Composition and method of manufacturing calcium magnesium sulfonate greases

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10087387-B2
Application number	US-201715593792-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2017
Priority date	May 18, 2016
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

An overbased calcium magnesium sulfonate grease composition and method of manufacture comprising both overbased calcium sulfonate and overbased magnesium sulfonate in a ratio range of 60:40 to 100:1. The grease is made according to any known method for making an overbased calcium sulfonate grease by using the overbased magnesium sulfonate in addition to the overbased calcium sulfonate. A portion of the magnesium sulfonate may be added prior to conversion and another portion after conversion, with or without one or more delay periods between the addition of water or other reactive ingredient and the addition of magnesium sulfonate. The grease can be made using calcium hydroxyapatite and/or added calcium carbonate as calcium containing bases for reacting with complexing acids, a non-aqueous converting agent delay method, added alkali metal hydroxide, or any combination thereof. The grease has a high dropping point and reduced thickener yield.

First claim

I claim:

1. A method of making a sulfonate-based grease comprising:
adding and mixing an amount of overbased calcium sulfonate containing amorphous calcium carbonate dispersed therein, an optional base oil, and one or more converting agents to form a pre-conversion mixture;
converting the pre-conversion mixture to a converted mixture by heating until conversion of the amorphous calcium carbonate to crystalline calcium carbonate has occurred; and
adding and mixing an amount of overbased magnesium sulfonate with the pre-conversion mixture, the converted mixture, or both.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the amount of overbased calcium sulfonate is 10-45% and the amount of overbased magnesium sulfonate is 0.1-30%.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the amount of overbased calcium sulfonate is 10-36% and the amount of overbased magnesium sulfonate is 1-24%.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the amount of overbased calcium sulfonate is 10-30% and the amount of overbased magnesium sulfonate is 1-20%.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the amount of overbased calcium sulfonate is 10-22% and the amount of overbased magnesium sulfonate is 1-15%.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a first portion of the magnesium sulfonate is added to the pre-conversion mixture and a second portion of the magnesium sulfonate is added to the converted mixture.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein 0.25-95% of the total amount of magnesium sulfonate is added as the first portion.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein 1-75% of the total amount of magnesium sulfonate is added as the first portion.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein 10-50% of the total amount of magnesium sulfonate is added as the first portion.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the first and second portions of magnesium sulfonate combined are 0.2-30% by weight of the final grease and the first portion of magnesium sulfonate is 0.1-20% by weight of the final grease.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein the first and second portions of magnesium sulfonate combined are 0.1-30% by weight of the final grease and the first portion of magnesium sulfonate is 0.5-15% by weight of the final grease.

12. The method of claim 6 wherein the first and second portions of magnesium sulfonate combined are 1.1-30% by weight of the final grease and the first portion of magnesium sulfonate is 1-10% by weight of the final grease.

13. The method of claim 6 wherein the converted mixture is heated to a temperature in excess of 300 F and then cooled to a temperature below 250 F and wherein the second portion of magnesium sulfonate is added after the converted mixture is cooled to a temperature below 250 F.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising adding and mixing one or more calcium containing bases with the pre-conversion mixture, the converted mixture, or both;
adding and mixing one or more acids with the pre-conversion mixture, the converted mixture, or both;
wherein water is one of the converting agents; and
wherein there is one or more magnesium sulfonate delay periods between the addition of water, one of the calcium containing bases, one of the acids, or any portion thereof and the addition of at least a portion of the overbased magnesium sulfonate.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein at least one of the magnesium sulfonate delay periods is a holding delay period wherein a mixture comprising water, a calcium containing base, an acid, or any portion thereof is maintained at a temperature or within a range of temperatures for a period of time prior to adding at least a portion of the magnesium sulfonate.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein at least one of the magnesium sulfonate delay periods is a temperature adjustment delay period wherein a mixture comprising water, a calcium containing base, an acid, or any portion thereof is heated or cooled prior to adding at least a portion of the magnesium sulfonate.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein at least one of the magnesium sulfonate delay periods is a temperature adjustment delay period wherein a mixture comprising water, a calcium containing base, an acid, or any portion thereof is heated or cooled prior to adding at least a second portion of the magnesium sulfonate.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein one of the acids is a facilitating acid added to the pre-conversion mixture and there is at least one magnesium sulfonate delay period between the addition of the facilitating acid and at least a portion of the magnesium sulfonate.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein a first portion of the magnesium sulfonate is added to the pre-conversion mixture and a second portion of the magnesium sulfonate is added to the converted mixture;
and wherein there is a magnesium sulfonate delay period prior to the addition of the first portion of the magnesium sulfonate, the second portion of the magnesium sulfonate, or both.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein the calcium containing bases are calcium hydroxyapatite, added calcium carbonate, added calcium hydroxide, added calcium oxide or a combination thereof.

21. The method of claim 14 wherein one of the converting agents is a non-aqueous converting agent and wherein there is one or more converting agent delay periods between the addition of water and the addition of at least a portion of the non-aqueous converting agent.

22. The method of claim 14 further comprising adding and mixing an alkali metal hydroxide with the pre-conversion mixture, the converted mixture, or both.

23. The method of claim 1 further adding comprising one or more calcium containing bases to the pre-conversion mixture, the converted mixture, or both.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the calcium containing bases are calcium hydroxyapatite, added calcium carbonate, added calcium hydroxide, added calcium oxide or a combination thereof.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the converting agents comprise water and at least one non-aqueous converting agent and wherein there is one or more converting agent delay periods between the addition of water and the addition of at least a portion of the non-aqueous converting agent.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising adding and mixing an alkali metal hydroxide with the pre-conversion mixture, the converted mixture, or both.

27. The method of claim 23 wherein the total amount of calcium containing bases added is 2.7-41.2%.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein the amount of water added as a converting agent is 1.5-10% and the total amount of non-aqueous converting agents is 0.1-5%.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein the amount of alkali metal hydroxide is 0.005-0.5%.

30. The method of claim 1 further comprising adding and mixing one or more complexing acids in a total amount of 1.25-18%.

31. The method of claim 23 wherein the calcium containing bases comprise calcium hydroxyapatite and calcium hydroxide and wherein the calcium hydroxyapatite contributes less than 25% of the hydroxide equivalent basicity of the total hydroxide equivalent basicity due to calcium hydroxyapatite and added calcium carbonate.

32. The method of claim 1 wherein the overbased calcium sulfonate is a poor quality overbased calcium sulfonate.

33. The method of claim 18 wherein a first portion of the magnesium sulfonate is added to the pre-conversion mixture and a seco

Assignees

• Nch Corp

Inventors

• Waynick J Andrew

Classifications

• C10N2030/52

  Base number [TBN] · CPC title

• C10N2020/06

  Particles of special shape or size · CPC title

• C10N2030/06

  Oiliness; Film-strength; Anti-wear; Resistance to extreme pressure · CPC title

• C10N2050/10

  semi-solid; greasy · CPC title

• C10M121/04

  Reaction products · CPC title