Base oils are divided into five groups, which differ in chemical composition, and therefore in properties. This (and their mixing) determines what the final motor oil sold on store shelves will be. And the most interesting thing is the fact that only 15 world oil companies are involved in their production, as well as the additives themselves, while there are many more brands of the final oil. And here many people probably have a logical question: what is the difference between oils and which is the best? But first, it makes sense to understand the classification of these compounds.
Base oil groups
The classification of base oils involves dividing them into five groups. This is stated in API standard 1509 Appendix E.
API classification table for base oils
Group 1 oils
These compositions are obtained by purifying petroleum products remaining after the production of gasoline or other fuels and lubricants using chemical reagents (solvents). They are also called oils rough cleaning. Significant disadvantage such oils is the presence of a large amount of sulfur in them, more than 0.03%. As for the characteristics, such compositions have weak viscosity index values (that is, the viscosity is very dependent on temperature and can work normally only in a narrow temperature range). Currently, group 1 of base oils is considered obsolete and only . The viscosity index of such base oils is 80...120. And the temperature range is 0°C…+65°C. Their only advantage is their low price.
Group 2 oils
Group 2 base oils are obtained through a chemical process called hydrocracking. Another name for them is highly refined oils. This is also the purification of petroleum products, but using hydrogen and under high pressure (in fact, the process is multi-stage and complex). The result is an almost transparent liquid, which is the base oil. It has less than 0.03% sulfur content and has antioxidant properties. Due to its purity, the service life of the motor oil obtained from it is significantly increased, and deposits and carbon deposits in the engine are reduced. Based on hydrocracking base oil, the so-called “HC-synthetics” are made, which some experts classify as semi-synthetics. Viscosity index in in this case is also in the range from 80 to 120. This group is called the English abbreviation HVI (High Viscosity Index), which literally translates as high viscosity index.
Group 3 oils
These oils are obtained in the same way as the previous ones, from petroleum products. However, the features of group 3 are increased, its value exceeds 120. The higher this indicator, the wider the temperature range the resulting motor oil can operate, in particular, severe frost. Group 3 is often made from base oils. The sulfur content here is less than 0.03%, and the composition itself consists of 90% chemically stable, hydrogen-saturated molecules. Its other name is synthetics, but in fact it is not. The name of the group sometimes sounds like VHVI (Very High Viscosity Index), which translates as a very high viscosity index.
Sometimes group 3+ is isolated separately, the base for which is obtained not from oil, but from natural gas. The technology for its creation is called GTL (gas-to-liquids), that is, the conversion of gas into liquid hydrocarbons. The result is a very pure, water-like base oil. Its molecules have strong bonds that are resistant to aggressive conditions. Oils created on such a base are considered fully synthetic, despite the fact that hydrocracking is used in the process of their creation.
Raw materials of the 3rd group are excellent for developing fuel-saving, synthetic, and universal formulations motor oils in the range from 5W-20 to 10W-40.
Group 4 oils
These oils are created on the basis of polyalphaolefins, and are the basis for the so-called “true synthetics”, which are distinguished by their high quality. This is the so-called polyalphaolefin base oil. It is produced using chemical synthesis. However, a feature of motor oils obtained from such a base is their high cost, so they are often used only in sports cars and in premium cars.
Group 5 oils
There are separate types of base oils, which include all other compounds that are not included in the four groups listed above (roughly speaking, this includes all lubricating compounds, not even related to automotive technology, which were not included in the first four). In particular, silicone, phosphate ester, polyalkylene glycol (PAG), polyesters, bio-lubricants, petrolatum and white oils and so on. They are essentially additives to other formulations. For example, esters serve as additives to base oil to improve it operational properties. Thus, a mixture of essential oil and polyalphaolefins works normally at high temperatures, thereby providing increased detergency of the oil and increasing its service life. Another name for such compositions is essential oils. They are currently the highest quality and have the most high performance. These include ester oils, which, however, are produced in very small quantities due to their high cost (about 3% of global production).
