Base Oils & Lubricant Stocks

Base oils are the major raw-material fraction of almost every lubricant andnwater-soluble metalworking fluid u2014 commonly 70 to 95 percent of the finished blend u2014 andnthey carry the additive package that does the protecting. In industrialnmanufacturing they fall into three working types: paraffinic mineral oils, naphthenicnoils, and synthetic polyalphaolefins (PAO). The base oil sets the viscosity, the solvencynfor additives, and the oxidation and thermal behavior of the finished fluid.

Paraffinic mineral oils, such as a 90-viscosity stock, are the default carrier forngeneral lubricants and soluble cutting fluids because they balance cost, viscosity, andnadditive response. Naphthenic oils carry a lower pour point and dissolve additives andnmetal soaps more readily, which makes them useful in soluble metalworking concentratesnand in fluids that must stay clear at low temperature. Choose naphthenic where solvencynand low-temperature behavior matter more than oxidation life.

Polyalphaolefin is the synthetic option. It gives a higher viscosity index, betternoxidation stability, and a wider service-temperature range than mineral stock, whichnextends drain intervals in demanding lubricants. The trade-off is cost: PAO runs severalntimes the price of a paraffinic base oil, so it is specified where service life orntemperature span justifies the spend, not as a drop-in for commodity fluids. Blend itnwith esters when additive solubility needs a lift.

• Carrier base for soluble, semi-synthetic, and straight-oil metalworking fluids
• Raw-material stock for blending hydraulic, gear, and way oils
• Viscosity and solvency base for industrial lubricant formulation
• Synthetic (PAO) base for high-temperature and extended-drain lubricants
• Process and tackifier oil carrier in compounding operations

• Mineral oil (white) u2014 PubChem
• Naphthenic distillate base oil u2014 PubChem
• Polyalphaolefin (PAO) u2014 PubChem