PDF《Chevron Phillips may add to Cedar》

s fleet of passenger cars is expected to

41 LUBES'

N'

GREASES Vehicles and industry both propel demand are how to maintain lubri- cant service performance, stability for extended drain intervals, wear protection and durability, Reid-Peters contended. ExxonMobil Chemical expects low-viscosity PAOs to grow

3 percent to

4 per- cent annually in the coming years. It could be higher but that will depend on specifications, and what sort of viscosity grades the differ- ent original equipment man- ufacturers decide to go for in the future, he said. The high-viscosity PAO market is also booming, which prompted the compa- ny last year to open a new plant in Baytown, Texas, with 50,000 metric tons of high- vis PAO capacity. ExxonMobil Chemical'

s PAOs are sold under the SpectraSyn ban- ner, and also made in Beaumont, Texas, and Gravenchon, France. Will global PAO supply keep up as demand grows? double, he added, but the move to more improved lubricants and better tech- nology means that the fuel economy targets, in a bounce effect, will also dou- ble, with larger efficiency gains. The gains may offset the volume demand for transportation fuel and lubri- cants ― but they also will ratchet up the performance demands. Lubricant designers will respond in many ways: by moving to lower viscosity oil (which cuts churning losses and improves low-tempera- ture pumpability);

by reduc- ing friction;

by using advanced additive systems with friction modifiers and antiwear chemistries;

and finally, through better base oils. Back in the 1970s and '

80s, engine oil drain intervals were typically 3,000 to 10,000 kilometers;

today they can be triple that. The challenges for the industry Miles Oberton, global PAO manager at Chevron Phillips Chemical, pondered that question at December'

s ICIS Pan American Base Oils &

Lubricants Conference in New Jersey. Chevron Phillips Chemical, he pointed out, has captive supplies of the olefins used to make PAO, and is bringing more of these feedstocks on line in 2015. That includes decene (C10) and dodecene (C12) used to make its low-vis PAO, and octene (C8) that underpins its high-viscosity PAOs. All its PAOs are sold under the Synfluid brand. We now have a 10,000- ton-per-year expansion study under way at Cedar Bayou, Texas, which would start up in

2016 and take us to 58,000 tons of PAO capacity there, Oberton said. Although final approval still must come from Chevron Phillips'

top echelon, we made the proposal and announced it now to show our commitment to the industry. Next the company plans to build a massive new ethylene cracker on the U.S. Gulf Coast by 2017, and already has environmental permits in hand for it. This would cement its feedstock capabilities. Oberton also highlighted areas where PAO outper- forms Group III base stocks, such as its friction coeffi- cient. A

4 centiStoke PAO has about

22 percent better friction reduction versus API Group II and III stocks of the same grade, he stated. Its low-temperature viscomet- rics and lower volatility are other strengths, plus PAO has the oxidative stability needed for longer-life lubes. Its lower volatility means PAO will be used to balance other base stock properties, and meet specifications, Oberton continued. Another key benefit is PAO'

s specific heat and thermal conductivi- ty. A PAO based lubricant removes

10 to

15 percent more heat than mineral oils of the same weight, and allows equipment to operate at higher temperatures. For end users, that translates directly into energy savings. Currently, the world has just three suppliers of low- viscosity PAO ― Exxon- Mobil, Chevron Phillips and Ineos ― and each operates plants in both North America and Europe. Two others (Chemtura and Naco) make high-vis PAO but the global fraternity remains lim- ited mainly due to technol- ogy constraints and access to feedstock, Oberton noted. We anticipate that the low-vis PAO demand will