The synthetic oil we commonly use generally refers to PAO. PAO has excellent low temperature performance, high viscosity index and antioxidant properties, but low polarity. Formulation engineers usually need to add solubilizing substances to promote the dissolution of additives. At the same time, considering the shrinkage of rubber materials, synthetic esters are generally used. However, synthetic esters have the risk of hydrolysis, and the use of alkyl naphthalene can significantly reduce the risk of hydrolysis.
Adding alkyl naphthalene to Group II, Group III oils and PAO can improve the heat resistance, oxidation resistance, solubility, dispersibility, additive tolerance and paint film dispersibility of the oil. Generally, in the formulation, the amount of alkyl naphthalene is 10% or less, and the effect is very significant. Mobil formulations usually use 10% alkyl naphthalene plus 10% synthetic esters. We have also done some experiments, and the evaporation loss of imported PAO4 is 12%, and the evaporation loss of alkyl naphthalene 5 is also 12%. However, when 20% alkyl naphthalene is added to 80% PAO4, the evaporation loss is miraculously reduced to 9%. It can be seen that alkyl naphthalene has unique antioxidant properties.
Synthetic esters also have a disadvantage in formulation applications, that is, they are prone to radial adsorption with additives, while alkyl naphthalene does not have this problem. The combination of alkyl naphthalene and synthetic esters is a better solution. But if only one of them can be chosen, we recommend that customers use only alkyl naphthalene in the formulation, and the effect will be better. However, alkyl naphthalene also has disadvantages, its data is not beautiful enough, and the index is not high. The viscosity index of low-viscosity alkyl naphthalene products is low. For example, the viscosity index of alkyl naphthalene 5 exceeds 70, and only alkyl naphthalene with a viscosity of 30 can be comparable to BS, with a viscosity index of about 130-135. Some experts are worried that adding alkyl naphthalene will reduce the viscosity index of the product. ExxonMobil engineers pointed out that adding low-viscosity alkyl naphthalene 5 will not affect the viscosity index of the overall formulation.
In diesel engine oil formulations, alkyl naphthalene 30 and alkyl naphthalene 15 are used more frequently because customers have a greater demand for long-life diesel engine oils. For example, some of our customers produce long-life diesel engine oils with a life of 60,000 kilometers and 100,000 kilometers. The price of an 18-liter barrel is $140,and the quality has been recognized by end customers. After adding alkyl naphthalene, the product performance is outstanding, and the market feedback is also good. It is mainly reflected in: the oil consumption is reduced, and there is basically no need to refuel before 40,000 kilometers. The amount of refueling after 40,000 kilometers is also very small, which is about 1/4 of imported products; in terms of oil change cycle, the power of the oil does not decay much after 100,000 kilometers, and the discharged waste oil is clean and transparent.
In the formulation of gasoline engine oil, the application effect of alkyl naphthalene is better. Generally, alkyl naphthalene 5 is used because of its good low-temperature CCS performance. If the CCS space is large, adding 4% of alkyl naphthalene to the formula will have excellent performance, low noise, and will not burn oil. Customers who previously reported burning oil no longer have this problem. The oil color is beautiful when changing the oil, and the customer recognition is very high.
To summarize briefly: Alkyl naphthalene products are becoming more and more valued and widely used, and their synergistic effect of "1+1>2" is very significant. For example, if a customer reports that the engine oil product causes oil burning, and this is not a problem with the vehicle itself, then adding 3%-4% (150-200 ml) of alkyl naphthalene 30 can basically solve the problem. For synthetic ester products, it is recommended to use them in combination with alkyl naphthalene. Synthetic esters have poor antioxidant properties, but their data are beautiful, with high indicators, good low-temperature performance, and good pour point, just like "white skin, beautiful appearance, and long legs", but they also have fatal shortcomings, that is, poor antioxidant properties, easy free radical adsorption with additives, and low loyalty; while Alkyl naphthalene has average data, but it is highly reliable, hardworking and loyal. Therefore, when recommending products to customers, alkyl naphthalene is recommended first. If you want to use synthetic esters, it is recommended to use alkyl naphthalene.
