Dimethyl silicone oil, also known as polydimethylsiloxane, is a colorless, odorless, non-toxic, non-volatile liquid. It is prepared by hydrolyzing dimethyldichlorosilane with water to obtain the primary polycondensation ring body, and the ring body is cracked and distilled to obtain the low ring body. Then, the ring body, end-capping agent, and catalyst are put together to obtain a mixture of various polymerization degrees. Methyl silicone oil can be obtained by removing low-boiling substances through reduced pressure distillation.

1. Application of Silicone Oil in Electrical Insulating Oil

Silicone oil is increasingly used in the field of electrical insulating oil due to its excellent electrical insulating properties, thermal stability, chemical inertness and flame retardant properties. In particular, dimethyl silicone oil shows higher flame retardant properties than traditional mineral oil insulating oil, and is also safer for human health and the environment. This material has been put into practical use in automotive transformer oil and is recognized for its excellent durability.

Used in power transformers

In the United States, dimethyl silicone oil (viscosity grade 50mm²/s) is recognized by federal standards and FM standards as an electrical insulating oil with high flash point and flame retardancy, and is widely used in power transformers. Its viscosity is usually maintained between 47.5 and 52.5mm²/s at 25°C to ensure the best cooling effect and compatibility with insulating materials. Viscosity that is too high or too low will affect its performance. For example, too high may lead to reduced cooling effect, while too low may reduce the flash point and affect safety.

Application of methylphenyl silicone oil in power capacitors

Methylphenyl silicone oil with low viscosity and low phenyl content is an ideal impregnation oil for power capacitors. Compared with traditional capacitors of the same type, the use of this silicone oil can significantly increase the capacitance of the capacitor by 4 to 5 times, while ensuring a wide operating temperature range and safe operation.

2. Silicone oil as shock absorber and damping oil

Silicone oil is widely used as a shock absorber and damping medium in the machinery manufacturing and instrumentation industries due to its unique viscosity-temperature characteristics, wide viscosity range, excellent thermal stability and high compressibility.

Improved engine durability:

In the torsional vibration absorption damper of diesel engines, the use of high viscosity (tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of mm²/s at 25°C) dimethyl silicone oil can effectively enhance the durability and stability of the engine.

Automobile engine cooling system:

As the damping oil of the automobile engine cooling fan, dimethyl silicone oil helps to improve the efficiency and reliability of the cooling system.

Clutch oil for four-wheel drive vehicles:

In four-wheel drive (4WD) vehicles, using dimethyl silicone oil with a viscosity of 10Pa·s as clutch oil can optimize the switching operation of the drive mechanism, especially when making sharp turns or driving on bad roads (such as snow or mud), improving the vehicle's handling and performance.

Selection of anti-shock oil:

Depending on the different vibration force requirements, select dimethyl silicone oil with appropriate viscosity as anti-shock oil for automotive and aircraft instruments to ensure accurate signal output and stable pointer readings.

Damping of sensors and instruments:

As a damping and shock-absorbing oil for inductive magnetic sensors, dimethyl silicone oil can stabilize the output signal and improve the accuracy of the sensor. In addition, as a damping fluid in pneumatic unit combination instruments and as a filling oil in similar instruments, dimethyl silicone oil ensures the stability and reliability of instrument parameters.

Liquid-floating gyroscopes and accelerometers:

In flight automatic control systems, liquid-floating gyroscopes and float-type accelerometers are used due to their high sensitivity, accuracy and stability. These instruments use liquid suspension technology to reduce bearing loads and friction torque. The requirements for gyro suspension include high density, suitable viscosity, low sensitivity to temperature changes, non-corrosiveness to various materials, high boiling point and high flash point, and good insulation performance. At present, fully floating gyros generally use fluorinated organic compounds, while semi-floating gyros mostly use dimethyl silicone oil to meet these stringent performance requirements.

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