Synthetic oil
A synthetic oil is an oil that is made to achieve better lubrication performance. The Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is used for production, which converts carbon monoxide and hydrogen , so-called synthesis gas , into hydrocarbons . The synthesis gas is z. B. generated from coal. This process was developed in Germany and used extensively during World War II because access to crude oil was limited. In 1944 Germany produced approximately 6.5 million tons of synthetic oil.
Most lubricants (see also lubricating oil ) today are mineral oils , i.e. mixtures of fractions of distilled crude oil.
HC oils are partially obtained with API Group II and completely with API Group III by hydrocracking .
Other components of synthetic oils are made from smaller molecules by chemical synthesis, such as B. by polymerization to polyalphaolefins (PAO), polyalkylene glycols (PAG) or by condensation reaction to form esters . These three groups represent the economically relevant synthetic oils. Their lubricating properties can be adjusted by controlling the composition and molecular weight distributions in the final product.
Synthetic oil became commercially available through the lubricant company Mobil in the mid-1970s . The first fully synthetic oil was the PAO-based Mobil SHC which was marketed from 1973 in Germany, where it was also developed. The legendary advertising slogan "The new MOBIL SHC harder than you will ever drive".
advantages
The industry cites the following advantages for synthetic (engine) oil:
- improved viscosity properties at lower (e.g. SAE 0W-40) and higher temperatures (e.g. SAE 10W-60)
- longer resistance of the base oil
- longer interval between oil changes possible
disadvantage
The main disadvantage is that synthetic oils are more expensive to produce than mineral oils and the selling prices are considerably higher. Some argue that the benefits of synthetic oil only come into play in extreme conditions (motorsport, aviation, etc.), but not in everyday use. (No engine manufacturer of series models requires the use of synthetic engine oils.)
Individual evidence
- ^ Department of Energy: The Early Days of Coal Research , accessed July 31, 2013.
- ↑ Understanding the Differences in Base Oil Groups ( Memento of the original of July 2, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Automobile: Relatives made to measure. Der Spiegel, August 9, 1976, accessed on February 19, 2019 .
