2205B0JE-DA-J-N_2014.05.  
4 Compressor and Package Operation 
Screw Compressor J-series  4.2 Lubricant (Refrigerant Oil) 
4-2 
4.2  Lubricant (Refrigerant Oil) 
The selection and management of lubricant (refrigerant oil) has a significant influence to the 
compressor performance 
When selecting and managing lubricant, take the following points into consideration 
4.2.1  Precautions for Selecting the Lubricant 
  The lubricant must be selected while considering the refrigerant in use, type of evaporator, and 
operation conditions. Various properties of lubricant must be checked such as solubility with 
the refrigerant, separability, fluidity at low temperature and thermal stability at high temperature 
as well as viscosity. We therefore recommend consulting our sales offices or Mayekawa 
agencies for choice of a specified brand for your system. 
  The lubricant supplied to the compressor must have appropriate proper viscosity to lubricate 
bearings and other mechanical components. The lubricant viscosity must be measured at the 
oil supply port of the compressor. The viscosity of lubricant is significantly affected by the type 
of refrigerant and oil. If the refrigerant dissolves in oil (the oil is miscible), the actual viscosity 
may be substantially lower than the required viscosity for the compressor depending on the 
operation conditions. If the refrigerant does not dissolve in the oil (the oil is not miscible) and 
the oil temperature is low, the viscosity may become excessively high. The lubricant must be 
selected such that it is supplied to the compressor with appropriate viscosity (13 to 40 mm
2/
s) 
in the operating conditions. 
 In a system utilizing a screw compressor, the lubricant supplied to the compressor is 
discharged along with the gas and separated from the refrigerant gas by the oil separator. 
However, the oil separator cannot separate all the oil from refrigerant gas and a small quantity 
of the lubricant goes to the condenser. As a results oil also enters the evaporator. Because of 
the wide operation temperature range of the lubricant, it must have thermal stability at high 
temperatures, good fluidity at low temperatures as well as high separable performance from 
refrigerant gas in the oil separator.   
  Depending on the refrigerant in use, some lubricants cannot be used. For example, polyolester 
(POE) cannot be used with ammonia refrigerant. 
4.2.2 Recommended Lubricant 
When selecting lubricant, not only the refrigerant but also O-rings in use must be considered.   
We therefore recommend using the following brands of lubricant for the J-series compressors to 
prevent any operating problems. 
  Recommended Lubricant for Ammonia Refrigerant 
(1) Polyalkylene glycol synthetic oil (PAG): Miscible oil 
Type  Brand  Manufacturer  VG 
Recommended 
temperature 
°C
PAG 
Freol PN46  JX  46  40-50 see Note 1 
RPS52 Kluber 46 40-50 see Note 1 
(2) Naphthenic base mineral oil: Non-miscible oil 
Type  Brand  Manufacturer  VG 
Recommended 
temperature 
°C
M 
Suniso 3GS 
Sun Oil 
32 35-60 
Suniso 4GS  68  50-60 
Gargoyle Arctic 155 
Exxon Mobil 
32 35-60 
Gargoyle Arctic C Heavy 46  45-60 
Gargoyle Arctic 300  68  55-60 
Capella WF32 
Texaco 
32 35-60 
Capella WF46  46  45-60 
Capella WF68  68  55-60