Castrol N.A.'s definition of synthetic...

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A gentleman on the BMW message board posted the follwing question and response from Castrol:

What group is the base stock on your fully synthetic oil, III or IV? Is
any part of the additive package derived from petroleum? Thank you.

REPLY:

In 1998, Castrol upgraded SYNTEC, by switching to a new and specially
engineered hydroisomerized base stock.

SYNTEC is not made with petroleum base stock. Just as PAO is derived
from complex chemical reactions starting with ethylene gas, SYNTEC's
base stock is synthesized using sophisticated processes and chemical
reactions. The molecular structures of the starting compounds are
fundamentally altered to produce a fluid with vastly improved properties
capable of attaining the highest levels of formulated synthetic
lubricant performance.

Castrol Consumer Relations.

Any comments??? How can they say that "Syntec is not made from Petroleum Base stocks"?
 
Funny how Castrol didn't really answer either one of the gentleman's questions. Well, actually it isn't really funny, is it? In the words of one of our esteemed congressmen when pressed for a straight answer during a news conference: "Ah, I belive I evaded that question earlier."
 
SYNTEC's base stock is synthesized using sophisticated processes and chemical reactions.

Do you get the feeling that they expect us to sit here like Homer Simpson and say "Mmmmmmm....Chemical Reactions".

That answer is more than a little patronizing.

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quote:

Originally posted by Dr. T:
The molecular structures of the starting compounds are fundamentally altered to produce a fluid with vastly improved properties capable of attaining the highest levels of formulated synthetic lubricant performance.

Well "the starting compounds" is VGO from the distiller, which is petroleum. This is just further evidence of what I said earlier: For the most part, the tech line folks don't know jack about how the oil is actually made.

The rest of this statement is a version of the "catalytic cracking of big molecules to small ones is just as much synthetic production as the catalytic polymerization of small molecules into big ones" argument for why Group III oil is synthetic.
 
I liked how they slipped PAO's in there....

Maybe they hoped you'd read it wrong and think they had em??

And from the wording, one has to wonder what they are calling a base stock.....
 
quote:

Originally posted by Dr. T:
Just as PAO is derived from complex chemical reactions starting with ethylene gas, SYNTEC's base stock is synthesized using sophisticated processes and chemical reactions.

I think the term they're looking for is "hydrocracking".
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Does Castrol make there own PAO? Is ExxonMobil the only producer of PAO base oil in North America?

[ July 24, 2003, 09:39 PM: Message edited by: buster ]
 
quote:

Does Castrol make there own PAO? Is ExxonMobil the only producer of PAO base oil in North America?

Castrol is just a blender but I believe they are currently owned by BP which does make PAO it appears web page

It appears they have a plant in La Porte, TX . Alot of good info at this link, hope it doesn't break Bob's rule.

[ July 24, 2003, 10:04 PM: Message edited by: RussellA ]
 
It looks like BP has a couple of PAO plants. One is right up the road from me:

Polyalphaolefins (PAO) Plant - La Porte, TX

The PAO La Porte plant consists of two production trains. The first train was completed in 1983 with a second train added in 1989 to increase overall capacity. Originally, the PAO plant was a part of Quantum Chemical Corporation until Quantum sold it to Ethyl Corporation in 1990. Four years later in 1994, Ethyl divested the PAO plant to the Albemarle Corporation who then sold it to Amoco in 1996. The merger of BP and Amoco in 1999 led to the present day ownership by BP.

And the other is in Feluy, Belgium

Les
 
I dug a little deeper in the site. They did not say what oils they put PAO in. They did say this:

Durasyn PAO-Based Oil Formulations
High performance, full synthetic engine oils are typically formulated by blending together the following components:
low viscosity PAO as the base fluid (up to 75% by weight)
synthetic ester(s) as a compatibility/seal-swelling agent (up to 20% by weight)
viscosity index improver (up to 10% by weight)
additive package, which is a complex mixture of dispersants/detergents, oxidation inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors and extreme pressure/antiwear agents

Tell me if I shouldn't be posting this in here and I won't do it anymore.

Les
 
Les, please continue. And please continue to investigate, if you can, the constituent components of their various blends and viscosities.
 
quote:

Originally posted by buster:
Does Castrol make there own PAO? Is ExxonMobil the only producer of PAO base oil in North America?

C-P Chemical (Chevron-Phillips) produces PAO, as does BP Amoco in Pasadena, Texas--or is this the same plant as La Porte?


Ken
 
Ken,

The Pasadena facility also manages a polyalphaolefins (PAO) unit located nearby in Deer Park, Texas. The PAO unit is also located in a separate multi-company complex.

Pasadena, Deer Park, & La Porte almost all run into each other.
 
quote:


In 1998, Castrol upgraded SYNTEC, by switching to a new and specially engineered hydroisomerized base stock.

The only area I disagree with Castrol is the above statement. If they used better quality additives and the best quality group III oil they could get then their newly formulated (in 1998) group III finished motor oil product they produce could be as good as the previous PAO based oil they made but I doubt it would be better or "upgraded".

[ July 26, 2003, 02:08 AM: Message edited by: Sin City ]
 
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