Tuning grease properties by selecting the right base oils
In a previous article in Lube magazine,[1] it was described the profound changes that the base oil industry has being going through in the last years. These changes, mainly the increment in production capacity of Group II and III paraffinic base oils, at the expense of Group I base oil production, have been exacerbated in 2013 and 2014. By some reports, the production of Group II base oils has increased with more than 1.5 million tons between 2012 and 2013, while the production of paraffinic Group III oils more than doubled with an increment that exceeded 1.2 million tons during the same period.[2] With more paraffinic Group II and III capacity coming on stream, the
process of rationalization of Group I refineries will accelerate.[3] Even though no Group I refineries closures were observed during 2014, in the last few months different Group I producers have announced the closure of facilities in Europe and elsewhere. By some estimates more than 1 million tons of Group I base oils production capacity will disappear from Western Europe between 2015 and 2016.[3-6].
In the same article, it was also explained that the main consequences of the shift from Group I to Group II and III, mainly a lack of heavy products (from heavy Neutrals to Brightstocks)
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LUBE MAGAZINE NO.126 APRIL 2015
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