COOLANTS & CUTTING OILS INDUSTRY NEWS & PRODUCT UPDATE
Super-critical CO2 coolant project underway
Nuclear Energy Components (NEC) is starting work with
the Nuclear AMRC to develop environmentally friendly
machining techniques that will reduce the cost, lead time
and risk associated with high-value nuclear components.
The project is funded by the UK government’s Nuclear
Innovation Programme and is part of a £40 million
investment in advanced nuclear technologies that was
announced in July.
Derbyshire-based NEC specialises in metal
components for the nuclear industry, including stainless
steel parts for the fuel assemblies used in the UK’s eet of
advanced gas-cooled reactors.
Over the past few years, the Nuclear AMRC’s
machining researchers have investigated supercritical
carbon dioxide as an alternative coolant, alone or in
combination with a minimum quantity of lubricant (MQL).
A supercritical uid combines the physical properties
of both a liquid and a gas. That makes it extremely
ef cient for carrying away heat from the cutting zone,
while it is also dense enough to carry away swarf in,
for example, deep-hole drilling.
The new year-long project, called ‘Process
Improvement Through CO2 Cooling (PITCO2C)’, will
develop the technology to take it closer to production for
316L stainless steel and demonstrate its bene ts for the
production of fuel assembly components.
The project builds on previous projects led by the
Nuclear AMRC, with early research funded by the High
Value Manufacturing Catapult. The technology was further
developed as part of the Inform project, funded by the rst
phase of the Nuclear Innovation Programme, that
demonstrated how supercritical CO2 and MQL can
signi cantly improve machining performance and increase
tool life while having no detriment to the material
properties of the machined alloy.
Environmentally friendly novel
metalworking uid additives
Available in the UK from SIP
Speciality Oils & Fluids
( www.is.gd/otodac ) are a new
product line of novel Oleo-derived
additives for metalworking uids
called Biocea from Biosynthetic
Technologies.
These novel sustainable
additives use the patented estolide
technology and are biobased,
biodegradable, nonbioaccumulative
and non-toxic.
Biocea additives leverage
Biosynthetic Technologies’
proprietary estolide technology for
demanding water-soluble, synthetic
and conventional oil additive
applications.
Biocea additives are produced
with naturally derived oils that not
only improve the quality of
formulated metalworking uids,
they are also biobased and
biodegradable, allowing for the
manufacture of environmentally
acceptable metalworking uids that
are safe and non-irritating to the
skin. These estolide-based
additives enhance the lubricity,
polarity, lm strength, biostability,
hydrolytic stability and oxidative
stability of uids.
“The unique structure of castor
oil offers interesting
properties, making it
appropriate for various
industrial applications.
Castor oil is valuable due to
the high content of ricinoleic
acid (RA), which is used in a
variety of applications in the
chemical industry,” explains
Jeffrey Mackey,
commercialisation and
application lead for the
metalworking uids market
at Biosynthetic Technologies.
“These products are an excellent
product line extension to our high
performance estolides and provide
a sustainable alternative to the
existing raw materials currently
used in the metalworking uids
market,” he asserts.
Good practice
update
The United Kingdom
Lubricants Association (UKLA)
Metalworking Fluid Product
Stewardship Group (MWFPSG)
has launched the updated Good
Practice Guide for Safe Handling
and Disposal of
Metalworking
Fluids.
Produced
in partnership
with the Health
& Safety
Executive
(HSE), the
guide aims to
keep end users
up to date
with the latest
developments supporting safe
management and disposal of
metalworking uids.
The new publication can be
downloaded in PDF format from
the UKLA’s website at:
www.is.gd/enuvol .
Briefs
Modular coolant hose
The Elesa ( www.is.gd/paxeyu )
FH Modular Coolant Hose system
provides a solution in
metalcutting and machining
applications. It employs snap
assembly of single elements,
allowing adjustment of the
lubricating jet and so offering
maximum exibility, while
maintaining stability in
operation, even in the presence
of equipment vibration. The
Elesa system allows coolant
provision to cutting heads, such
as lathes, broaches, grinding,
sawing and polishing: essentially
anywhere that a splash coolant
application is appropriate.
Aerospace high- yer
Approved for aviation by
manufacturers including Airbus,
Safran and Bombardier, Rhenus
TU 43 P ensures excellent
component quality. The special
coolant delivers long tool life
and facilitates a smooth, more
cost-effective machining
process. It not only plays a
leading role in the aircraft sector
but has also proven itself as a
real all-rounder in many other
industries that work a similar
range of materials.
Developed by Rhenus (CIS
Industrial, www.is.gd/ucunel )
for a broad range of materials,
Rhenus TU 43 P is a true allrounder
– helping users nd the
optimal balance between service
life, process safety and
machining time – that is
specially tailored to highly
challenging machining in the
aviation industry. It enables high
cutting and feed rates with
optimal cooling and improved
tool quality.
40 December 2020 | www.machinery.co.uk | MachineryMagazine | @MachineryTweets
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