Your Guide to Fire-Resistant Hydraulic Fluids: Quaker Houghton vs. the Market

Running a shop is a rigorous job. Budgets, employees, productivity, quotas. You’ve got a lot of plates in the air. The right hydraulic fluid makes your life, and lives of your employees, a whole lot easier. And it’s much easier on the bottom line.

When your shop has high heat and pressure, friction, and potential ignition sources, choosing the right fluid helps you avoid devastation in your shop and for the people who work there. The wrong fluids can be a recipe for disaster that affects virtually everything:  

• Equipment: potentially millions in lost equipment and structural damage. 
• Employees: injuries from smoke inhalation to severe burns.  
• Productivity: downtime waiting for new equipment and repairs to your shop.
• Environment: smoke and chemical runoff. 

Unlike mineral-based hydraulic fluids, non flammable hydraulic fluids prevent fires from erupting if, for example, a hose springs a leak and fluid hits a hot surface. This makes them a must-have for industrial safety in any high-temperature environment. 
Non-flammable fluids improve operational safety, reduce environmental impact, and can positively impact your budget with savings on insurance premiums and reduced power usage. 

 The top-of-the-line fire-resistant fluids are Factory Mutual (FM) Approvals Certified. This means a fluid has undergone rigorous testing and meets the highest property loss prevention and safety standards.  

Using a FM Certified, non-flammable hydraulic fluid can lead to other benefits. In a case study from FM Approvals, a high-production independent forge shop more than doubled pump life after switching to FM Certified, non-water-containing fire-resistant fluids resulting in substantial savings in replacement parts, labor, and downtime.  

When you see a FM Approved mark on a product, you can rest assured that the product has gone through a certified testing process and meets rigorous worldwide standards for safety. So when we say FM Certification, we’re referring to the Approved mark. 

 Quaker Houghton is the global leader in industrial process fluids. As an industry-leading fire-resistant hydraulic fluid manufacturer, most of Quaker Houghton’s fire-resistant fluids are FM Certified. In addition to top-level fire resistance, they all feature:  

• Excellent shear stability 
• Best-in-class oxidation resistance 
• Reduced environmental impact 
• Excellent lubrication 
• Extended life   

Standard mineral-based hydraulic fluids can ignite easily. For example, fluid leaking onto hot metal could easily catch fire. This isn’t the case with fire-flame retardant hydraulic oils, which makes them a must-have in any high-temperature environment. 

The following chart outlines which fire-resistant hydraulic fluids work with which applications.   
 

(Click here to see a printable version.) 

 When you have much to protect, working with a powerhouse makes sense. Quaker Houghton leads the pack as a fire-resistant hydraulic fluid manufacturer. Our fire-resistant hydraulic fluid types exceed industry standards, are endorsed by major OEMs, and most are FM Certified.  

Quaker Houghton’s HFA products outperform competitive products in stability, bio-resistance, and corrosion prevention. The range includes HYDROLUBRIC® and QUINTOLUBRIC®.  

 As you can see in the chart above, HFA products are recommended for the following applications: 

• Longwall shields 
• Hot rolling 
• Pickling 
• Cold rolling 
• Tin rolling

Quaker Houghton’s water glycol fire-resistant hydraulic fluid range—HOUGHTO-SAFE®—offers excellent corrosion protection, lubrication, thermal stability, and low heat release.  
 Our HFC products meet the requirements of various fire-resistant industry standards, and many are FM Certified.  
 HFC products are recommended for the following applications: 

• Casting 
• Diecasting 
• Iron casting 
• Pickling 
• Tempering 
• Marine/offshore

Quaker Houghton’s HFDu hydraulic fluids range—QUINTOLUBRIC®—is formulated from synthetic and natural polyol esters. It’s designed to replace anti-wear, mineral-oil-based hydraulic fluids and provide excellent shear and thermal stability, as well as outstanding seal compatibility.  
 Our HFDu products meet the requirements of various Fire Resistant ISO standards, and many are FM Certified. 
 QUINTOLUBRIC® fire-resistant hydraulic fluids consistently beat competitors on fluid life length for synthetic and natural ester.  
 HFDu products are recommended for the following applications: 

• Casting 
• Diecasting 
• Forming and forging 
• Iron casting 
• Hot rolling 
  Pickling 
• Cold rolling 
• Tin rolling 
• Tempering 
• Galvanizing 
• Mobile equipment 
• Belt take-up hydraulics 
• Hydraulics couplings 
• Power generation 
• Marine/offshore 
• Tunneling 

For more than five decades, Quaker Houghton has been helping customers keep employees safe while saving on the Total Costs of Ownership (TCO). We help you tackle your shop’s unique working environment and challenges so you can meet your goals. Learn how we’ve helped customers find the right fire-resistant hydraulic fluid solutions.  

After switching to a competitor’s HFDu forced them to drain all their hydraulic systems, a major global ventilation systems manufacturer moved to FM-Certified QUINTOLUBRIC® 888-46. After the switch, the manufacturer eliminated pump failures, extended routine maintenance intervals, increased the expected fluid lifetime to over eight years, reduced fluid consumption, and reduced the TCO by €15.000 ($16,300) per year. Read more here. 

Learn more about QUINTOLUBRIC® 888-46. https://store.quakerhoughton.com/hydraulic-fluids/fire-resistant/quintolubric-888-46-na

While modifying their passive transfer system (Kick-Out Roll), a UK Steel producer chose a high-water-containing hydraulic fluid. However, it caused delays and lost coils. After switching to FM-Certified QUINTOLUBRIC® 888-46, they’ve experienced a 65% decrease in delays and haven’t lost any coils.  Read more here. 

Learn more about QUINTOLUBRIC® 888-46. 

A coal mine in West Virginia credits Quaker Houghton’s fire-retardant hydraulic oil for preventing an explosion. A hydraulic line failure caused fluid to spray. Because mine employees were using QUINTOLUBRIC® 888-68, the spill didn’t lead to a catastrophic fire. Read more here. 

Learn more about QUINTOLUBRIC® 888-68.https://store.quakerhoughton.com/hydraulic-fluids/fire-resistant/quintolubric-888-68-na

Due to unacceptable pump wear and lifespan, an automotive parts manufacturer wanted to switch its HFC fluid. Just a few months after switching to FM-Certified QUINTOLUBRIC® polyol ester HFDu fluids, the manufacturer reduced its electricity consumption by 15% and leakage by 28%. Read more here. 

Learn more about QUINTOLUBRIC® 888-68. https://store.quakerhoughton.com/hydraulic-fluids/fire-resistant/quintolubric-888-68-na

Your shop is under a lot of pressure. Avoiding fires and all of their corresponding costs doesn’t need to be one of them. Switching to a fire-resistant hydraulic fluid will help you prevent potential huge costs of equipment losses, employee injuries, downtime, and negative environmental impact.  

Choosing an FM-certified fire-resistant hydraulic fluid adds reduced insurance premiums and lower energy consumption to the list of benefits.  

Quaker Houghton has been creating fire-resistant hydraulic fluids for more than 50 years. When you choose one of our products, you get:

• Excellent shear stability. 
• Best-in-class oxidation resistance. 
• Increased safety for employees. 
• Lower environmental impact. 
• Excellent lubrication. 
• Extended fluid and equipment life.

Switching to a FM-Certified fire-resistant hydraulic fluid will give you peace of mind. You can focus on the shop, your employees and your bottom line.  
 Learn more about our selection of fire-resistant fluids. Our online store allows you to filter by product, system, type, and viscosity grade. Have questions? Contact a Quaker Houghton expert for your tailored solution.