Thus, the characteristics of base oils depend on the method of their preparation. And this, in turn, affects the quality and characteristics of ready-made motor oils used in car engines. Oils derived from petroleum are also affected by its chemical composition. After all, it depends on where (in what region on the planet) and how the oil was extracted.
What are the best base oils?
Base oil volatility according to Noack
Oxidation stability
The question of which base oils are the best is not entirely correct, since it all depends on what kind of oil you need to get and use in the end. For most budget cars“semi-synthetic”, created by mixing oils of groups 2, 3 and 4, is quite suitable. If we are talking about good “synthetics” for expensive foreign cars premium class, it is better to buy oil based on a group 4 base.
Until 2006, motor oil manufacturers could call oils based on groups 4 and 5 “synthetic.” Which are considered the best base oils. However, at present it is allowed to do this even if a base oil of the second or third group was used. That is, only compositions based on the first basic group remained “mineral”.
What happens when you mix species?
Mixing of individual base oils belonging to different groups is allowed. This way you can adjust the characteristics of the final compositions. For example, if you mix base oils of groups 3 or 4 with similar compounds from group 2, you will get “semi-synthetic” with increased performance characteristics. If the mentioned oils are mixed with group 1, you will also get “”, but with more low performance, in particular, high sulfur content or other impurities (depending on the specific composition). Interestingly, oils of the fifth group in pure form not used as a base. To them are added compounds from the third and/or fourth groups. This is due to their high volatility and high cost.
A distinctive feature of oils is based on PJSC, is that it is impossible to make a 100% PAO composition. The reason is their very poor solubility. And it is needed to dissolve additives that are added during the manufacturing process. Therefore, a certain amount of products from lower groups (third and/or fourth) is always added to PAO oils.
The structure of molecular bonds in oils belonging to different groups is different. So, in low groups (first, second, that is, mineral oils) molecular chains are like a branched tree crown with a bunch of “crooked” branches. This shape makes it easier to curl into a ball, which is what happens when it freezes. Accordingly, such oils will freeze at a higher temperature. Conversely, oils of high groups have hydrocarbon chains that have a long, straight structure, and it is more difficult for them to “coagulate”. That's why they freeze at more low temperatures.
Production and receipt of base oils
In the production of modern base oils, viscosity index, pour point, volatility and oxidation stability can be independently controlled. As mentioned above, base oils are produced from petroleum or petroleum products (for example, fuel oil), and there is also production from natural gas by conversion into liquid hydrocarbons.
How is base motor oil produced?
Oil itself is a complex chemical compound, which includes saturated paraffins and naphthenes, unsaturated aromatic olefins, and so on. Each such compound has positive and negative properties.
In particular, paraffins have good oxidation stability, but at low temperatures it is reduced to nothing. At high temperatures, naphthenic acids form a sediment in the oil. Aromatic hydrocarbons negatively affect oxidative stability as well as lubricity. In addition, they form varnish deposits.
Unsaturated hydrocarbons are unstable, that is, they change their properties over time and at different temperatures. Therefore, you need to get rid of all of the listed substances in base oils. And this is done in different ways.
Methane is a natural gas that has neither color nor odor; it is the simplest hydrocarbon consisting of alkanes and paraffins. Alkanes, which are the basis of this gas, unlike neftenes, have strong molecular bonds, and as a result are resistant to reactions with sulfur and alkali, do not form sediments and varnish deposits, but are susceptible to oxidation at 200°C.
The main difficulty lies in the synthesis of liquid hydrocarbons, but the final process is hydrocracking, where long chains of hydrocarbons are separated into different fractions, one of which is an absolutely transparent base oil without sulfate ash. The purity of the oil is 99.5%.
