Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
ISOSYN
Ya, it is kind of funny Chevron calls their Group II ISOSYN (and not the Group III).
Chevron has only used the ISOSYN in reference to their Group II based products like
Delo 400. The conventional CJ-4 oils are listed as using ISOSYN. The synthetic Delo 5W-40 is listed as just using synthetic (which is Group III for Chevron).
Isodewaxing can be used to produce Group II or III.
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You sure Mobil in Australia is not refining group 1,2 and 3 ?
The following article is dated 1999, but I don't believe any new refineries have been built or upgraded in Australia since it was written …
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Australia…
There are four Australian refineries that produce lubricants; BP at Kwinana (WA), Mobil at Port Stanvac (SA), Caltex at Kurnell (NSW) and Shell at Newport (Victoria). These refineries produce Group I (mineral) base oils and have a combined annual production capacity of about 800 ML (megalitres - one million litres).
Australian crude oils are not suitable for making base stock. Accordingly, lubricants are manufactured from crudes imported from the Middle East.
The capacity of Australian refineries runs far in excess of local demand, which is around 517 ML per annum. This situation of excess supply is a worldwide phenomenon. None of the Australian refineries are considered 'world scale', this would be, for example, three to four times the size of Kwinana. The Australian refineries are not considered to be 'new technology', and none of them can manufacture Group II or higher base oils.
A new refinery that included hydrocracking/hydroprocessing capability to produce Group II and III base oils would cost between $300-$500 million. Investment at this level in domestic refining appears highly unlikely. East Asia, in particular, is well supplied with modern refineries capable of Group II and III base oil production.
The upside is that Australia is close to a sizeable amount of Group II/III production in the Asia Pacific region, and Singapore has become a major hub in the region for base oils like Group II/III. So I would imagine some of the Group II/III from that region finds its way to Australia. The downside is that oil producers tend to like to use their existing refineries, which means finding a way to use Group I in the Australian market.
I don't know what the cost difference is between the Group II Delo based oils and the other Group I based oils in your market, but you should be able to run the Delo 2x the interval of those Group I based oils and still achieve better overall results. From that POV, Delo may be cost effective.