbreviated "min") and independently preferably is, with increasing preference in the order given, not more than 480, 360, 300, 280, 265, 255, 250, or 244 min.
The ratio, expressed as percentage, of the mass of activated aiumina used to the mass of liquid treated preferably is, with increasing preference in the order given, not less than 0.01, 0.02, 0.04, 0.08, 0.16, 0.26, 0.35, 0.39, 0.43, 0.46, or 0.48 % and independently not more than 10, 5, 2.5, 1.8, 1.3, 0.80, 0.67, 0.62, 0.58, 0.55, or 0.52 °/a.
The average particle size of the activated alumina used in the process preferably is chosen to be sufficiently large to separate easily when desired, by some well established and economical process such as filtration or centrifugation, and sufficiently small and/or porous to have a high surface area, inasmuch as it is believed that adsorption may contribute significantly to the increases in electrical resistivity achieved by a process according to the invention. More particularly, the alumina used preferably is, with increasing preference in the order given, fine enough to pass through screens with standard mesh sizes of 24, 40, 50, 60, 80, or 100 mesh and independently preferably is, with increasing preference in the order given, not fine enough to pass through screens or cloths with standard mesh sizes of 1000, 600, 400, or 320. Independently the specifrc surface area of the aiumina used, measured by the conventional Brunauer-Emmett-Teller ("BET') nitrogen gas adsorption, technique, is at least, with increasing preference in the order given, 100, 150, 200, 225, or 250 square meters per gram (hereinafter abbreviated as "m2lg").
Under some conditions it is advantageous to reduce the pressure over the mixture of activated alumina and lubricant being treated according to the invention. When such a partial vacuum is desired, the pressure of gas over the mixture of alumina and esters being treated preferably is, with increasing preference in the order given, not more than 100, 50, 25, 15, 10, 8, 7, 6, or torr during at least half of the total contact time.
The conditions above have been described for a single application of a process according to the invention. In practice, however, it has been found advantageous in many cases to repeat one or all of the steps of the process outlined above at least once, and sometimes more than once, as indicated in the working examples below. A somewhat less preferred, but nevertheless often useful, alternative to repeating all the steps outlined above is to use amounts of alumina nearer to the upper limits of the preferred values in a single step, rather than amounts nearer to the most preferred values. For example, instead of using 0.5 % alumina three times, 1.5 % aiumina might be used in a single step.
The effectiveness of. activated alumina in raising electrical resistivity is substantially reduced if the lubricant ester containing mixture being treated contains free acids of any sort. Therefore, the lubricant mixture to be treated according to the invention preferably is first treated if necessary by alkali refining as generally known in the art in order to reduce its acid value (hereinafter often abbreviated as "AV"). The AV of the lubricant mixture to be treated before beginning treatment according to the invention preferably is, with increasing preference in the order given, not greater than 0.10, 0.085, 0.065, 0.050, 0.040, 0.032, 0.028, 0.026, 0.024, 0.022, 0.020, 0.018, 0.016, 0.014, 0.012, or 0.010.
The effectiveness of the alumina can also be reduced by water present in the liquid being treated. Therefore, the liquid to be treated preferably is dried by partial vacuum and heat and/or by contact with desiccant before treatment according to this invention. One suitable method of drying is to maintain the ester mixture at 120° C for about 2 hours under a partial vacuum, with a pressure of not more than 2 torr, or preferably not more than 0.2 torn.
However, other drying methods known in the art may also be used.
The volume resistivity, measured according to ASTM method D 1169-80, of a lubricant product from a process according to this invention preferably is, with increasing preference in the order given, at least 1.0~10", 2.0~10", 4.0~10", 5.9~10", 6.8~10", 8.0~10", 9.0~10", or 10.0~10" ohm centimeters.
A process according to the invention is particularly advantageously applied to esters made by reacting hindered polyois, preferably neopentyl glycol ("NPG"), trimethyiolpropane ("TMP"), or pentaerythritol ("PE"), with pentanoic acid or 2-ethylhexanoic acid.
