News and media releases

New jet engine lubricant offers high performance

22/01/2008

Aviation industry chemists have long struggled with the problem of balancing coking reduction against elastomer compatibility for high-performance-capability turbine oils. For many years, the industry has worked to find ways to improve the performance of the oils.

To combat these issues, Shell Aviation has launched a high-performance-category turbine engine oil that aims to address the exacting demands of aviation customers: low coking propensity; high resistance to oxidation and thermal degradation; and excellent elastomer compatibility.

AeroShell‡ Ascender‡ turbine oil was demonstrated to leading manufacturers and operators from the world of aviation at the Dubai Airshow in November.

The aviation lubricants team at Shell Global Solutions has spent more than five years developing AeroShell Ascender oil and building on the excellent features of Shell’s existing high-thermal-stability oil, AeroShell Turbine Oil 560.

Sjoerd Post, Vice President, Shell Aviation, comments, “The industry trend is for aviation engines to get bigger and run hotter than the previous generation; this helps to make them more efficient. A consequence of this is that the lubricants have to work much harder, especially with the increasing time between overhauls.

“We have been working to create a high-performance oil that could deliver the optimal balance between low coking and seal integrity. Effectively, we have gone right back to basics to alter the oil’s ‘DNA’.

‡AeroShell and Ascender are Shell trademarks.