“Fischer-Tropsch GTL synthetic fluids are positioned for the future,” Henderson concluded. “They have an outstanding combination of viscometric, volatility, low-temperature and compositional properties that exceed the American Petroleum Institute’s Group III ‘Best of Industry’ while matching PAO standards. GTL has demonstrated excellent performance in critical GF-3 engine tests while initial driveline testing is consistent with PAO. I’m very encouraged for the future of GTL.”
Group III Versus PAO Performance http://www.uns-oil.ru/userfiles/Base%20Oil%20Technology%20Evolution.pdf Historically, PAOs have had superior lubricating performance characteristics such as V.I., pour point, volatility, and oxidation stability that could not be achieved with conventional mineral oils. Now, in modern base oil manufacturing, V.I., pour point, volatility, and oxidation stability can be independently controlled. Modern Group III oils today can be designed and manufactured so that their performance closely matches PAOs in most commercially significant finished lube applications. As well-designed Group III base oils become abundant in the marketplace, the performance gap between Group III and PAO (Group IV) is closing. Here are some key examples: Pour Point – Pour point is the one property where Group III oils allegedly fall short of PAO. While it is certainly true that the pour point of the neat Group III base oil is substantially higher than that of a PAO of comparable viscosity, it is important to understand that the pour point of the fully formulated lubricant (base oils plus additives) is the critical property. Base oils manufactured with modern isomerization catalysts respond very well to pour point depressant additives. For example, turbine oils formulated with conventional Group II base oils (-12°C base oil pour point) are available with a formulated pour point of -36°C. Fully formulated Group III based lubricants can be made with pour points of -50°C or below. Products such as motor oils made with the lighter-grade PAOs, on the other hand, typically have higher pour points than the base fluid, so the gap in final product pour point between PAO-based and UCBO-based lubricants is much smaller than in the base fluids themselves. Moreover, it is entirely possible with modern Group III manufacturing technology to produce base oils of even lower pour point. However, this is not common practice in the industry, because it is more economical to meet finished lube low temperature performance using pour point depressant additives rather than using special Group III oils having exceptionally low pour points. Cold Crank Simulator – Viscosity in engine journal bearings during cold temperature startup is a key factor in determining the lowest temperature at which an engine will start. Cold Cranking Simulator (CCS) viscosity, as measured by ASTM Method D 5293, is determined under conditions similar to those experienced in engine bearings during starting. For base oils, this viscosity is determined almost entirely by viscosity and V.I. Since Group III stocks typically have V.I. comparable to that of 4 cSt PAO, one would expect comparable CCS performance. This is demonstrated in Figure 3, where it can be seen that a 4 cSt Group III base oil, with a kinematic viscosity of 4.2 cSt at 100°C and a V.I. of 129, and PAO 4, with a viscosity of 3.9 cSt and V.I. of 123, have similar CCS values, both about half that of a 4 cSt Group II base stock of about 100 V.I. This performance makes the Group III stock very effective for formulating fuelefficient multi-viscosity engine oils in the 0W-20 to 0W-50 range, one that has historically been achieved only with PAO-based product. 以前0w-20 0W-30 0W-40 到 0w-50 必須 PAO才能生產 現在第三類基礎油也能生產0w-20 0W-30 0W-40 到 0w-50的機油
Noack Volatility – Noack volatility of an engine oil, as measured by ASTM D 5800 and similar methods, has been found to correlate with oil consumption in passenger car engines. Strict requirements for low volatility are important aspects of several recent and upcoming engine oil specifications, such as ACEA A-3 and B-3 in Europe and ILSAC GF-3 in North America. Figure 4 shows that from a blender’s perspective, Group III base oils are similarly effective as PAOs for achieving these low volatility requirements in engine oil applications. The V.I. of modern Group III oils typically match or exceed PAO, so they can match the volatility of PAOs at a reasonable distillation cut width.
Oxidation Stability – Oxidation and thermal stability are among the most important advantages that “synthetics” bring to the table. Better base oil stability means better additive stability and longer life. High stability is the key to making the premiumquality finished oils of the future with longer drain intervals. Here Group III oils routinely challenge PAO performance. The stability of modern Group III stocks depends mostly on their V.I., because V.I. is an indication of the fraction of highly stable isoparaffinic structures in the base oil [10]. However, because modern Group III stocks also undergo additional severe hydrofinishing after hydrocracking and hydroisomerization, they achieve an additional boost in stability because only trace amounts of aromatics and other impurities remain in the finished stocks. On the other hand, PAO performance seems to depend largely on residual olefin content. Olefins are an intermediate in PAO production that contribute to instability. Figure 5 illustrates that base oil quality can have a big impact on the oxidation stability in turbine oils. The Turbine Oil Stability Test (TOST), or ASTM D 943, measures the time required for a turbine oil to oxidize to the point where the total acid number reaches 2.0 mg KOH/g. Unadditized Group I base oil fails in about 200 hours. A modern high-quality turbine oil formulated with Group I base oil typically fails in less than 7000 hours. A high-quality Group II formulated oil can run more than twice as long before it fails.
The benefit of all-hydroprocessed Group III base oils in oxidation stability is illustrated in Figure 6 for hydraulic oils formulated by using the same additive system in four different base oils. Here, the time required to reach an acid number of 2.0 (defined by neutralization of 2.0 mg of KOH/g of oil) in the Universal Oxidation Test (ASTM D 4871), a common measure of oil oxidation, was substantially longer for the Group III formulation than for either the Group I or II products. Moreover, the performance of the Group III product was essentially the same as that for the oil formulated with PAO.