ExxonMobil Lubricants and Petroleum Specialties, a division of Exxon Mobil Corporation, has continued to develop its offer for the oil and gas industry through the introduction of its new, fully-synthetic, Mobil SHC Gear series. The new product is the latest addition to the Mobil SHC brand of high-performance synthetic lubricants, which have been formulated to help oil and gas companies operating in extreme environments to reduce unscheduled downtime and maximise productivity.

Mobil SHC Gear oils are expertly formulated to deliver a number of performance advantages over conventional gear oil chemistries. For example, the range’s high oxidation resistance enables extended oil life up to six times compared to standard mineral gear and bearing lubricants, especially when operating at elevated operating temperatures. In addition, Mobil SHC Gear oils also demonstrate excellent water-handling properties, enhanced resistance to micropitting fatigue, improved seal compatibility and outstanding shear stability.

The new Mobil SHC lubricants offer valuable energy efficiency benefits across a wide range of industrial gearbox applications. In statistically validated laboratory tests and field trials, Mobil SHC Gear fluids exhibited energy savings of up to 3.6 percent compared with conventional oils*. Mobil SHC Gear lubricants are approved by Siemens for use in Flender gearboxes and meet or exceed nearly every other major industry and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) specification for industrial gearbox applications.

"Due to the associated high costs of unscheduled downtime in industries such as oil and gas we are constantly looking at how we can support our customers in their efforts to minimise unplanned application shutdowns and maximise productivity," said Akram Reda, industrial lubricants marketing advisor, Europe Africa Middle East zone, ExxonMobil Lubricants and Petroleum Specialties.

"The Mobil SHC Gear series has been developed to deliver optimum protection for equipment operating in extreme conditions such as heavy-loads and high operating temperatures."

In addition to Mobil SHC Gear oils, ExxonMobil Lubricants and Petroleum Specialties has recently developed a number of other high performance lubricants for the oil and gas industry, including:

  • Mobil SHC Pegasus – natural gas engine oils which help to reduce fuel consumption by up to 1.5%** and have the potential to increase oil drain intervals to more than 16,000 hours – four to eight times that of standard natural gas engine oils
  • Mobil DTE 10 Excel – hydraulic oils which can offer up to a 6% gain in energy efficiency compared to conventional hydraulic oil*** and three-fold increase in oil drain intervals
  • Mobil SHC Polyrex Series – consistent with the performance of Mobil branded greases, Mobil SHC Polyrex greases provide a combination of high-temperature performance, excellent water resistance and balanced wear protection. Mobil SHC Polyrex greases are able to provide lubrication up to 170°C, highly resistant to water and have excellent corrosion protection providing added protection to equipment in wet environments

"In developing these next generation lubricants, we have leveraged our own in-depth knowledge of upstream operations", said Andrea Jacobsen, industrial lubricants marketing manager, Europe Africa Middle East zone, ExxonMobil Lubricants and Petroleum Specialties.

"While only accounting for a small proportion of the total maintenance spend, advanced lubricants such as Mobil SHC Gear have the potential to drive the productivity of an oil and gas company higher while supporting safety, sustainability and operating cost targets."

In addition to its range of high quality lubricants, ExxonMobil Lubricants and Petroleum Specialties offers its proprietary online oil analysis service, Signum. Signum enables operators to proactively monitor the condition of lubricants and address undesirable conditions which have the potential to lead to unscheduled downtime and increased costs.

At SPE Offshore Europe 2011, ExxonMobil Lubricants and Petroleum Specialties will be showcasing its extensive offer of advanced lubrication solutions, including Mobil SHC 800 (turbine oils) and Mobil Rarus SHC 1020 series (compressor oils), at stand 2C 120.