Oxidation and the Testing
of Turbine Oils
STP 1489
This publication is a compilation of the papers delivered at the Symposium on Oxidation and the
Testing of Turbine Oils, held in Norfolk, Virginia, on December 5, 2005. The symposium was
sponsored by ASTM Committee D2 on Petroleum Products and Lubricants and its Subcommittees
D02.09 on Oxidation and D02.C0 on Turbine Oils.
This Symposium brought together original equipment manufacturers, end users, lubricant producers,
lubricant additive suppliers, test equipment manufacturers, and standard test method
developers in a forum to hear about industry trends to gain an understanding of the suffering
points, evolving lubricant /antioxidant additive technologies, and changing equipment designs
and operating conditions, with a focus on how these factors impact oxidation. As a standardization
organization, the knowledge gained from this symposium is being used to develop new and
improved oxidation tests for turbine oils to service and support each facet of the lubricant and
turbine industry represented at the symposium.
Subcommittees D02.09 and D02.C0 have wrestled with the question: Are the current bench tests,
ASTM D943 TOST, ASTM D4310 Sludge Tendency and ASTM D2272 RPVOT adequate predicative
tools for measuring oxidative degradation? Can we do better? Based the excellent turn out
for the symposium, it is clear that the answer to this question is yes, we can do better.
To put the state of the art into perspective the original ASTM D943 method issued in 1947. The
longest life oil in the original D943 round robin lasted less than 4000 hrs. Turbine Oils available
in the marketplace today exhibit TOST lives of greater than 10,000 hrs; far exceeding the
original scope of the D943 test. Many of these long life oils challenge the scope of the other
available oxidation test as well. Thus the industry is left with using tools that are eligible for
retirement to distinguish the quality and durability of new and in-service turbine oils.
This publication has been assembled to provide you with knowledge about industry trends, novel
oxidation tests and modifications of existing tests for further consideration. Today Subcommittee
D02.09 is taking the first step toward bridging the gap between available standardized oxidation
stability testing tools and the state-of-the-art lubricants, which are characterized by them. Several
new test methods are under development specifically targeted to evaluate varnish formation
plaguing gas turbines, particularly units operating in peak or cyclic service and to evaluate long
life steam turbine oils manufactured with highly refined and synthetic base stocks.
This publication is made possible by the dedication and hard work of the authors and the support
of their employers; the reviewers who volunteer to read the papers and provide feedback; and the
ASTM staff who grease the wheels.
thanks for your visit