Alkylated Basestocks - odd man out?

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"Alkylated' basestocks don't seem to be a very common or prominent component of any oil basestocks...is there a reason for this?

In the late 1960's Conoco made its 'Polar Start Fluid' that was an Alkylated Benzene. By the late 1970's this oil was a 10w30 that was 90% conventional oil, so at some point, the Alkylated basestock was dropped.

These days, Mobil uses Alkylated Naphalines(sp) in its Mobil 1 oils, and does have a fact sheet on them. They seem to be the only oil manufacturer that uses them in any quantity in their basestock; and no-body makes a almost-all Alkylated base oil (that I know of).

What is the reason for this? Even if these basestocks have limitations, I'd expect someone to have tried to work around them and create a 'new' product, just like Conoco did in the 1960's. The other two basestocks developed in the early days on synthtic oils (Esters and PAO's) are still prominently used as the majority stock in many high-end syn oils. Any reason for this rarity of AN's, AB's, or other alkylated oils in modern formulations?

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Could the AN's have anything to do with the high iron wear that is often associated with Mobil 1 usage?
 
I read a refrigeration trade magazine a year ago, and it stated that Alkylbenzene (AB) oil is required for use with certain kinds of refrigerants.
 
Quote:
AN is less polar versus ester, therefore will not compete with additive for metal surface

An important point from buster's link.
 
Quote:
Excellent thermo-oxidative stability
• Excellent hydrolytic stability vs. esters
• Better solubility characteristics than
PAO’s, Group II and III base oils
• Good additive response - less surface
competition vs. esters
• Lower volatility with higher chain length
and substitution
• Good pour point
• Excellent lubricity/film thickness
• Seal swelling properties


http://www.kingindustries.com/PDFS/articles/KRseriesTechnicalPaper.pdf
 
Arent ANs less costly to synthesize than Esters? Why arent we seeing more of them being used? Do any other blenders use ANs other than Mobil? Does Mobil really use them to enhance PAO or GrIII?
 
That's exactly why I made this post originally - don't understand why they aren't used more.....
 
Originally Posted By: addyguy
That's exactly why I made this post originally - don't understand why they aren't used more.....


Maybe it's the 'secret weapon' additive since it's not as well known at the consumer level
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Alkylated napthelenes have low viscosity indexes relative to other synthetic fluids, but they are good for solubility.

5 cSt AN has a VI of 74, while 5 cSt PAO has a VI of 138.
 
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