The practice of the invention may be further appreciated by consideration of the following examples and comparative examples.
Ester base stocks 1 and 2 were prepared by reacting TMP for #1 and PE
for # 2 with pentanoic acid in the manner described in U. S. Patent 5,021,179 column 8 lines 9 - 62, using sodium hydroxide to remove residual acidity in the manner generally known in the art as "alkali refining". Different lots of each type of ester base stock were made at different times, using the same nominal directions but producing slightly different results, probably because of variations in the raw materials and/or process conditions within the ranges of permissible variation and practical control of these factors. The refined and dried ester lubricants were then treated according to the present invention with 0.5 % of their mass of Alumina F-1 T"" with a particle size of -100 mesh, commercially obtainable from Alcoa Industrial Chemicals Division (Vidalia, Louisiana), for hours per treatment step at 120° C. In some cases, as indicated in Table 1 below, more than one step of alkali refining andlor aiumina treatment were used. The electrical resistance values were measured according to ASTM D
1169-80, using a test voltage of 500 volts per mm at a temperature of 25° C.
Table 1 Ester Type "Number of Acid Teraohm Re etitions of:
and Lot No. Alumina Alkali Value Cm 1 1 0.004 1196 2 1 0.006 2286 1.1 4 1 0.006 232 1 4 0.004 162 4 4 0.004 238 2.1 0 1 0.006 643 2.2 1 4 0.029 58 It is apparent from the results in Table 1 that alumina treatment is more effective than alkali refining in increasing electrical volume resistivity.
Preferably, contact between the solid activated aiumina and the lubricant to be refined is assisted by mechanical agitation.
The temperature during contact between the lubricant and alumina preferably is, with increasing preference in the order given, at least 30, 52, 72, 90, 98, 105, 111, 116, or 119 ° C and independently preferably is, with increasing preference in the order given, not more than 300, 210, 188, 168, 150, 142, 134, 128, 124, or 121 ° C.
The time of contact between alumina and ester before separation preferably is, with increasing preference in the order given, not less that 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 40, 48, 52, or 56 minutes (hereinafter often abbreviated "min") and independently preferably is, with increasing preference in the order given, not more than 480, 360, 300, 280, 265, 255, 250, or 244 min.
The ratio, expressed as percentage, of the mass of activated aiumina used to the mass of liquid treated preferably is, with increasing preference in the order given, not less than 0.01, 0.02, 0.04, 0.08, 0.16, 0.26, 0.35, 0.39, 0.43, 0.46, or 0.48 % and independently not more than 10, 5, 2.5, 1.8, 1.3, 0.80, 0.67, 0.62, 0.58, 0.55, or 0.52 °/a.
The average particle size of the activated alumina used in the process preferably is chosen to be sufficiently large to separate easily when desired, by some well established and economical process such as filtration or centrifugation, and sufficiently small and/or porous to have a high surface area, inasmuch as it is believed that adsorption may contribute significantly to the increases in electrical resistivity achieved by a process according to the invention. More particularly, the alumina used preferably is, with increasing preference in the order given, fine enough to pass through screens with standard mesh sizes of 24, 40, 50, 60, 80, or 100 mesh and independently preferably is, with increasing preference in the order given, not fine enough to pass through screens or cloths with standard mesh sizes of 1000, 600, 400, or 320. Independently the specifrc surface area of the aiumina used, measured by the conventional Brunauer-Emmett-Teller ("BET') nitrogen gas adsorption, technique, is at least, with increasing preference in the order given, 100, 150, 200, 225, or 250 square meters per gram (hereinafter abbreviated as "m2lg").
Under some conditions it is advantageous to reduce the pressure over the mixture of activated alumina and lubricant being treated according to the invention. When such a partial vacuum is desired, the pressure of gas over the mixture of alumina and esters being treated preferably is, with increasing preference in the order given, not more than 100, 50, 25, 15, 10, 8, 7, 6, or torr during at least half of the total contact time.
