What is synthetic oil? Lubricants are made of base oils and various additives are blended to produce a particular lubricant.
Normally these base product are mineral oils produced from crude at a refinery.
Like mineral base oils, synthetic base oils are derived from natural crude oil.
Synthetic base oil is chemically engineered to deliver tailored lubricants with optimized performance advantages.
Does it cost more? The specialized manufacturing process & the high cost of raw materials used inevitably make synthetics more expensive to produce.
That is why they're more expensive to buy, compared with mineral oils.
But in operation, synthetics can work out to be more economical - they last much longer, reducing friction & wear more effectively, so ultimately can save on costs, maintenance & engine replacement.
Is synthetic better than mineral lubricant? Over a wide range of important criteria synthetic offers significantly better performance.
They've a naturally high viscosity index benefits to enable the lubricant to be effective over a wide temperature range.
Also they'll not break down as easily as mineral oil when it's hot, so they last longer & reduce pollution & engine wear.
The ability of synthetics to provide better lubricity means that they both reduce wear & also improve engine efficiency & thus reduce fuel consumption.
Are there different types of synthetic lubricants? Synthetic oils can be produced with a variety of structures to give the desired performance properties.
The most famous is fully synthetic base stock - Polyalphaolefins (PAO), but there are a number of others, such as polyester & polyglycols.
Semi-synthetic oils - produced by mixing synthetic base oil with mineral oil, have a lower cost range of high quality lubricants.
Some oil companies have developed their own technology to produce synthetized base oils.
These are hydrocracked (HC) oils.
The production process has the environmental benefit of consuming less than half the energy in the production of HC oils than required by conventional PAO synthetic oil production.
Are there any problems with the handling or disposal of synthetic lubricants? There is no difference between the PAO or hydrocracked base lubricants and mineral oil with respect to the handling & disposal.
This is important with any lubricant, so ensure that health & safety guidelines are met, and proper care is taken to comply with disposal regulations.
Normally these base product are mineral oils produced from crude at a refinery.
Like mineral base oils, synthetic base oils are derived from natural crude oil.
Synthetic base oil is chemically engineered to deliver tailored lubricants with optimized performance advantages.
Does it cost more? The specialized manufacturing process & the high cost of raw materials used inevitably make synthetics more expensive to produce.
That is why they're more expensive to buy, compared with mineral oils.
But in operation, synthetics can work out to be more economical - they last much longer, reducing friction & wear more effectively, so ultimately can save on costs, maintenance & engine replacement.
Is synthetic better than mineral lubricant? Over a wide range of important criteria synthetic offers significantly better performance.
They've a naturally high viscosity index benefits to enable the lubricant to be effective over a wide temperature range.
Also they'll not break down as easily as mineral oil when it's hot, so they last longer & reduce pollution & engine wear.
The ability of synthetics to provide better lubricity means that they both reduce wear & also improve engine efficiency & thus reduce fuel consumption.
Are there different types of synthetic lubricants? Synthetic oils can be produced with a variety of structures to give the desired performance properties.
The most famous is fully synthetic base stock - Polyalphaolefins (PAO), but there are a number of others, such as polyester & polyglycols.
Semi-synthetic oils - produced by mixing synthetic base oil with mineral oil, have a lower cost range of high quality lubricants.
Some oil companies have developed their own technology to produce synthetized base oils.
These are hydrocracked (HC) oils.
The production process has the environmental benefit of consuming less than half the energy in the production of HC oils than required by conventional PAO synthetic oil production.
Are there any problems with the handling or disposal of synthetic lubricants? There is no difference between the PAO or hydrocracked base lubricants and mineral oil with respect to the handling & disposal.
This is important with any lubricant, so ensure that health & safety guidelines are met, and proper care is taken to comply with disposal regulations.
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