While the simplicity of this question might actually make some Industry experts boastfully make a comment, there are lots of new car owners and members now who wish to understand a lot more about what really makes up their motor oil. If you are one of those, then you are in luck as this is made just for you. To the professionals, the blenders, chemists and purists alike, don't get too picky as this is written in the average man's term.

The truth is, the composition of a motor oil might mean different things to different persons. To a Lubricant blender, it is simply a resulting liquid of the mixture of other three liquids at elevated temperature. To a lubricant formulator, a motor oil is a complex blend of 12-14 ingredients which are carefully balanced in the right proportion for use and also tested to meet all industry specifications and market claims. To a lubricant consumer however, for the most part, its a mysterious golden fluid with hazy-looking numbers and letters that all make same assertions of being the best product available for your car.

The making of a motor lubricant by various oil producers may contain many individual components, however, most oils are made by simply blending three major fluids in varying proportion per use:
1)Base oil
2)Viscosity Index Improver (Additive)
3)Detergent Inhibitor Package (Additive)

Base oil

On account of our earlier post, we established that base oils generally constitute about 80-90% of the finished motor oil as they play a very important role. The temperature range at which a finished lubricant product can operate, its lubricity, cleanliness and volatility is dependent on the structure and stability of the base oils which dictates the flow characteristics of the oil. The major categories of base oils are mineral oils and synthetics.

Mineral base oils are gotten from crude oil after a Vacuum & Atmospheric distillation process. The lighter more volatile components of crude oil are stripped away to make gasoline and other fuels, and the heaviest components are used in asphalt and tar. The middle components however have the right viscosity and thickness for lubricants after an extensive cleaning up (Dewaxing, removal of unsaturated hydrocarbons, Nitrogen and sulphur compounds removal). Sadly, even with the emergence of more effective modern processing techniques, this clean up is never a 100% process as some of these contaminants usually remain in the base oil after the process. It's these residual components that limit the capabilities of mineral oils, usually by triggering breakdown reactions at high temperatures or freezing up when cold. These intrinsic weakness limit the temperature range in which mineral lubricants are applicable and also shortens the useful life of the finished lubricant. Mineral oils are further subdivided into three subgroups (Group I, Group II, Group III) that differ by the degree of processing they undergo. Higher groups have been subjected to hydro-treating or cracking to open aromatic(ringed) molecules, eliminate unstable double bonds, and remove other undesirables. This extra treating yields water-white clear liquid with higher VIs, enhanced oxidative stability and lower volatility. Group IIIs are a controversial class of mineral oils, due to its been sometimes dubbed as synthetics because of the severe processing it undergoes. There is an ongoing debate among purists about this assertion, hence, we won't be taking a side.

Synthetic base oils are artificially manufactured through the advanced knowledge of molecule building process. This enables relatively pure and simple chemical building blocks be reacted together or synthesized into new, larger molecules. This results in a synthetic base stock consisting only of the pre-selected molecules and has no undesirable weak links that inhibits performance. Hence, instead of trying to clean up a naturally occurring mineral base oil to acceptable levels with a constant eye on cost, the synthetic chemist is able to focus on optimum performance in a specific application with the knowledge that he can build the necessary molecules to achieve it. In general, synthetic base oils offer higher flash points,higher oxidative and thermal stability,higher lubricity, higher VI, lower pour points, lower volatility, better engine cleanliness and better fuel economy. The amount and balance of these improvements vary by synthetic type, and can be quite significant for the engine and user. The most common types of synthetic base oils are Esters, Polyalphaolefins(PAOs), Alkylated Naphthenes(ANs) and more recently Group IIIs. These different types are often blended together (or even with mineral oils), to create the balance of the properties so desired.


Viscosity Index Improver

For the non-engineering reader, viscosity in its simplest term is a name given to the internal friction that exists between adjacent layers of a fluid. Hence a liquid like palm oil can be said to have a higher degree of viscosity than water. In the chemistry of things, all organic liquids will thin out(become water like and eventually evaporate) when heated and thicken out when cooled, but they all don't do this at the same rate. Hence, a viscosity index is simply a scale to compare the rate of viscosity range with temperature among different fluids. A fluid that thins more on heating(thus thickening more upon cooling) has lower VI than one that thins less and thickens less. Simply put, higher VI oils experience less viscosity changes when temperature ranges. This is a good lubricant property for use in wide temperature range applications. Further expository on VI improvers will be unveiled in coming posts.


Detergent Inhibitor package

DI packs are generally made by additive companies, the largest of which are Lubrizol (an independent), Oronite (a chevron Texaco company) and Infineum (ExxonMobil/Shell joint venture). Apart from manufacturing lubricant additives, these companies also produce fuel additives for gasoline and diesel engines. A DI package is a thick dark fluid containing most of the performance additives needed to formulate an oil. The development and testing cost
of this pack are very high that they are beyond the reach of many oil blenders and marketers, hence most import their packs from these companies.

The DI pack for a regular SM/CF passenger car motor oil consists of the following:

Dispersants
Detergents
Friction modifiers
Seal conditioners
Zinc Dialklydithiophosphatte
Antioxidants
Rust and corrosion inhibitors
Pour point deppressants
Anti-Foams
Diluent oils

An extensive sketch of this individual make up of a DI pack will be done in coming posts. However the meanings of these lubricant terms can be gotten on the source website.

Finished DI packages also varies in chemistry, balance and dosage according tho the kind of oil being made. This is the job of formulators and Lubricant Chemists.

Conclusion

As can be seen, lubricants come in different composition, all having a range of applicability. It's the car owners' responsibility to seek out counsel on the best lubricant for their particular cars under the operating conditions. For the average car owner, driving conditions are mild enough for conventional mineral oils to work satisfactorily, provided they are changed relatively frequently. For those users with high performance engines, severe climates, hard driving or utilizing long drain intervals, synthetics will offer good value and may even be required.

Buying that latest Formatic in town is just appealing, however finding the right lubricant with just the needed components for the smooth running of the engines is what a wise car owner will seek out.

Do you have issues with your current set of lubricant, kindly drop a comment for specialists to help out. We love comments.


Source:http://www.lubestoday.com/2017/07/whats-in-my-motor-oil.html

cc: Marpol