1. (6) Synthetic lubricants
-- Synthesized oils from small building-block molecules to match molecular structures to performance requirements of the system

2. Mineral Oils - Nature’s Synthesis
Paraffinic
Cyclic/Aromatic
Low cost
Big mixture
Mineral Oil
Mineral oil refining removes many of the least desirable
components (e.g. aromatics, waxes) and modifies the rest
(e.g. hyrofinishing, hydrodewaxing and/or hydroprocessing)

3. Base Stock Component Properties
Paraffins Iso-Paraffins Naphthenes Aromatics
VI very high high medium/low lowest
Pour point high low lower lowest
Traction lowest low medium/high medium/high
Volatility low low higher highest
Solvency poor fair good excellent
Oxidation good good lower easily
Resistance resistance oxidized

4. Synthetic Base stocks Synthesized hydrocarbons
Synthesized non-hydrocarbons (typically containing oxygen atoms)

5. Synthesized hydrocarbons
Polyalphaolefins
Polybutenes
Alkylated aromatics
Cycloaliphatics

6. Polyalphaolefins (PAO)
Chain molecular structures synthesized from ethylene polymerization
High VI and high oxidation stability
Low pour point, low traction and volatility
Best as engine oil basestock. Most popular PAO is polydecenes, which is the basestock of Mobil 1

7. Polymerization of ethylene

8. PAO Manufacture R - CH = CH2 Polymerization Hydrogenation
Alpha-olefins
Hydrogenated trimers, tetramers, etc.
R - CH CH2 - CH H
CH3 R x
1-Decene
Polydecene
“Ideal”
Actual

9. Synthetic Polyalphaolefin (PAO)
Hydrogenated Polydecene

10. From Crude Oil to Synthetic Lubricants
Synthetics are usually sourced from crude oil
Many manufacturing steps result in high cost
Atmospheric
Distillation
Catalytic
Cracking
Polymerization
Hydrogenation
Separation
Cracker Feed
Light Olefins
Alphaolefins
Formulation
Blending
Sales &
Marketing
Ethylene
1-Decene
Polydecene
Additives
Crude Oil
Synthetic
Lubricants

11. On sale at Walmart for $5.00

12. Polybutenes
Synthezied through controlled polymerization of butenes and isobutenes
High dielectrics constant – electrical insulating oils
Low thermal stability – metal working and compressor lubes to decompose to gases
High molecular weight polybutenes or polyisobutenes are used as VI improvers

13. Alkylated aromatics Synthesized from alkylation of benzenes
Very low pour point and low viscosity – subzero temperature applications

14. Cycloaliphatics
Synthesized naphthenes, multi-ring-structured molecules
Develop a glasslike structure under high stresses to yield high traction
Used as traction-drive fluids, also used in rolling bearings to reduce roller skidding

15. Synthesized non-hydrocarbons
Organic esters
Polyglycols
Phosphate esters
Silicate esters
Polyphenyl esters

16. Organic esters Wide temperature range and good thermal stability
Dibasic acid esters:
Polyol esters:
Wide temperature range and good thermal stability
Used as base stocks for essentially all jet engine lubes

17. Polyglycols The largest single class of synthetic lubricant bases
High VI and low pour point
Used mainly as brake fluids and hydraulic fluids

18. Phosphate esters High fire resistance
Used mainly as hydraulic fluids and compressor lubes
Also used as antiwear additives by its formation of phosphide films on metal surfaces

19. Silicate ester Extremely high VI > 300
Used mainly as heat exchanger fluids

20. Polyphenyl esters Most thermally and oxidatively stable
Used mainly as heat transfer fluids