East Midlands Lubrizol Visit
Dr Gwenda McIntyre CChem CSci FRSC tells us about her visit to the Lubrizol Ltd Hazelwood Site with fellow members of our East Midlands Local Section. Gwenda is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry East Midlands Local Section Committee and is a Principal Consultant with GHD Environment Ltd.
The Royal Society of Chemistry East Midlands Members Section was treated to a fascinating tour of Lubrizol Ltd.’s research and development, and chemical and mechanical testing facility in Hazelwood, Derbyshire on Tuesday 10th May. The tour was arranged and hosted by Dr Gary Walker, the Global R&D Technology Manager for Detergents. Our visit included a presentation about the work that Lubraizol does, a tour of their facilities at the Hazlewood site and a networking lunch at the end.
Twenty-eight Royal Society of Chemistry members attended this visit, demonstrating the high level of interest amongst local chemists in attending this type of industry focused site visit. The chemists attending the visit included professional industrial, academic and consultant chemists, students and 'retired' chemists – who were clearly still very involved in the world of chemistry. The group included representatives from companies including: AdamsonJones Patent Attorney (BioCity Nottingham); British Gypsum Saint-Gobain (East Leake); CPL Aromas Fragrances (Northampton); 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division (Atherstone); Dartex Coatings (Long Eaton); DNV-GL, Envigo (Shardlow); GHD Environment Ltd (Calverton); the RSC Small Companies Programme Manager (Cambridge) and Thermofisher (Loughborough). Academics, students and teaching representatives came from the Universities of Derby and Nottingham, and Oakham School.
A slick introduction
Following a warm welcome from the Lubrizol site staff, Dr Walker presented a very interesting introduction to the Lubrizol business and product range, the history of the Hazelwood site and the current activities ongoing on this site. Dr Walker went on to provide an overview of the types of chemistry involved in the research, development, formulation and testing of products at this site.
We learnt that Lubrizol Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lubrizol Corporation which includes Lubrizol Additives and Lubrizol Advanced Materials. Founded in 1928 in Ohio, Lubrizol was the founding company of the oil based products additives industry and remains a key player in this field with a third of all passenger cars in the UK using Lubrizol developed technology. Lubrizol Additives is a global supplier of chemical additive technologies including additives for engine oils, driveline applications, gasoline and diesel fuel, other transportation-related fluids and industrial lubricants. Lubrizol Advanced Materials is a leading global producer of advanced specialty polymers, polymer based additives and chemical additives used in everyday consumer and industrial applications. After the corporate headquarters site in Wickliffe, Ohio, the Hazelwood site is Lubrizol Additives’ largest product development site. The company employs about 380 employees at the Hazelwood site. Lubrizol is a technology-driven company employing more than 160 PhD scientists and engineers globally involved in fields such as surface active chemistry, rheology modification, film technology and polymer technology. Lubrizol Ltd is the 4th biggest investor in UK chemical industry R&D with 170 patents published since 2000 from the Hazelwood site alone. Hazelwood research activities are grouped into Applied Sciences, Blend Test Services and Chemical Synthesis. Dr Walker explained that typically 5- 20% by volume of engine oil formulation is composed of performance additives including:
- Dispersants, which prevent deposition of contaminants on the engine surfaces.
- Detergents, which neutralise acids from combustion, cleaning and prolonging fluid life.
- Anti-oxidants, which decompose peroxygen species and scavenge free radicals to improve fluid performance and life.
- Anti-wear additives, usually phosphorus rich compounds which protect metal surfaces through formation of polyphosphate surface films.
- Other additives, for example: friction modifiers, which assist in reduced engine emissions and improve fuel economy; pour point depressants, which optimise fluids for use in particular thermal environments; foam suppressants; corrosion inhibitors; and viscosity modifiers, including high molecular weight polymers which protect engine surfaces when operating at higher temperatures.
Dr Walker highlighted that the performance of additives in engine oil formulations is impacted by the base oil selection, whether traditional fossil fuel or plant (oleo chemical) derived. Additives chemistry is being advanced by Lubrizol to anticipate the different requirements of newer base oils such as complex polyester fluids.
A tour of the facilities
Following the presentation the large group of attendees was spilt into three smaller groups and embarked on a comprehensive tour of the laboratory and testing facilities hosted by key Lubrizol personnel. The tour groups visited:
- Applied Sciences which focuses on knowledge and test development and problem solving including the:
- Industrial and Driveline Laboratory where novel testing of solenoid longevity within gear casings was underway, wire resistance testing for corrosion effects, shear rig testing for emulsion stability, air entrainment rig for stability testing and a grease section for production of grease samples and testing.
- Thermal Laboratory housing amongst other apparatus, the Differential Scanning Calorimeter for testing transition temperatures and heat flow properties, Thermogravimetric Analysis and Rheological Analysis for testing deformation and flow chemistry under shear conditions, and anti-oxidant testing.
- Engine Oil Deposits Laboratory where the oils are tested to evaluate the level and nature of deposits likely to occur under actual use conditions.
- Microscopy Laboratory with tabletop Scanning Electron Microscope equipment used for elemental analysis.
- Tribology Laboratory where lubricating conditions are investigated using standard and novel tribological tests e.g. Mini-Traction Machine, Cameron Plint and measurement of oil layer thickness.
- Colloid and Surface Analysis Laboratory – a new facility with ~ £0.5M invested in state of the art equipment for polymer studies including stop-flow UV/vis, IR and light scattering analytical equipment.
- Blend Test Services where blends are made to order in the laboratory or the larger batch blend room for on-site rig testing, or sent for vehicle testing at one of the global field test centres. There is also a fuel blending facility. The extensive analytical test laboratories associated with the Blend Test Services include:
- Standard and non-standard industry tests e.g. corrosion testing, oxidation stability and pour point.
- Rapid Cycle and Standard Cycle Testing services offered to internal and external clients.
- A dedicated Viscometrics Laboratory for kinematic and dynamic viscosity testing.
- Chemical Synthesis laboratory and pilot plant which employs ~ 11 full time chemists and 5 Year in Industry students, developing novel molecules and samples of new chemicals for testing and evaluation. The Chemical Synthesis group claims responsibility for 14-18% of Lubrizol patents globally (128 patents from January 2000 to February 2016, 75-80% of the site’s patent) and is responsible for development of the novel chemistry used in a recently launched fuel product. The team work closely in collaboration with local universities and there are currently 18 PhD students associated with the Hazelwood site. The scientists use molecular modelling to predict the properties and activities of new molecules to assist in assessing health, safety and environmental issues prior to scale-up of production in the pilot plant. Patents may cover the new molecule or the production process as appropriate. A Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) testing facility is used for structure elucidation and shared with other groups.
Following the tour we had a group photograph and were treated to a fantastic buffet lunch. During lunch we had the opportunity to talk to Lubrizol personnel and also had time to get to know our fellow Royal Society of Chemistry members, bringing to an end a fascinating and very enjoyable visit. Everyone was very complimentary of the efforts made by Dr Walker and the other Lubrizol personnel to create such an interesting and well-organised visit. Many of us were surprised to learn that this state of the art research, development and industrial testing facility, almost hidden in the beautiful Derbyshire countryside, is playing such a key role in the advancement of the chemical sciences and in the development of new performance additive chemistry used in globally marketed products.
Tell us your story
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Tell us your story
We’d love to hear how you’ve been spending your 175 minutes for chemistry.
Complete the form on our anniversary web page or tweet @RoySocChem with #Time4Chem to share your story with us.
We’ll be featuring your stories on our RSC News web pages and in print throughout the year.