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PAO Benefits and Performance
Synfluid® PAOs are crafted from an on-purpose process that yields a consistent, high-quality product, an advantage clearly demonstrated by gas chromatography.
Refined mineral oils often contain sulfurs, aromatics and other compounds that can erode the quality and consistency of a mineral oil. These compounds are not discernable in Synfluid® PAOs.
Synfluid® PAOs feature narrow molecular weight ranges due to our high-purity feedstocks. This minimizes high molecular weight compounds that impair low-temperature performance (pour point, cold crank and other low temperature viscometrics) and low molecular weight compounds that affect volatility, flash and fire points.
With fuel economy more critical than ever, even a 1% gain can significantly reduce costs. Choosing the right base oil is key to balancing fuel efficiency and wear protection. Low-viscosity oils improve fuel economy, but only if low Noack volatility is maintained to ensure emissions control and lubricant stability.
The chart shows that PAOs enable low-viscosity formulations without sacrificing volatility. As OEMs adopt lower-viscosity oils to improve fuel economy—even for heavy-duty diesel engines—using high-quality base oils becomes essential for optimal performance.
Having a high viscosity index helps to protect an engine at temperature extremes. A high VI means the oil does not change as much with temperature compared to an oil with a lower VI. A high VI means that the oil does not change as much with temperature compared to an oil with a lower VI. A higher VI oil has a lower viscosity at start-up temperatures allowing it to flow faster and lubricate equipment while maintaining the needed viscosity at running temperatures to continue to provide protection. However, VI doesn’t tell the whole story — it only reflects the viscosity/temperature relationship between 40°C and 100°C. But what happens below 40°C?
Two lubricants with the same VI may perform dramatically differently at low temperatures. Note the differences between a VHVI mineral oil and Synfluid® PAO 5 in the Scanning Brookfield chart.
Oils made with PAOs demonstrate an inherently high viscosity index and maintain excellent low-temperature performance, compared with mineral oils. While viscosity improvers can enhance VI in finished formulations, they can break down over time, resulting in diminished performance. PAOs are chosen as lubricant base stocks for their ability to enhance performance and solve formulation challenges.
Oxidative stability is a critical property enabling oils to resist sludge formation and degradation while in service. PAO-based lubricants offer a significant advantage in oxidative stability. The RVPOT is a strong predictor of how base oils will perform in many automotive and industrial applications. The chart below highlights the oxidative stability of Synfluid® PAOs compared to mineral oils in the RVPOT test (ASTM D2272).
PAOs also resist viscosity increases upon oxidation, which is important in Sequence IIIH and VW T4 engine tests. These combined benefits provide the properties required for severe service applications and extended drain intervals.
The advantages offered in oxidative stability, coupled with lower volatility and low-temperature viscometrics, clearly demonstrate that Synfluid® PAOs are the highest-quality base oils available in the industry.
PAOs vs. Mineral Oils
Group III mineral oils and Group IV PAOs are not of the same quality. This table lists the differences:
| Property | Group III Mineral Oils | Group IV PAOs |
|---|---|---|
| Feedstock | Derived from various crude oil feedstocks | Synthesized from pure alpha olefins |
| Processing | Multiple refining technologies (e.g., hydrocracking, isodewaxing) | Uniform chemical synthesis process |
| Viscosity Index (VI) | Can approach PAO levels | Naturally high and consistent |
| Low-Temperature Performance | Improved but variable | Excellent and predictable |
| Purity & Consistency | Varies due to feedstock and process | High purity and consistent molecular structure |
| Application Reliability | May vary between batches | Reliable across applications |
The uniquely beneficial quality of PAOs has been demonstrated in a series of European engine tests. Three stringent test standards required by Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz engines show the impact of the variability of Group III oils:
| Group III A | Group III B | Group III C | PAO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VW T4 | Pass | Pass | Fail | Pass |
| TDI | Pass | Fail | Pass | Pass |
| M111 FE | Pass | Fail | Pass | Pass |
This data illustrates lot-to-lot variability, which has been recognized for the Group III oils. With today’s oils requiring a higher-quality lubricant base stock to meet more stringent tests, polyalphaolefins are perfectly tailored and consistently manufactured to meet the challenge.
With today’s oils requiring a higher-quality lubricant basestock to meet more stringent tests, polyalphaolefins are perfectly tailored and consistently manufactured to meet the challenge.
Rotary screw compressor oils formulated with PAO offer performance benefits not obtainable with a mineral-oil-based formulation. Synfluid® PAOs provide outstanding improvements in oxidation stability, volatility, water separability and viscometrics, greatly improving oil and hardware longevity.
PAO-based oils deliver superior performance in rotary screw compressors through a combination of advanced properties:
Enhanced Compressor Performance
- Excellent water separation
- Reduces emulsion formation
- Improves operability and reliability
Superior Low-Temperature Flow
- Rapid coating of critical parts during startup
- Minimizes wear and extends component life
Lower Operating Costs
- Reduced volatility
- Less oil consumption
- Fewer top-offs and lower replacement costs
Extended Oil Life
- Greater oxidative stability
- Longer service intervals
- Cleaner compressors
Formulation Advantages
- No need for VI improvers or extra additives
- Avoids degradation-related issues
- Maintains performance integrity over time
Grease is a solid to semi-fluid lubricant, typically used for “difficult to service” equipment, such as bearings or suspension systems. When you compound this with “difficult operating conditions,” such as extreme temperatures, high loads or extended operations, a high-quality base oil may be necessary. Low-temperature fluidity and high-temperature thermal and oxidative stability are key factors for choosing a PAO. This is especially true when you consider the entire operating temperature range, including startup.
