Dow UCON™ WaterGuard Stabilizers enable longer-lasting lubricants in water-prone environments
MIDLAND, Mich. – May 21, 2018 – To help improve machinery lubrication reliability at sea and in other water-prone environments, The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) has launched a technology under the UCON™ brand of polyalkylene glycol (PAG) fluids and lubricants. UCON™ WaterGuard (WG) Stabilizers offer a readily biodegradable option for ester-based lubricants that are prone to hydrolysis, and resulting fluid degradation, when exposed to moisture or water. They can be utilized in a wide variety of applications across industries, including marine applications where abundant water can accelerate acid formation, lubricant degradation and machinery failure.
“Our goal is to provide our customers across sectors with the tools they need to extend the life of their lubricants,” said Andrew Larson, market manager for North America. “This technology essentially acts as a polymeric sponge that soaks up free water and moisture, preventing the water from interacting with oil – to enhance lubricant performance and protect metal equipment for longer periods of time.”
Based on a flexible chemistry, two UCON™ WaterGuard Stabilizer options are currently available. The WG-1 stabilizer can be used with natural esters or triglycerides (vegetable oils) and unsaturated and saturated synthetic esters. Meanwhile, the WG-2 stabilizer is intended for use with saturated synthetic esters. In addition to being biodegradable, these stabilizers can be used in food-grade applications (food-grade lubricants or food additives, respectively), demonstrating the versatility of this technology.
Dow’s Andrew Larson will highlight the benefits of the new UCON™ WaterGuard Stabilizers across applications during the Commercial Marketing Forum at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) on Monday, May 21 at 9:00 A.M. (Session 1B). STLE attendees may schedule a meeting or visit Dow at booth #303 learn more.
About Dow
The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) combines science and technology knowledge to develop premier materials science solutions that are essential to human progress. Dow has one of the strongest and broadest toolkits in the industry, with robust technology, asset integration, scale and competitive capabilities that help it to address complex global issues. Dow’s market-driven, industry-leading portfolio of advanced materials, industrial intermediates, and plastics businesses deliver a broad range of differentiated technology based products and solutions for customers in high-growth markets such as packaging, infrastructure, and consumer care. Dow is a subsidiary of DowDuPont Inc. (NYSE: DWDP), a holding company comprised of Dow and DuPont with the intent to form three strong, independent, publicly traded companies in agriculture, materials science and specialty sectors. More information can be found at www.dow.com.
