Halocarbon Compounds And Their Use In High Temperature And Flame Resistant Applications

Fluorinated oil and other chemicals such as polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE) are fire resistant oils that are found wherever temperatures are high enough that a conventional hydrocarbon-based lubricant could spontaneously combust.

Such flash points can be as low as 30C for some compounds. High temperature grease and other inert lubricants are absolutely necessary for the safe function of a great many devices, from the wheels in the family car to NASA spacecraft. PCTFE is designed to retard flames even when they are directly applied, no matter the temperature. It can also inhibit spontaneous combustion. It is estimated by industry advocacy groups that thousands of potentially fatal fires have been prevented with the use of these compounds.

Flame retardant chemicals such as PCTFE, of which chlorinated and fluorinated oils are the most important active ingredient, have been applied to countless items in industry.

By the same token, the very high heat applications that could cause other lubricants to ignite in machinery are easily dealt with when using industrial, high-temperature grease and oil. Automobile and aircraft parts are especially likely to employ non-flammable oil in certain lubricating fluids such as the fluorochemical infused fire resistant hydraulic fluid found in many large tractor-trailer type trucks.

The inert nature of fluorinated compounds, having nothing to burn themselves, lends to their use as fire resistant oils in all manner of applications. A major use of the common fluorinated oil compound PCTFE is in mechanical seals, engine oil, mold release and hydraulic systems, since the substance doesn't deform or melt at normal temperatures, unlike some other types of petrochemical oils, greases and lubricants.

Wherever a reactive substance can cause damage in a mechanical system, there's a use for fluorinated lubricants. Most Halocarbon, inert lubricant compounds are safe up until 200C. This is well over the operating threshold environment of most moving parts in a device.

There are a few types of somewhat exotic and reactive metals that cannot tolerate contact with fluorochemical compounds because of the inherent nature of fluorine to have very strong affinity for certain elements such as calcium, potassium, sodium and silicon. As such, when these elements are found as part of a major part of a metal alloy or as pure metals themselves, other means must be found to keep the flames at bay.

If your car, truck or boat has a high temperature system that employs one or more of the lubricants that react badly with oxygen, there are special kits you can buy to switch just about any automotive/nautical system to one that is suitable for using high temperature oil or grease such as fire resistant hydraulic fluid if it is not already equipped as such.

Fluorinated lubricants, as they're used to combat unwanted fires, have been very effective keeping a high temperature mechanical device from breaking into flames. The use of fluorinated lubricants has been more effective than any compounds that were used before (such as hydrocarbon lubricants). You can't argue with the effectiveness of non-flammable oils.