Lube Oil

Lube Oil
 Raw materials:
The property of reducing friction is known as lubricity. A

lubricant is a substance introduced to reduce friction between
surfaces in mutual contact, which ultimately reduces the heat
generated. Lube oils are just one of many fractions, or
components, that can be derived from raw petroleum, which
emerges from an oil well as a yellow-to-black, flammable,
liquid mixture of thousands of hydrocarbons (organic
compounds containing only carbon and hydrogen atoms, these
occur in all fossil fuels).
Lube Oil
 Raw materials:
Depending on the application, chemicals called additives may be

mixed with the refined oil to give it desired physical properties.
Common additives include metals such as lead or metal sulphide,
which enhance lube oil's ability to prevent galling and scoring
when metal surfaces come in contact under extremely high
pressures. High-molecular weight polymerics are another common
additive: they improve viscosity, counteracting the tendency of oils
to thin at high temperatures. Nitrosomines are employed as
antioxidants and corrosion inhibitors because they neutralize acids
and form protective films on metal Surfaces.
• Types of Lube Oil
1. Automotive lubricants
2. Industrial lubricants
3. Marine lubricants
4. Synthetic lubricants
• Lube Oil Properties

A good lubricant generally possesses the following characteristics:
a) high boiling point and low freezing point (in order to stay liquid within a
wide range of temperature)
b) high viscosity index c) thermal stability
d) hydraulic stability e) demulsibility
f) corrosion prevention g) high resistance to oxidation.
- Manufacturing Process
Lubricants are generally composed of a majority of
base oil plus a variety of additives to impart desirable
characteristics. Although generally lubricants are based on
one type of base oil, mixtures of the base oils also are used
to meet performance requirements.
- How Base Oil is extracted from Crude Oil?
Base oil is extracted from crude oil, which undergoes a preliminary
purification process (sedimentation) before it is pumped into fractionating
towers. A typical high-efficiency fractionating tower, 25 to 35 feet (7.6 to
10.6 meters) in diameter and up to 400 feet (122 meters) tall, is
constructed of high grade steels to resist the corrosive compounds present
in crude oils; inside, it is fitted with an ascending series of condensate
collecting trays. Within a tower, the thousands of hydrocarbons in crude oil
are separated from each other by a process called fractional distillation. As
the vapors rise up through the tower, the various fractions cool, condense,
and return to liquid form at different rates determined by their respective
boiling points (the lower the boiling point of the fraction, the higher it rises
before condensing). Natural gas reaches its boiling point first, followed by
gasoline, kerosene, fuel oil, lubricants, and tars.
1. Purification
At the refinery, the oil undergoes sedimentation to
remove any water and solid contaminants, such as sand
and rock, that maybe suspended in it. During this process,
the crude is pumped into large holding tanks, where the
water and oil are allowed to separate and the
contaminants settle out of the oil.
2. Fractionating
- Next, the crude oil is heated to about 700 degrees Fahrenheit (371 degrees
Celsius). At this temperature it breaks down into a mixture of hot vapor
and liquid that is then pumped into the bottom of the first of two
fractionating towers. Here, the hot hydrocarbon vapors float upward. As
they cool, they condense and are collected in different trays installed at
different levels in the tower. In this tower, normal atmospheric pressure is
maintained continuously, and about 80 percent of the crude oil vaporizes.
- The remaining 20 percent of the oil is then reheated and pumped into a
second tower, wherein vacuum pressure lowers the residual oil's boiling
point so that it can be made to vaporize at a lower temperature. The
heavier compounds with higher boiling points, such as tar and the
inorganic compounds, remain behind for further processing.
3. Filtering and solvent extraction
After further processing to remove unwanted compounds, the Base
oil that has been collected in the two fractionating towers is passed
through several ultrafine filters, which remove remaining impurities.
Aromatics, one such contaminant, contain six-carbon rings that
would affect the lube oil's viscosity if they weren't removed in a
process called solvent extraction. Solvent extraction is possible
because aromatics are more soluble in the solvent than the Base oil
fraction is. When the lube oil is treated with the solvent, the
aromatics dissolve; later, after the solvent has been removed, the
aromatics can be recovered from it.
After Base Oil is extracted from Crude Oil, it's transferred into lube
oil blending unit where it is treated and converted into lube oil.
Lubricating oil is
refined from crude
oil. After undergoing a
purifying process
called sedimentation,
the crude oil is heated
in huge fractionating
towers. The various
vapors—which can be
used to make fuel,
waxes, or propane,
among other
substances—boil off
and are collected at
different points in the
tower.
- Lube Oil Blending Units
The Lube Oil Blending Units Consists of the following:

 Raw materials storage.
 Blending units.
 Finished product storage
 Filling and loading.
 Warehouse and dispatch.
- Lube Oil Blending Units
Lube Oil Blending Plants are used for processing different lube oils such
as automotive and industrial lubricants. In these plants usually, weighing
and blending of base oil stock followed by additive weighing and mixing
of lube oil, and filling of the finished lube oils into containers of various
sizes are carried out. It is a fully batch automatic process performed
within multiple parallel lines with the help of additives.
In the final stages of the process, where the oil is mixed with additives to
give it the desired physical properties (such as the ability to withstand low
temperatures). At this point, the lube oil is subjected to a variety of
quality control tests that assess its viscosity, specific gravity, color, flash,
and fire points. Oil that meets quality standards is then packaged for sale
and distribution.
- Quality Control
Most applications of lube oils require that they be non-

resinous, pale-colored, odorless, and oxidation-resistant. Over
a dozen physical and chemical tests are used to classify and
determine the grade of lubricating oils. Common physical tests
include measurements for viscosity, specific gravity, and color,
while typical chemical tests include those for flash and fire
points.
- Quality Control
Of all the properties, viscosity, lube oil's resistance to flow at

specific temperatures and pressures, is probably the single
most important one. The application and operating
temperature range are key factors in determining the proper
viscosity for oil. For example, if the oil is too viscous, it offers
too much resistance to the metal parts moving against each
other.
On the other hand, if it not viscous enough, it will be squeezed
out from between the mating surfaces and will not be able to
lubricate them sufficiently.
The specific gravity of an oil depends on the refining method and
the types of additives present, such as lead, which gives the lube oil
the ability to resist extreme mating surface pressure and cold
temperatures.
The lube oil's color indicates the uniformity of a particular grade or
brand. The oil's flash and fire points vary with the crude oil's origin.
The flash point is the temperature to which an oil has to be heated
until sufficient flammable vapor is driven off so that it will flash
when brought into contact with a flame.
The fire point is the higher temperature at which the oil vapor will
continue to burn when ignited.

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Lube Oil

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Lube Oil

The property of reducing friction is known as lubricity. A

Depending on the application, chemicals called additives may be

• Lube Oil Properties

The Lube Oil Blending Units Consists of the following:

Most applications of lube oils require that they be non-

Of all the properties, viscosity, lube oil's resistance to flow at

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