Continued from page 8 HDMO
Balancing adequate engine protection with improving fuel economy is an ongoing challenge for heavy duty OEMs. HDMO specifications are following PCMOs in a move to both lighter viscosity grades and lower HTHS rates. In Europe, the introduction of a new series of ACEA F oil sequences (F4 and F6) for fuel economy for heavy-duty diesel engine oils is expected. The drive to 5W-30 and lighter will also bring a change in base oils used in HDMO and lead to greater usage of premium base oils.
Over the coming years the HD engine oil market will likely become more fragmented as new, lighter viscosity grade and lower HTHS oils enter use bringing greater complexity to product lines.
The tightening specifications for lower exhaust emissions have reached the tipping point in lubricant formulations. Minor tweaks to the formulation will no longer produce the desired results. This will have a dramatic impact on the base oil supply demand balance over the next five years.
New formulations designed for tightening specifications all converge on lubricants with lower viscosity and lower volatility. Both are well served by Group II and Group III base oils depending on the performance requirements of the finished lubricant.
Industrial oil performance improvements pulling premium base oil supply into Europe Industrial oils is a very broad category. Generally speaking it includes oils that lubricate stationery machinery. This includes everything from power plants to sewing machines and operating environments ranging from hostile to benign. According to Kline, industrial oils accounted for 2,126.432 kilotonnes or 32% of the base oil market in Europe in 2014.
The viscosity requirement for industrial oil depends on the film thickness required to prevent metal-to-metal contact and the correct flow properties to deliver additives to lubrication sites. The majority of industrial oil demand falls in the ISO 32 to ISO 100. Group II base oils are fully capable, which is the ability to hit a viscosity grade target without blending in another group of base oil, for viscosity grades up to 100 and Group III is fully capable up to ISO 46.
Many industrial oil formulations are typically 90 – 99% base oil compared to 75 – 85% for automotive lubricants. Because of the low additive treat rates common in many of these oils, their performance relies heavily on the physical and chemical properties inherent in the base oil.
As premium base oil supply has grown in Europe, formulators have discovered that using them in many industrial oils may lead to dramatic performance improvements. These performance gains have translated into excellent marketing opportunities for lubricant blenders because they increase productivity and reduce downtime for their customers. An example of that is Lubrizol’s recently developed Varnish Deposit-Inhibiting (VDI) additive that, when blended with Group II base oils, generated significant savings for the end user.
Industrial oil performance gains are a growing contributing factor to the increasing demand for premium base oils in Europe.
For European lubricant blenders, it is carpe diem. Europe has never seen such a dynamic time in base oil supply. In response to tightening specifications, premium base oils are flowing into the market and Group I plants are closing. This is creating both opportunities and challenges for lubricant marketers. Proactive lubricant marketers are seizing the opportunities. By tightly integrating their base oil supply strategy with their total product line formulating goals, they are finding ways to optimise formulations and supply chain economics.
Blenders who move to a Group II/III base oil strategy will be rewarded with reduced manufacturing complexity, optimised product performance, and supply chain economics, while meeting evolving market needs.
Going forward, the best strategy for protecting supply reliability is to seek out base oil suppliers with multiple plants producing fungible base oils and a sound business continuity strategy in place.
LINK
www.chevronbaseoils.com
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LUBE MAGAZINE NO.131 FEBRUARY 2016
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