The viscosity coefficient is significantly higher than those produced from PAO, they are used to make fuel-efficient automobile oils With for a long time operation. This oil has very low volatility and excellent stability at both extremely high and extremely low temperatures.
Let's take a closer look at the oils of each group listed above, how they differ in their production technology.
Group 1. They are obtained from pure oil or other oil-containing materials (often waste products from the production of gasoline and other fuels and lubricants) through selective purification. To do this, one of three elements is used - clay, sulfuric acid and solvents.
So, with the help of clay, they get rid of nitrogen and sulfur compounds. Sulfuric acid in combination with impurities provides sludge sediment. And solvents remove paraffin and aromatic compounds. Solvents are most often used because they are the most effective.
Group 2. The technology here is similar, but it is complemented by highly refined purification elements with low content aromatic compounds and paraffins. This improves oxidative stability.
Group 3. At the initial stage, base oils of the third group are obtained in the same way as the oils of the second. However, their peculiarity is the hydrocracking process. In this case, petroleum hydrocarbons undergo hydrogenation and cracking.
During the hydrogenation process, aromatic hydrocarbons are removed from the oil (they subsequently form varnish deposits and carbon deposits in the engine). This also removes sulfur, nitrogen and their chemical compounds. Next comes the stage of catalytic cracking, during which paraffin hydrocarbons are broken down and “fluffed,” that is, the process of isomerization occurs. Due to this, linear molecular bonds are obtained. Harmful compounds of sulfur, nitrogen and other elements remaining in the oil are neutralized by adding additives.
Group 3+. Such base oils are produced by the hydrocracking method, only the raw materials that can be separated are not crude oil, but liquid hydrocarbons synthesized from natural gas. The gas can be synthesized to produce liquid hydrocarbons using the Fischer-Tropsch technology, developed back in the 1920s, but using a special catalyst. Production of the required product began only at the end of 2011 at the Pearl GTL Shell plant together with Qatar Petroleum.
The production of such a base oil begins with the supply of gas and oxygen to the installation. The gasification stage then begins, producing synthesis gas, which is a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Then the synthesis of liquid hydrocarbons occurs. And the next process in the GTL chain is hydrocracking of the resulting transparent waxy mass.
The gas-to-liquid conversion process produces a crystal clear base oil that is virtually free of the impurities found in crude oil. The most important representatives of such oils made using PurePlus technology are Ultra, Pennzoil Ultra and Platinum Full Synthetic.
Group 4. The role of the synthetic base for such compositions is played by the already mentioned polyalphaolefins (PAO). They are hydrocarbons with a chain length of about 10...12 atoms. They are obtained by polymerization (combination) of so-called monomers (short hydrocarbons 5...6 atoms long. And the raw materials for this are petroleum gases butylene and ethylene (another name for long molecules - decenes). This process is reminiscent of “cross-linking” on special chemical machines. It consists of several stages.
The first involves the oligomerization of decene to produce a linear alpha olefin. The oligomerization process occurs in the presence of catalysts, high temperature and high pressure. The second stage is the polymerization of linear alpha-olefins, which results in the desired PAO. This polymerization process occurs at low pressure and in the presence of organometallic catalysts. At the final stage, fractional distillation is carried out at PAO-2, PAO-4, PAO-6, and so on. To ensure the required characteristics of the base motor oil, appropriate fractions and polyalphaolefins are selected.
Group 5. As for the fifth group, such oils are based on esters - esters or fatty acids, that is, compounds of organic acids. These compounds are formed as a result chemical reactions between acids (usually carboxylic acids) and alcohols. The raw materials for their production are organic materials - vegetable oils (coconut, rapeseed). Also, sometimes group five oils are made from alkylated naphthalenes. They are obtained by alkylation of naphthalenes with olefins.
As you can see, the manufacturing technology becomes more complex from group to group, and therefore becomes more expensive. This is why mineral oils have a low price, and PAO-synthetic oils are expensive. However, there is a lot to consider different characteristics, and not just the price and type of oil.