The conditions above have been described for a single application of a process according to the invention. In practice, however, it has been found advantageous in many cases to repeat one or all of the steps of the process outlined above at least once, and sometimes more than once, as indicated in the working examples below. A somewhat less preferred, but nevertheless often useful, alternative to repeating all the steps outlined above is to use amounts of alumina nearer to the upper limits of the preferred values in a single step, rather than amounts nearer to the most preferred values. For example, instead of using 0.5 % alumina three times, 1.5 % aiumina might be used in a single step.
The effectiveness of. activated alumina in raising electrical resistivity is substantially reduced if the lubricant ester containing mixture being treated contains free acids of any sort. Therefore, the lubricant mixture to be treated according to the invention preferably is first treated if necessary by alkali refining as generally known in the art in order to reduce its acid value (hereinafter often abbreviated as "AV"). The AV of the lubricant mixture to be treated before beginning treatment according to the invention preferably is, with increasing preference in the order given, not greater than 0.10, 0.085, 0.065, 0.050, 0.040, 0.032, 0.028, 0.026, 0.024, 0.022, 0.020, 0.018, 0.016, 0.014, 0.012, or 0.010.
The effectiveness of the alumina can also be reduced by water present in the liquid being treated. Therefore, the liquid to be treated preferably is dried by partial vacuum and heat and/or by contact with desiccant before treatment according to this invention. One suitable method of drying is to maintain the ester mixture at 120° C for about 2 hours under a partial vacuum, with a pressure of not more than 2 torr, or preferably not more than 0.2 torn.
However, other drying methods known in the art may also be used.
The volume resistivity, measured according to ASTM method D 1169-80, of a lubricant product from a process according to this invention preferably is, with increasing preference in the order given, at least 1.0~10", 2.0~10", 4.0~10", 5.9~10", 6.8~10", 8.0~10", 9.0~10", or 10.0~10" ohm centimeters.
A process according to the invention is particularly advantageously applied to esters made by reacting hindered polyois, preferably neopentyl glycol ("NPG"), trimethyiolpropane ("TMP"), or pentaerythritol ("PE"), with pentanoic acid or 2-ethylhexanoic acid.
The practice of the invention may be further appreciated by consideration of the following examples and comparative examples.
Ester base stocks 1 and 2 were prepared by reacting TMP for #1 and PE
for # 2 with pentanoic acid in the manner described in U. S. Patent 5,021,179 column 8 lines 9 - 62, using sodium hydroxide to remove residual acidity in the manner generally known in the art as "alkali refining". Different lots of each type of ester base stock were made at different times, using the same nominal directions but producing slightly different results, probably because of variations in the raw materials and/or process conditions within the ranges of permissible variation and practical control of these factors. The refined and dried ester lubricants were then treated according to the present invention with 0.5 % of their mass of Alumina F-1 T"" with a particle size of -100 mesh, commercially obtainable from Alcoa Industrial Chemicals Division (Vidalia, Louisiana), for hours per treatment step at 120° C. In some cases, as indicated in Table 1 below, more than one step of alkali refining andlor aiumina treatment were used. The electrical resistance values were measured according to ASTM D
1169-80, using a test voltage of 500 volts per mm at a temperature of 25° C.
Table 1 Ester Type "Number of Acid Teraohm Re etitions of:
and Lot No. Alumina Alkali Value Cm 1 1 0.004 1196 2 1 0.006 2286 1.1 4 1 0.006 232 1 4 0.004 162 4 4 0.004 238 2.1 0 1 0.006 643 2.2 1 4 0.029 58 It is apparent from the results in Table 1 that alumina treatment is more effective than alkali refining in increasing electrical volume resistivity.
