Fire-Resistant Hydraulic
Fluid.
Where a hydraulic leak meets heat — steel mills, foundries, die-casting, mining — the fluid itself must resist ignition. We formulate HFC water-glycol and HFDU synthetic-ester fire-resistant fluids to ISO 12922, matched to your pump and seals, with full IP transfer.
The fluid itself
must not burn.
Near molten metal, furnaces or die-casting, a mineral-oil hydraulic leak is a fire waiting to happen. A fire-resistant fluid changes the trade you are making.
Instead of optimising purely for lubricity, the fluid is engineered to resist ignition — either by carrying water (which quenches the spray) or by using inherently low-flammability synthetic or phosphate esters. That trade affects load capacity, pump pressure limits, seal compatibility and corrosion protection, so a fire-resistant fluid is a distinct product family classified under ISO 12922, not a tweaked mineral oil.
The ISO 12922
categories.
Public classification and standard reference ranges — not a recipe.
Fire resistance from
water or ester.
Two routes dominate. HFC water-glycol fluids carry 30–80% water (the fire-resistant agent) with glycol, a thickener for viscosity and water-soluble corrosion / anti-wear additives — the water limits pump pressure and load, so the additive system compensates. HFDU fluids drop the water and use a low-flammability polyol or vegetable ester base with anti-wear and antioxidant additives, giving better lubricity and biodegradability — the published art includes glycerin-derived fire-resistant fluids (US9534189B2, WO2007140182A1). HFDR phosphate esters serve the most hazardous, high-stability duties.
What the patents and standards do not give is the exact water/glycol or ester system, additive balance and treat rates that pass your ignition test while protecting your pump and seals at a competitive cost — and that is the work.
Validated on the
methods that matter.
Each candidate is checked on ignition / spray-flammability behaviour, vane- and piston-pump wear within the water/ester limit, corrosion, viscosity and seal compatibility — and benchmarked against your reference.
Your formula —
not a patent's.
We convert the public art into a manufacturable, cost-optimised, globally sourced fire-resistant fluid that passes your category and suits your machine — and hand it over as your asset.
Fire-resistant hydraulic fluid —
questions.
Mineral hydraulic oil ignites readily on hot surfaces or sparks, so near molten metal, furnaces or die-casting it is a serious fire hazard. Fire-resistant hydraulic fluids are formulated to resist ignition — either by carrying water (HFAE/HFB/HFC) or by using inherently low-flammability synthetic esters/phosphate esters (HFDU/HFDR) — and are classified under ISO 12922.
HFC is a water-glycol solution (typically 30–80% water) — excellent fire resistance for high-pressure systems (up to ~3,000 psi), but its water content limits load capacity and pump choice. HFDU is a water-free synthetic / polyol-ester fluid — closer to mineral-oil lubricity and higher pressure capability, often biodegradable, with fire resistance from the base chemistry rather than water.
Not always as a drop-in. Water-based fluids limit pump pressure and need compatible seals and corrosion protection; phosphate esters attack some elastomers. Part of the formulation work is matching the fluid to your pump duty, seal materials and operating window — which we validate before handover.
Yes — under NDA, with full IP transfer. This page shows the public chemistry, the ISO 12922 categories and the patent landscape; the exact water/glycol or ester system, additive balance and treat rates are developed to your application and handed over as your asset.
Need a fire-resistant hydraulic fluid?
Let's formulate it.
Tell us the machine, the fire-resistance category and the volume — we'll scope the HFC / HFDU R&D and deliverables.