Interestingly, oils belonging to the fifth group contain polarized particles that are magnetic to the metal parts of the engine. In this way they provide the most better protection compared to other oils. In addition, they have very good cleaning abilities, due to which the amount of detergent additives is reduced to a minimum (or simply eliminated).
Oils based on esters (the fifth basic group) are used in aviation, because planes fly at altitudes where the temperature is significantly lower than that recorded even in the far north.
Modern technologies make it possible to create completely biodegradable ester oils, since the mentioned esters are environmentally friendly products and easily decompose. Therefore, such oils are environmentally friendly. However, due to its high cost Car enthusiasts will not soon be able to use them everywhere.
Base oil manufacturers
Ready-made motor oil is a mixture of base oil and additive package. Moreover, it is interesting that there are only 5 companies in the world that produce these same additives - Lubrizol, Ethyl, Infineum, Afton and Chevron. All well-known and not so well-known companies producing their own lubricating fluids, buy additives from them. Over time, their composition changes, modifications, companies conduct research in chemical fields, and try not only to increase performance characteristics oils, but also to make them more environmentally friendly.
As for manufacturers of base oils, there are actually not so many of them, and these are mainly large, world-famous companies such as ExonMobil, which ranks first in the world in this indicator (about 50% of the global volume of Group IV base oils , as well as a larger share in groups 2,3 and 5). Besides it, there are other large ones in the world with their own research center. Moreover, their production is divided into the above-mentioned five groups. For example, such “whales” as ExxonMobil, Castrol and Shell do not produce base oils of the first group, since it is “not their rank”.
| Manufacturers of base oils by group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | II | III | IV | V |
| Lukoil (Russian Federation) | Exxon Mobil(EHC) | Petronas (ETRO) | ExxonMobil | Inolex |
| Total (France) | Chevron | ExxonMobil (VISOM) | Idemitsu Kosan Co. | ExxonMobil |
| Kuwait Petroleum (Kuwait) | Excell Paralubes | Neste Oil(Nexbase) | INEOS | DOW |
| Neste (Finland) | Ergon | Repsol YPF | Chemtura | BASF |
| SK ( South Korea) | Motiva | Shell (Shell XHVI and GTL) | Chevron Phillips | Chemtura |
| Petronas (Malaysia) | Suncor Petro-Canada | British Petroleum (Burmah-Castrol) | INEOS | |
| GS Caltex (Kixx LUBO) | Hatco | |||
| SK Lubricants | Nyco America | |||
| Petronas | Afton | |||
| H&R Chempharm GmbH | Croda | |||
| Eni | Synester | |||
| Motiva | ||||
The listed base oils are initially divided by viscosity. And each group has its own designations:
- First group: SN-80, SN-150, SN-400, SN-500, SN-600, SN-650, SN-1200 and so on.
- Second group: 70N, 100N, 150N, 500N (although different manufacturers viscosity may vary).
- Third group: 60R, 100R, 150R, 220R, 600R (numbers here may also differ depending on the manufacturer).
Composition of motor oils
Depending on what characteristics the finished automobile motor oil should have, each manufacturer chooses its composition and the ratio of its constituent substances. For example, semi-synthetic oil, as a rule, consists of about 70% mineral base oil (group 1 or 2), or 30% hydrocracked synthetic (sometimes 80% and 20%). Next comes the “game” with additives (they can be antioxidant, antifoam, thickening, dispersing, washing, dispersing, friction modifiers), which are added to the resulting mixture. Additives are usually of low quality, so the resulting finished product does not have good characteristics, and can be used in budget and/or old cars.
Synthetic and semi-synthetic formulations based on group 3 base oils are the most common in the world today. They have the English designation Semi Syntetic. Their manufacturing technology is similar. They consist of approximately 80% base oil (often different groups of base oils are mixed) and an additive. Sometimes viscosity regulators are added.