Claims (29)
1. A process for increasing the electrical resistivity of a liquid mixture consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols selected from the group consisting of neopentyl glycol, trimethylolpropane and pentaerythritol with organic carboxylic acids, which is used with chlorine-free hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants, said process comprising the steps of:
(1) pretreating the liquid mixture by alkali refining in order to reduce the acid value of the mixture;
(2) mixing the pretreated liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid-liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alumina in said solid-liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30°
C. for a period of time;
(3) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid-liquid mixture formed at the end of step (2) to produce a second liquid consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids;
(4) mixing the second liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid-liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alumina in said solid-liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30°
C. for a period of time; and (5) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid-liquid mixture formed at the end of step (4) to produce a third liquid consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids and having an electrical resistivity that is higher than that of the first liquid mixture.
(1) pretreating the liquid mixture by alkali refining in order to reduce the acid value of the mixture;
(2) mixing the pretreated liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid-liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alumina in said solid-liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30°
C. for a period of time;
(3) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid-liquid mixture formed at the end of step (2) to produce a second liquid consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids;
(4) mixing the second liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid-liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alumina in said solid-liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30°
C. for a period of time; and (5) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid-liquid mixture formed at the end of step (4) to produce a third liquid consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids and having an electrical resistivity that is higher than that of the first liquid mixture.
2. The process according to claim 1 wherein the alkali refining step (1) is carried out with sodium hydroxide.
3. The process according to claim 1 wherein the mutual contact during each of steps (2) and (4) is carried out at a temperature of at least 72° C.
4. The process according to claim 3 wherein the mutual contact during each of steps (2) and (4) is carried out at a temperature of at least 119° C.
5. The process according to claim 1, wherein the contact time between solid-liquid mixture in each of steps (2) and (4) is not less than 1 minute.
6. The process according to claim 1 wherein the ratio of the mass of activated alumina to the mass of liquid treated in each of steps (2) and (4) is not less than 0.01 %.
7. The process according to claim 6 wherein the ratio of the mass of activated alumina used to the mass of liquid treated in each of steps (2) and (4) is not less than 0.48%.
8. The process according to claim 1 wherein the average particle size of the activated alumina used in each of steps (2) and (4) is fine enough to pass through screens with standard mesh sizes of 24 but not fine enough to pass through screens with standard mesh size of 320.
9. The process according to claim 1 wherein the specific surface area of the alumina used in each of steps (2) and (4) is at least 100 m2/g.
10. The process according to claim 1 wherein the mutual contact during each of steps (2) and (4) is carried out at least in part under reduced pressure.
11. The process according to claim 10 wherein said mutual contact in each of steps (2) and (4) is carried out at least in part at a pressure of not more than 10 torr.
12. The process according to claim 1 wherein the separated third liquid is subsequently dried.
13. The process according to claim 12 wherein the drying of said separated third liquid is effected by subjecting the third liquid to a temperature of about 120° C.
for about 2 hours and under a reduced atmospheric pressure between 0.2 torr to about 2.0 torr.
for about 2 hours and under a reduced atmospheric pressure between 0.2 torr to about 2.0 torr.
14. A liquid mixture of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids made from the process according to claim 1 wherein the esters have an electrical resistivity of at least 2.0×10 14 ohm-cm.
15. A process for increasing the electrical resistivity of a first liquid mixture consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids selected from the group consisting of pentanoic acid and 2-ethyl-hexanoic acid, which is used with chlorine-free hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants, said process comprising the steps of:
(1) pretreating the first liquid mixture by alkali refining in order to reduce the acid value of the mixture;
(2) mixing the pretreated liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid-liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alumina in said solid-liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30°
C. for a period of time;
(3) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid-liquid mixture formed at the end of step (2) to produce a second liquid mixture consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids;
(4) mixing the second liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid-liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alumina in said solid-liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30°
C. for a period of time; and (5) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid-liquid mixture formed at the end of step (4) to produce a third liquid mixture consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids and having an electrical resistivity that is higher than that of the first liquid mixture wherein the esters of said first liquid mixture.
