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The progression of gas turbine engine design encompasses a relentless drive towards more powerful, higher thrust, lighter weight, fuel efficient engines, with accompanying reductions in noise and emissions, as well as better reliability, operating safety and longer time on wing. These trends converge to push engine thermodynamics to their limits, invariably culminating in higher operating temperatures. As a result, engine builders have adopted advanced lubricants with higher thermo-oxidative stability (HTS), in order to achieve long life engine performance. These HTS oils are proving to be significantly more aggressive towards standard fluoroelastomers. As a result, there is a gradual migration to specialty grades that offer significantly improved compatibility with HTS oils. As temperatures have escalated, higher performance perfluoroelastomers have found greater use in aircraft engines.

Prevailing trends in aircraft turbine engine applications are pushing current elastomeric seal materials to their limits. These trends include the continued drive towards more powerful, lighter weight engines, with accompanying reductions in noise, emissions and fuel consumption, as well as ongoing improvements in reliability, maintainability, and longer intervals between engine overhauls. These trends converge to push engine thermodynamics to their limits, which manifests in higher operating and soakback temperatures. As a result, engine manufacturers specify high temperature stabilized (HTS) oils in order to achieve engine performance and life targets. Aircraft engine lubricants have had to keep pace with higher operating temperatures while still meeting stringent performance requirements and regulatory and environmental compliance.