Lubricant Base Oil

Posted by Q8OilsMarketing on

In most instances lubricating oil is a blend of base oil and additives with the base oil content being anything between 70 percent and more than 99 percent depending on the final application of the lubricant. Base oils may be mineral, synthetic or semisynthetic – a mixture of mineral and synthetic stocks. Most lubricating oils used globally (more than 90 percent) are blended using mineral base oils. Feed stocks from a number of streams at crude oil refineries are processed at base oil refineries to produce various viscosity grades of mineral base oils. A typical mineral base oil refinery will have the following units to produce suitable quality base oils:

  • Solvent Extraction to remove undesirable aromatic (unsaturated) compounds which are unstable and cause the formation of tar, varnish and carbon in engines.
  • Propane De-asphalting removes asphaltic material from the base stocks to minimize the formation of deposits in machinery, and
  • Dewaxing to improve low-temperature fluidity of the base oil.

These three (extraction) conversion processes generally produce Group 1 base oils with aromatic content between 15 and 20 percent. The colour of Group 1 base oils would normally vary from a light yellow to straw. The quality of such base oils can be further improved by a number of Hydrofinishing Processes. Hydrofinishing changes the remaining unsaturated/aromatic compounds in the oil by a chemical reaction involving hydrogen and produces base oil with improved chemical stability, lower sulphur content and much lighter colour. The final quality of the base oil is determined by the severity of the application, temperature and pressure in the hydrofinishing process and will normally be classified Group 2 or Group 3 base oils. The quality and characteristics of modern Group 3 base oils approach that of synthetics.

Synthetic base oils are manufactured from chemical building blocks and excel mineral oils in viscosity index, shear stability, low and high temperature performance, oxidation stability and volatility. A major disadvantage of synthetics is that they cost approximately 3 to 5 times more than mineral oils. They therefore tend to be used in specialty applications only where the performance of mineral oil is considered unsatisfactory. Typical examples are very high temperature applications and extended oil drain intervals.

The most commonly used synthetic oil is polyalphaolefin (PAO). PAO’s are classified Group 4 base oils and are used in a wide variety of automotive and industrial applications such as engines, transmissions and hydraulic systems. The use of Group 5 base oils (typical synthetic esters) are limited to very special applications such as refrigeration compressor oils and aviation turbine lubricants. The table below shows the general differences between the various Groups.

Mineral and synthetic base oils are produced in a number of viscosity grades. For instance, low viscosity (thin) base oils would be used to produce automatic transmission fluids whilst thick, heavy ones are required to blend ISO 680 viscosity grade gear oils.

A final word of advice: avoid mixing different oil Groups. In an emergency situation, mineral oils may be mixed with PAO’s, but Group 5 synthetics should preferably not be used with any other oil Group.

All Q8Oils lubricants produced by Blue Chip Lubricants are blended exclusively from imported Q8 base oils that are manufactured from Kuwait Export Crude. Most petroleum products are derived from crude oil which, as a natural material, has a tendency to vary in type and quality depending on its source. Kuwait Export Crude is however unique, its consistency and superior quality make it the perfect feed-stock for refining high quality base oils. Q8 base oils are hydro-finished using a unique process that removes any remaining impurities rendering them clear, pure and very oxidation stable.

With complete control of our raw materials we can guarantee a consistency of product quality matched by few other companies and our customers can have complete confidence in the performance of our products.

How the Covid-19 Pandemic impacted the Lubricant Industry

Posted by Q8OilsMarketing on

OilChat has been out of circulation for some time due to Covid-19 ramifications, but it is now back on track with this edition of the newsletter. In the last two issues of our bulletin (OilChat numbers 53 and 54) we have delved into the History of Lubrication. In this issue we will discuss how the pandemic is affecting the lubricants industry right now and the way forward.

Most lubricant users have recently experienced oil shortages and sharp price increases. But why is this and how has Covid-19 affected international lubricant supplies? We operate in a truly global economy and nothing has illustrated this more than the current, ongoing raw material shortages caused by the worldwide pandemic.

Base oils are the foundation of all lubricants. Lubricating base oils, both mineral and synthetics, are currently in short supply. One of the main reasons for this is that most base oils are a by-product of crude oil refining. Oil refineries distil crude oil into various streams to produce fuels such as  petrol, diesel and jet fuel, other hydrocarbon products for making synthetic rubbers, paints, plastics, and lubricant base oils.

During the global lockdown travel has been greatly reduced, both commercially and personally with many of us working from home and not commuting. There are still very few planes flying hence little demand for jet fuel, which as an industry is a major consumer of fuel. The overall demand for fuel has therefore dropped dramatically and subsequently oil companies are simply producing much less fuel. Consequently base oil production has also been slashed. This shortage has led to the sharp spike in lubricant costs and supply constraints.

Lockdowns across the globe have also reduced the number of staff working at lubricant base oil facilities, leading to bottlenecks in production and increased costs. As a result orders cannot be produced and delivered in a timely fashion.  The failure of a single production plant can significantly limit the global availability of certain commodities and components, especially since storage quantities are limited for budgetary reasons.

In addition to base oils all lubricant manufacturers are heavily reliant on the timely and full supply of additives and packaging. Since many feedstocks for for these commodities are by-products of the fuel manufacturing process, their production has been scaled down too. Lubricant manufacturers are therefore also experiencing a shortage of crude oil based additives and plastic containers.

These are just a few factors which have negatively impacted the oil industry and have primarily led to the shortage in raw materials and finished lubricants. Sadly, there is no way to predict or foresee what the future may hold and to determine when these shortages will be rectified.

At Blue Chip lubricants we have been proactive and have put strong contingency procedures in place to allow continued supply of our key products. We are pleased to advise that to date we have managed to supply all our customers OTIF (on time and in full) through all this chaos. Also, due to steel shortages the 208 litre drums are also in short supply but we have secured large volumes of these to ensure we have sufficient stock.

In addition we are importing container loads of heavy-duty engine oil directly from Q8Oils in Europe. We have ordered large volumes of the Q8 T750 SAE 15W40 engine oil at March pricing for delivery over the period June to August. This ensures adequate stock levels and extremely competitive pricing for all our distributors and customers.  These imports have also permitted us to free up the limited local base stocks to produce other key lubricant products for our customers.

At Blue Chip Lubricants we are continuously pulling out all stops to be ahead of the crisis, but the global scenario changes every day. We deliver orders on a FIFO (first in first out) basis and it is therefore in your own interest to place your orders early to ensure you are not last in the queue.

We would also like to make use of this opportunity to thank all our loyal customers for your continued support during the pandemic and for the confidence that you have placed in us and our products. We are certainly looking forward to a long and rewarding relationship with all our staunch supporters. Together we can keep the wheels of our country turning smoothly.