(1) pretreating the first liquid mixture by alkali refining in order to reduce the acid value of the mixture;
(2) mixing the pretreated liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid-liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alumina in said solid-liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30°
C. for a period of time;
(3) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid-liquid mixture formed at the end of step (2) to produce a second liquid mixture consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids;
(4) mixing the second liquid mixture with solid activated alumina so as to form a solid-liquid mixture and maintaining mutual contact between the liquid and the alumina in said solid-liquid mixture at a temperature of at least 30°
C. for a period of time; and (5) separating the solid material from the liquid in the solid-liquid mixture formed at the end of step (4) to produce a third liquid mixture consisting essentially of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acids and having an electrical resistivity that is higher than that of the first liquid mixture wherein the esters of said first liquid mixture.
16. The process according to claim 15 wherein the alkali refining step (1) is carried out with sodium hydroxide.
17. The process according to claim 15 wherein the mutual contact during each of steps (2) and (4) is carried out at a temperature of at least 72° C.
18. The process according to claim 17 wherein the mutual contact during each of the steps (2) and (4) is carried out at a temperature of at least 119°
C.
C.
19. The process according to claim 15 wherein the contact time between the solid-liquid mixture in each of steps (2) and (4), is not less than 1 minute.
20. The process according to claim 19 wherein the contact time between the solid-liquid mixture in each of steps (2) and (4) is not less than 56 minutes.
21. The process according to claim 15 wherein the ratio of the mass of activated alumina to the mass of liquid treated in each of steps (2) and (4) is not less than 0.01%.
22. The process according to claim 21 wherein the ratio of the mass of activated alumina used to the mass of liquid treated in each of steps (2) and (4) is not less than 0.48%.
23. The process according to claim 15 wherein the average particle size of the activated alumina used in each of steps (2) and (4) is fine enough to pass through screens with standard mesh sizes of 24 but not fine enough to pass through screens with standard mesh size of 320.
24. The process according to claim 15 wherein the specific surface area of the alumina used in each of steps (2) and (4) is at least 100 m2/g.
25. The process according to claim 15 wherein the mutual contact in each of the steps (2) and (4) is carried out at least in part under reduced pressure.
26. The process according to the claim 25 wherein said mutual contact in each of step (2) and (4) is carried out at least in part at a pressure of not more than 10 torr.
27. The process according to claim 15 wherein the separated third liquid is subsequently dried.
28. The process according to claim 27 wherein the drying of said separated third liquid is effected by subjecting the third liquid to a temperature of about 120° C.
for about 2 hours and under a reduced atmospheric pressure between 0.2 torr to about 2 torr.
for about 2 hours and under a reduced atmospheric pressure between 0.2 torr to about 2 torr.
29. A liquid mixture of esters of hindered polyols with organic carboxylic acid made from the process according to claim 15 wherein the esters have an electrical resistivity of at least 2.0×10 14 ohm-cm.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US24779094A | 1994-05-23 | 1994-05-23 | |
| US08/247,790 | 1994-05-23 | ||
| CA002191108A CA2191108C (en) | 1994-05-23 | 1995-05-01 | Method for increasing the electrical resistivity of hindered polyol ester refrigerant lubricants |
Related Parent Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002191108A Division CA2191108C (en) | 1994-05-23 | 1995-05-01 | Method for increasing the electrical resistivity of hindered polyol ester refrigerant lubricants |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2274379A1 CA2274379A1 (en) | 1995-11-30 |
| CA2274379C true CA2274379C (en) | 2004-09-07 |
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ID=31189069
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| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002274379A Expired - Fee Related CA2274379C (en) | 1994-05-23 | 1995-05-01 | Method for increasing the electrical resistivity of hindered polyol ester refrigerant lubricants |
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| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2274379C (en) |
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1995
- 1995-05-01 CA CA002274379A patent/CA2274379C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
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| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CA2274379A1 (en) | 1995-11-30 |
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