Why GTL Technology Is a Positive Step Towards Greater Productivity

Gas-to-liquids (GTL) technology turns natural gas into high-quality base oils for lubricants.

For the power sector, and transmission and distribution particularly, GTL-based transformer oils are helping operators to achieve greater reliability and superior performance in several ways:

Equipment Performance

Compared to conventional oils, GTL-based transformer oils are formulated to provide improved resistance to oil degradation. Their enhanced thermal properties – such as outstanding low temperature flow performance – work to reduce the ageing rate of both oil and insulating paper, while providing excellent performance at a wide range of operating temperatures.

Transformer Reliability

And because GTL base oils are made from natural gas as opposed to crude oil, they contain none of the impurities found in their more traditional counterparts, as well producing effectively zero sulphur. As a result, they protect transformers from failure by reducing the risk of corrosion and ensuring better efficiency and a longer operational life.

Operational Simplicity

Finally, they make for a simple switch. GTL oils, like Shell Diala S4 ZX-I, are fully miscible with traditional oils, while adding it to some conventional naphthenic grades can actually improve performance. This compatibility makes changing to a GTL oil much more straightforward, ensuring there doesn’t need to be any pauses in your operations.