Synthetic oils based on group 4 bases are already real “synthetics” Full Syntetic, based on polyalphaolephones. They have very high performance and a long service life, but they are very expensive. As for rare ester motor oils, they consist of a mixture of base oils from groups 3 and 4, and with the addition of an ester component in a volume amount of 5 to 30%.
Lately we've been meeting craftsmen”, which add about 10% of a pure ester component to the filled engine oil of a car in order to supposedly improve its characteristics. Should not be doing that! This will change the viscosity and may lead to unpredictable results.
The technology for producing finished motor oil is not just a matter of mixing individual components, in particular, base and additives. In fact, this mixing occurs in stages, at different temperatures, at different intervals. Therefore, to produce it you need to have information about the technology and the appropriate equipment.
Most of the current companies, having such equipment, produce motor oils using the developments of the main base oil manufacturers and additive manufacturers, so quite often you can come across the statement that the manufacturers are fooling us and in fact all oils are the same.
Motor ZIC oils are manufactured using the highest quality components. Firstly, this is a base oil with a very high viscosity index, made using deep catalytic hydrocracking technology, and secondly, balanced additive packages from world leaders in this field - Lubrizol and Infineum.
Hydrocracking technology in the production of base oils has become a truly revolutionary stage in the development of new generation motor oils. This process received practical application in the mid-70s in the USA, and then spread to other regions of the world. The merit of the ZIC manufacturer - SK Corporation (http://www.skzic.com/eng/main.asp) is the significant modernization of traditional hydrocracking and the development of its own base oil production technology highest quality- VHVI Technologyhttp: http://www.yubase.com/eng/main.asp
Manufacturers of hydrocracked base oils typically patent and protect their own production technologies. Usually these technologies are given abbreviated symbols. For Shell it is XHVI (Extra High Viscosity Index); BP has HC (Hydrocracker Component); Exxon has ExSyn. SK Corporation technology received the abbreviation VHVI (Very High Viscosity Index - i.e., a very high viscosity index).
VHVI technology gives ZIC oils properties identical to “synthetics”. VHVI base oils, unique in their quality, exceed the standard indicators of the third group in terms of viscosity index, have much lower volatility, and contain several times less aromatic hydrocarbons and sulfur. Therefore, ZIC motor oils practically do not change their original properties throughout their entire service life. The oil has excellent fluidity at low temperatures (when starting a cold engine) and higher viscosity at operating temperature engine, therefore ideally resists wear. Low volatility and heat flares help achieve minimum oil burn rates in the engine.
Today, ZIC motor oils are one of the best offers on the Ukrainian market. In terms of quality, they are in no way inferior to their more famous analogues and at the same time are quite affordable. And the original tin packaging with several degrees of protection practically eliminates the possibility of counterfeiting SK Corporation products.
It is safe to say that the products of VHVI technology - ZIC lubricants, offered today on the Ukrainian market, demonstrate the advanced level of quality in world petrochemicals and meet the latest domestic and international requirements for lubricants.
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Pavel Lebedev
Photo by ZIC
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In production lubricants ZIC applies own development SK Corporation - “VHVI Technology”, this is how they get YUBASE - base oils with a Very High Viscosity Index (VHVI)
VHVI technology gives them properties identical to those of 100% synthetic base oils: YUBASE is superior to its analogues in terms of Viscosity Index, has much lower volatility, and practically does not contain harmful impurities, so the additives in it work with very high efficiency.
Excellent performance base oil in combination with ideally and precisely balanced active additive packages from LUBRIZOL and INFINEUM (world leaders in this field) provide very high level lubricant quality ZIC materials.
The unique properties of ZIC oils and lubricants are provided by catalytic hydrocracking, the latest and most advanced technology for deep oil refining currently available. It is on the basis of this technology that YUBASE VHVI base oil (oil with a Very High Viscosity Index) is produced, which belongs to group III according to the API (American Petroleum Institute) classification. The hydrocracking process that oils undergo leads to the transformation of components into hydrocarbons of the required structure, which affects the stability of the resulting oils and brings their properties closer to synthetic ones.
