Polyalphaolefins Technology

How Polyalphaolefins are Manufactured

PAOs are manufactured through a synthetic chemical process that originates from ethylene.

Ethylene is produced by cracking either crude oil or natural gas. The direct feedstock (normal alpha olefin – NAO) is produced through the chain growth and displacement process for producing petrochemically pure alpha olefins. The PAOs are produced through synthesizing oligomers of either 1-decene or 1-dodecene. These oligomers are distilled and hydrogenated to yield specific molecular weight ranges that meet the viscosity grades that are desired. For example, the fraction that has predominantly the 1-decene trimer (C30 oligomer) has a 100°C viscosity of 4 cSt and is known as PAO 4.

Here’s an overview of our production process:

Polyalphaolefin Chemical Structure

Through careful control of reaction conditions and fractionation, we can precisely control the properties of our PAO products. The actual structure of PAOs is very complex since an isomerization reaction occurs during oligomerization which yields a myriad of isomers. These isomers are what give PAOs their excellent low temperature properties. The controlled production process ensures that Synfluid® PAOs are essentially devoid of undesirable species found in mineral oil like sulfur, cyclic compounds and aromatic content.

Comparison of PAOs vs Mineral Oil