Evaluation of antiwear properties of fire resistant hydraulic fluids with potash contamination

火灾是对地下矿井安全的一种长期存在的威胁，不仅对人员和设备造成直接危险，而且还由于烟雾在矿井中的传播。 火灾风险的一个来源是使用矿物油基流体作为液压油或润滑油的设备。尽管传统液压油的闪点相对较高，但高压泄漏产生的雾化液体喷雾可能会引发火灾。降低火灾风险的一种方法是使用耐火液压油（FRHF）。 虽然这些流体已被航空航天和钢铁生产等行业所接受，但它们有许多限制，阻碍了当地采矿公司的采用。其中之一是这些液体可能与盐污染（即碳酸钾）不相容。 某些FRHF的水基化学性质会导致盐溶解，从而破坏过滤、降低润滑性并促进气穴现象，严重降低其抗磨性能并导致泵和阀过早失效。1986年，美国流体动力实验室进行了一项全面的研究，发现当时可用的水基FRHF不适合在可能存在钾碱污染的情况下使用[Szafron，1986]。然而，从那时起，已经开发了各种各样的新流体，它们对盐污染的抵抗力在很大程度上是未知的。我们建议研究新一代FRHF在萨斯喀彻温省矿山中使用的适用性。

Fire is an ever-present threat to the safety of an underground mine, both through direct danger to personnel and equipment, but also due to the spread of smoke through the mine. One source of fire risk is equipment which employs mineral-oil based fluid as hydraulic or lubricating oil. Although conventional fluids have a relatively high flash point, the atomized spray of fluid from a high pressure leak can create the conditions for a fire.One method of reducing this fire risk is the use of fire-resistant hydraulic fluids (FRHF). While these fluids have been readily accepted by industries such as the aerospace and steel production sectors, they have a number of limitations that have impeded their adoption by local mining companies. Among them is the fact that these fluids may not be compatible with salt contamination (i.e. potash). The water-based chemistry of some FRHFs can allow for the dissolution of salts which defeats filtration and reduces lubricity and promotes cavitation, severely degrading their anti-wear properties and leading to premature failure of pumps and valves. A thorough study was performed in the U of S Fluid Power Laboratory in 1986 that found that the water-based FRHFs available at the time were not suitable for use where potash contamination was likely [Szafron, 1986]. However, a wide variety of new fluids have been developed since that time, and their resistance to salt contamination is largely unknown. We are proposing to study the suitability of the new generation of FRHFs for use in Saskatchewan mines.