Technical Library
Reference notes for the people who actually make the decision — chief engineers, superintendents and maintenance managers. Selection logic, what the approval documents mean, and where the regulations bite. Written against published data and the approval evidence we hold, not marketing copy.
How fuel sulphur sets your cylinder oil base number
Why the sulphur in the service tank decides the base number in the lubricator, how feed rate changes the answer, and what scrape-down analysis tells you that a specification sheet cannot.
ReadValidated, approved, NOL or letter of support: what each document actually means
Four different pieces of paper get described as an OEM approval, and they carry very different weight. What each one certifies, what it does not, and how to read the reference number you are shown.
ReadWhich of your systems need an environmentally acceptable lubricant
The oil-to-sea interface rule in plain terms: which shipboard systems it captures, what actually qualifies as an EAL, and what the technical infeasibility exemption requires you to document.
ReadCold corrosion: what it is, and what actually fixes it
Liner wear that appears after a fleet starts slow steaming is usually not a lubricant problem in origin. What the acid dew point has to do with liner wall temperature, how to tell corrosive wear from the alternatives, and why reaching for a higher base number treats the symptom.
ReadWhy a crosshead engine uses two different oils
A two-stroke main engine takes a high base number cylinder oil and a low base number system oil, and the difference is not a detail. What the crosshead design separates, what carry-over tells you, and why a trunk piston engine needs neither.
ReadChoosing a hydraulic oil: ISO VG, HLP, HVLP and zinc-free
The viscosity grade is set by the pump and the oil's running temperature, not by what was in it last time. What the DIN classes actually mean, when a high viscosity index earns its cost, and why some systems need ashless chemistry.
ReadGear oil selection: viscosity, EP additives and when synthetic pays
Why the viscosity grade for an enclosed gearbox comes from speed and load rather than habit, what extreme pressure additives do and where they cause harm, and the specific conditions under which a synthetic returns its cost.
ReadWhy topping up with the wrong grease can wreck a bearing
Two greases of the same NLGI grade can be chemically incompatible, and the mixture is often worse than either one alone. What the thickener actually does, which combinations cause trouble, and why over-greasing is its own failure mode.
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