By supplying YUBASE base oil to the world's leading lubricant manufacturers, SK has a global market share of over 60% of Group III base oils. The YUBASE base oil production technology has received international recognition and is protected by patents in 23 countries.
Hydrocracking is an advantageous technology.
Hydrocracking base oils are becoming increasingly common in the lubricants industry. Today, the largest manufacturer of this base is the SK Corporation, supplying these raw materials to the markets of various countries and leading oil producers. The features of hydrocracking oils produced by SK and the advantages of products manufactured on their basis were discussed at the ZIC seminar held as part of the 15th international motor show SIA 2007 Motor Oil- VHVI technology"
It is known that the main component of lubricants is base oil. The better quality it is, the best characteristics the final product will have. Additives, of course, also have an effect, however, they are mainly aimed at giving the oil some additional properties and are a kind of “auxiliary” elements. Therefore, the base oil is the key component that largely determines the performance of the oil and the preservation of the stability of its properties.
To separate base oils according to their technical API characteristics(American Petroleum Institute) introduced a corresponding classification, dividing them into five groups. Gradation is carried out according to viscosity index, saturation and sulfur content. Saturation indicates the content of isoparaffins and cycloparaffins in the oil. Highly saturated base oil has high thermal and antioxidant stability; additives work more effectively in it. For long-term and quality work lubricant, the purity of the base oil is of no small importance. After all, if it contains contaminants, a certain amount of additives will gradually react with their particles. In this case, the effectiveness of the additives and the properties of the oil will deteriorate more rapidly during operation. When using highly purified base oils for the production of lubricants more additives remains active. Consequently, the performance of the oil increases.
Of course, many have heard about hydrocracking oils. These products are classified as API Group 3 base oils and are often equated to polyalphaolefins (Group IV). Today, one of the largest producers of Group III base oils is SK Corporation, which provides about 60% of the world market for this type of base. The hydrocracking oils produced by the company are called Yubase and are obtained using advanced technology for the production of an oil base - VHVI (Very High Viscosity Index) technology. Yubase oils, although they belong to the third group, have a slightly different hydrocarbon composition and characteristics than their analogues. In appearance, they are almost transparent, which indicates a high degree of purification from harmful impurities, such as aromatic compounds, sulfur, nitrogen, etc. They have a high viscosity index and the same level of volatility (and even slightly lower) as polyalphaolefins (according to the Noack system ). However, not all Yubase oils can be used to produce motor oil. For this purpose, only special categories are selected, which, together with additives carefully selected and combined with the Yubase base, make it possible to obtain high-quality oils. This is the technology of SK Corporation - VHVI - a technology for producing ZIC base oils and lubricants with excellent properties, having good low-temperature fluidity, excellent overall engine protection, low consumption and extended oil change intervals. Today, the majority of ZIC motor oils are made from Yubase base oils. Combining them with highly effective additives allows us to obtain products that meet the requirements of well-known world classifications (API, ACEA, ILSAC), as well as of many car manufacturers. ZIC oils are also used for factory filling (for example, on Hyundai and KIA conveyors). It should be noted that many lubricant manufacturers position oils made from hydrocracking base oils in the synthetic sector. Others still classify them as semi-synthetic, preferring to call only oils produced from a traditional synthetic base synthetic. Each company uses its own marketing moves to attract attention to the products being manufactured and has the right to attribute a particular product to a specific sector. Hydrocracking oils differ significantly from mineral oils, naturally in positive side, while being as close as possible to synthetic ones. However, everywhere there are “buts”. Approaching - not yet identical. And what then should we call classic products based on synthetic base oils? "Full" synthetics? There are quite heated discussions about this, and everyone defends their point of view.
