More Common petroleum additive Categories & Formulation Development Logic
1. Viscosity Index Improvers
Typical raw materials include ethylene-propylene copolymer, polymethacrylate, hydrogenated styrene-diene copolymer and blended polymers. These ppetroleum additive rely on temperature-sensitive expansion and contraction of polymer molecular coils to offset excessive viscosity thinning of base oil under high operating temperatures.
2. Pour Point Depressants (Antifreeze Additives for Lubricants)
Main commercial grades cover polymethyl methacrylate, poly-α-olefin, vinyl acetate-butadiene maleate copolymer and alkyl naphthalene. They reshape the morphology and quantity of wax crystals inside base oil, restrain rigid wax crystal network formation and guarantee favorable low-temperature fluidity of finished lubricants.
3. Anti-Foam Additives
Common options are methyl silicone oil and polyacrylate products. Such ingredients cut down oil surface tension, speed up natural foam rupture and avoid persistent stable foam accumulating inside lubricant systems.
Application of additives (✓ Required; △ Sometimes used)
clearing agent | dispersant | Antioxidant Anticorrosive agent | VII | PPD | antioxygen | anti-wear reagent at extreme pressure | antirust agent | anti-foaming agent | |
Gasoline engine oil Diesel engine oil Marine cylinder oil Two-stroke oil | √ √ √ √ | √ √ √ √ | √ √ △ | △ △ | √ √ △ | √ √ √ | √ √ | √ √ | √ √ √ |
Gear oil Ordinary turbine oil Anti-wear turbine oil | △ | △ △ | √ | √ √ √ | √ √ | √ √ √ | √ √ √ | ||
Ordinary hydraulic oil Anti-wear hydraulic oil Aircraft hydraulic oil | △ √ | √ √ √ | √ √ √ | √ | √ √ √ | √ √ √ | |||
spindle oil | √ | √ | |||||||
refrigerating machine oil | √ | ||||||||
compressor oil | √ | √ | √ | ||||||
oil for electrical appliances | △ | √ |
Matching Rules Between Additives and Finished Lubricant Products
A reference table (approximate rather than fully accurate) can intuitively display the matching relationship between different petroleum additive grades and applicable lubricant types.
One core industry data deserves attention: roughly 75% of all lubricant additives are consumed in engine oil production. From the whole industry perspective, dispersants rank as the largest-volume additive category; antioxidants witness the fastest expansion in both new product development and total output; specialty additives deliver the highest unit profit margin among all additive varieties.
Besides, a noticeable market trend emerges alongside continuous upgrade of diesel engine oil specifications: ashless antioxidant consumption in diesel formulations has surpassed traditional ZDDP (dialkyl dithiophosphate zinc).
Standard Steps of Lubricant Formula R&D
Formulation development follows a fixed standardized workflow. To begin with, formulators select targeted additives precisely according to target lubricant’s required performances to satisfy all statutory certification test criteria. Next, technicians balance synergies and antagonism among different additives to finalize the preliminary formula. After formulation confirmation, detailed recheck, parameter sorting and overall formulation characteristic summary become necessary follow-up steps.
Take engine oil as a practical example: gasoline engine oil prioritizes excellent low-temperature dispersion performance, whereas diesel engine oil puts high-temperature detergency in the core position. Still, such classification principle is not absolute, and exceptional customized formulations exist for special working conditions.
(Continued from previous article)
