Training Services

A diagram titled 'The Chemistry of Equipment Reliability: Fluid-Driven Performance' illustrating three pillars of equipment reliability. Pillar 1: Lubricants, with details on reliability drivers, chemistry, and failure modes, emphasizing oxidation stability, viscosity retention, and failures like metal-to-metal contact and seizing. Pillar 2: Coolants, focusing on thermal regulators, corrosion inhibition, cavitation protection, and failure modes like liner pitting and overheating. Pillar 3: Fuel, highlighting energy source, combustion efficiency, injector cleanliness, and failures like injector deposits and power loss. The diagram includes a summary table of roles and failure points for each fluid type, with primary missions, chemical failure modes, and reliability impacts.

Plastilube delivers practical, interactive training in the chemistry of lubricants, coolants, and fuel additives—helping technical and operational teams make informed product selections and resolve fluid-related problems at their source.

We train QC and R&D chemists, maintenance and reliability engineers, operations teams, and technical sales professionals to understand how fluid composition influences behaviour, why failures occur, and how correct selection, application, and fluid monitoring improve equipment reliability, workplace safety, and overall system performance.

Our training helps teams to:

  • Understand the underlying chemistry

  • Select the right product for the application

  • Implement effective fluid monitoring programs

  • Fix the real problem—not just the symptom

Coolant Chemistry Training

Diagram showing the benefits of coolant in a car engine, including reservoir, pump, heat exchange, engine block, and radiator, with corresponding functions.

This training covers the chemistry, performance, monitoring, and failure mechanisms of automotive engine cooling systems, including:

  • Coolant types, base fluids, and formulations

  • Concentrates versus ready-to-use products

  • Corrosion inhibitors (inorganic and organic technologies)

  • Additives, including buffers, chelators, antifoams, dyes, and stabilisers

  • Cooling system materials and compatibility

  • Corrosion mechanisms, including stray-current corrosion

  • Coolant degradation and condition monitoring

  • Coolant testing and laboratory analysis

  • Life-cycle management and maintenance strategies

Training also explains industry laboratory performance tests—including ASTM corrosion, cavitation, and simulated service methods—and how test results should be interpreted in practical operating contexts.

Fuel Quality & Fuel Handling Training

Diagram of a bulk storage tank showing contamination, sludge, and water ingress layers, with surrounding industrial equipment and pipelines.

This training builds client understanding of fuel chemistry, composition, and operational risk across petrol, diesel, biodiesel, and renewable fuels, including:

  • Hydrocarbon structures and fuel properties

  • Refinery, blending, and distribution considerations

  • Fuel stability, contamination, and storage-related issues

  • Biodiesel chemistry, manufacture, and key properties

  • Common biodiesel-related operational risks

  • Renewable diesel and alternative fuel pathways

  • Australian fuel standards and approvals

  • Fuel quality assurance and housekeeping practices

Training also covers fuel sampling practices, the role of independent third-party analytical laboratories, and the selection and interpretation of laboratory tests used to assess fuel condition and fitness for use. This includes testing for water contamination, microbial growth, sediment and particulates, oxidation and stability, and compliance with applicable fuel standards.

Fuel Additives & Treatment Chemistry Training

Diagram showing fuel additive benefits process; includes images of a fuel truck, person adding additives to fuel tank, and person dispensing cleaner into car fuel tank. Process steps: Fuel Tank - Additives added, Fuel Lines - System protection, Injectors - Cleaner spray, Exhaust - Cleaner output; benefits: stability, corrosion control, wear reduction, emissions reduction.

Independent training on the function, limitations, and risks associated with fuel additives, including:

  • Additive types used in refining, distribution, and vehicles

  • Detergents, corrosion inhibitors, antioxidants, and metal deactivators

  • Cold-flow improvers, lubricity agents, antifoams, antioxidants, and stability additives

  • Deposit-control chemistry and engine testing

  • Injector cleanliness and fuel system performance

  • DPF systems, SCR, and DEF/AdBlue chemistry

  • Biocides and microbial contamination control

  • Surfactants and emulsions for chemical water management in fuels

Emphasis is placed on correct application, misapplication risks, and realistic expectations of additive performance.

Training also addresses additive evaluation in practice, including fuel sampling, engagement with independent third-party analytical laboratories, interpretation of laboratory and engine test data, and the design of controlled field trials to assess additive effectiveness, compatibility, and unintended consequences under real operating conditions.

Introduction to Lubricant Chemistry

A collage showing an industrial garage with heavy machinery, a worker inspecting a truck engine, and a flowchart explaining the benefits of lubricants, including steps like sump blending, pump pressure delivery, filtration, bearings protection, and surface friction control.

Plastilube offers introductory training in lubricant chemistry designed to provide a clear chemical foundation for later application-focused and failure-analysis training. The course helps participants understand how lubricants are formulated, how additives function and interact, and how chemistry underpins the results of condition monitoring and oil analysis programs.

Foundational training covers:

  • Base oil groups and key properties

  • Lubricant formulation principles

  • Additive functions and interactions

  • Detergents, dispersants, and antioxidants

  • Anti-wear, extreme-pressure, and friction-modifier chemistry

  • Viscosity modifiers and performance packages

The training is designed for engineers, chemists, and technical staff who require a practical working understanding of lubricant chemistry without unnecessary academic complexity.

Training also addresses lubricant sampling, engagement with independent third-party analytical laboratories, interpretation of laboratory data, and the design of controlled field trials to assess lubricant effectiveness and suitability in service.