Excellent flight control

Low-viscosity naphthenic base oils are ideal for blending high-performance, low temperature adapted hydraulic fluids for aircraft. NYNAS® NS 3 and NYNAS® S 3B display ultra-low base oil viscosity even at temperatures as low as -54°C.

Virtually all aeroplanes have hydraulic systems. Large, complex aircraft use hydraulics to move and actuate landing gear, flaps, brakes, flight controls, spoilers, thrust reversers and many other components.

A hydraulic system consists largely of the hydraulic fluid and three mechanical components. These are the hydraulic pump, the hydraulically powered motor and the “plumbing”, which contains and channels the fluid throughout the aircraft. The hydraulic fluid is used to transmit energy throughout the system.

Given the operating pressure (3,000 to 5,000 psi), the environmental conditions and strict safety criteria, the fluid must have high flash and boiling points, a low freezing point and maintain a stable viscosity at a wide range of temperatures. It must also have cooling, lubricating and anti-corrosion properties.

“Low-viscosity naphthenic base oils are ideal for blending high-performance, low temperature adapted hydraulic fluids for aircraft. NYNAS® NS 3 and NYNAS® S 3B display ultra-low base oil viscosity even at temperatures as low as -54°C,” says Thomas Norrby, Technical Manager Nynas Naphthenics.

“These ultra-low viscosity naphthenic base oils have low temperature properties rivalling polyalphaolefin (PAO) while also having much better solvency. So combining naphthenics and PAO is a cost-effective route to achieve the desired high-performance products.”

Aviation hydraulic fluids based on these products meet both civil and military fluid specifications.

Nynas base oils

Get the inside scoop

Base oils Newsletter

You can get interesting articles, case stories and more directly to your inbox. 

Sign up here

Further reading

See all news

Reflections on biodegradability

How do we assess biodegradability? Why is it important to separate between bio-based and biodegradable? And how does biodegradability fit into the concept of sustainability? Three experts share their thoughts.

Time to go circular

More than simply recycling, circular economy is about capturing a larger part of the value that is typically lost in our traditional linear economic model. For Nynas, a circular approach is one of the things that separates us from regular oil companies.

Driving the future of driving

Nynas is playing an important role in the transition to electric vehicles, as a supplier to the automotive industry and a producer of high-performance oils needed to power tomorrow’s electrical infrastructure.