Shell Lubricants recently hammered out a two-year research and development partnership with China’s State Key Laboratory of Tribology at Tsinghua University, aimed at advancing original equipment manufacturer (OEM) lubrication science.
The partnership will give Tsinghua University access to Shell’s global lubrication technology and research centers in the U.K., Germany, U.S., and of course China, while Shell gets the opportunity to work closely with Chinese lubricant scientists and tribologists to create innovative solutions that could be beneficial to Shell customers.
“Creating technical edges and competitive solutions for our customers is at the heart of our business, and as such, we hope that working with the team at Tsinghua will deliver some key insights,” noted Cheng Chen, one of Shell’s U.S. scientists for industrial products.
He noted that the State Key Laboratory of Tribology boasts some of the world’s most advanced resources and research specializations, such as laser-focused ion etching techniques to create various shaped “dimples” on surfaces with diameters in the range of 50 to 200 microns, and depths of two to 10 microns.
Professor Meng Yonggang of Tsinghua University added that the laboratory’s research will focus specifically on the “deliberate texturing” of surfaces in applications with moving parts, with the aim to reduce friction and enhance surface protection of various lubrication liquids.