The qualitative chart below describes the impact of each grease component on certain performance characteristics:
| PAO Base Oil | Additive | Thickener | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thermal Stability | + | + | |
| Volatility | ++ | ||
| Oxidative Stability | + | + | |
| Low Temperature Flow | + | + | |
| Solvency | + | ||
| NLGI Grade | ++ | ||
| Fuel Economy | + | + | |
| Antiwear | ++ | ||
| Water Resistance | + | + |
Clearly, the base oil dominates some grease properties, while the additives or thickener drives others. One example is the advantage PAO has over mineral oil in the area of high-temperature stability. PAO-based greases are typically used at temperatures over 100°C because of thermal and oxidative concerns. Each 10°C temperature rise can reduce oxidative stability by half. Therefore, at high temperatures, it is advantageous to utilize a more stable base oil, specifically Synfluid® PAO.
Because PAOs have a diverse, highly branched isoparaffin structure, they provide excellent low-temperature viscometrics and very low pour points (ppt) without needing to add Pour Point Depressants (PPDs). For example, Synfluid® PAO 4 cSt has a 73 °C ppt pour point and 40°C viscosity of 2,380 cSt, making a PPD not necessary.
Adding a PPD will reduce the pour point of a mineral oil, but it still will not achieve the performance of a PAO.
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C12-Based PAO
| C10-Based Synfluid® PAOs | C12-Based Synfluid® PAOs |
|---|---|
| Synfluid® PAO 2 cSt | Synfluid® PAO 2.5 cSt |
| Synfluid® PAO 4 cSt | Synfluid® PAO 5 cSt |
| Synfluid® PAO 6 cSt | Synfluid® PAO 6 cSt HVI |
| Synfluid® PAO 8 cSt | Synfluid® PAO 7 cSt |
| Synfluid® PAO 10 cSt | Synfluid® PAO 8 cSt HVI |
| Synfluid® PAO 9 cSt |
Since C12-based PAOs use 1-dodecene as a monomer, the oligomers that form the PAO are in multiples of 12 carbon atoms. This means that the lightest component present in the C12-based PAOs is slightly heavier than what is present in C10-based PAOs. This slight change leads to big changes in the volatility properties of the C12-based PAOs, including higher flash points and lower Noack volatilites. Additionally, the VI of C12-based PAOs is higher than that of the C10-based PAOs.
With all of those improvements in properties, while much lower than mineral oils, the C12-based PAOs do have a slightly higher pour point compared to C10-based PAOs at the same viscosity. However, this doesn't tell the whole story. When looking at cold-temperature properties like CCSV in the chart below, you can see that the C12-based PAOs have a similar or even slightly lower viscosity compared to C10-based PAOs that have the same KV100.
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High Viscosity mPAOs
CPChem’s proprietary manufacturing process and monomer selection combine to produce the groundbreaking performance characteristics that our customers expect from Synfluid® polyalphaolefins. The table shows how our Synfluid® mPAOs offer significant advantages in pour point and viscosity index over conventional high-viscosity PAOs.
In addition, Synfluid® mPAOs have a significant reduction in the traction coefficient as compared to conventional high-viscosity PAOs.
Our Synfluid® mPAO is based on a single monomer, AlphaPlus® 1-Octene. The relative availability of the 1-octene olefin monomer helps alleviate supply constraints possible with other monomers.
Tiny bubbles...these can cause major issues, such as shorter lubricant life, increased fluid compressibility, lower fluid viscosity and cavitation. However, unlike foaming, entrained air can be a difficult problem to treat with additives.
Synfluid® metallocene polyalphaolefins (mPAOs) not only have low foaming characteristics, but they also exhibit rapid air release when compared to traditional high-viscosity PAOs. The plot shows a comparison of the air release times exhibited by ISO VG 320 blends made with high viscosity PAOs. The plot shows Synfluid® mPAO 100 cSt exhibits faster air release time compared to traditional PAO 100.
Air is usually a really poor lubricant, so your frustration is understandable! The combination of air and oil can often lead to foaming issues. Getting the air to release from the lubricant is vital to allowing the lubricant to do its job.
The chart below shows a comparison of the foaming characteristics of our Synfluid® mPAO high-viscosity base oils with traditional high-viscosity PAO 40 and 100 cSt base oils. Both the foam tendency (the initial amount of foam generated in this test) and the time required for the foam to collapse are remarkably better for Synfluid® mPAO.
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Thermal and Dielectric Properties
There are a variety of ways that Synfluid® PAOs reduce the operating temperature of equipment. Friction is known to generate heat and reduce the energy efficiency of equipment. PAOs are renowned for their lubricity and their ability to reduce the friction caused by moving equipment. Once heat is generated, the excellent thermal properties of PAOs, like their high specific heat capacity and thermal conductivity, allow them to absorb and transfer heat away from equipment more efficiently compared to mineral oils.
Heat is generally the enemy for most oils. Oil degradation is a function of time AND temperature, so operating at a lower temperature will allow the fluid to last longer. This is generally governed by the rule of thumb that for every 10 °C, chemical reactions double in rate. Therefore, if there is a reduction of 10 °C, then the fluid should last twice as long.
Yes, and they do and have been used in this application with computers for more than 40 years. PAOs are dielectric fluids, in that, they do not conduct electricity very well. It is simply the nature of this material.
This is an application where Synfluid® PAOs excel as the foundation for your formulation. Synfluid® PAOs are carefully designed synthetic base oils with excellent heat transfer, viscosity and dielectric properties, as well as stability over a wide range of temperatures.
Synfluid® PAOs can be used in a myriad of applications like EV battery coolants, military dielectric coolants, immersion coolants, transformer fluids and heat transfer fluids just to name a few!