21/05/2026
The refining process of mineral oils has improved greatly in the 20th century. The American Petroleu...
The refining process of mineral oils has improved greatly in the 20th century. The American Petroleum Institute (API) divided all base oils into five separate groups in the early 1990s. The first 3 groups were dedicated to mineral oils and the 2 remaining groups contained synthetic oils predominantly.
Group 1, 2 and 3 are all mineral oils, with chronologically increasing refining process severity. Base oils under Group 1 are made using solvent-refining or solvent-extraction technology.
Base oils under Group 2 are produced by hydrotreating or hydrogenation. It is a process that uses hydrogen gas to refine oils, but they are better for converting components like aromatics that are undesirable, into hydrocarbon structures that are desirable.
Base oils in Group 3 are produced in a similar fashion as Group 2, the only difference is that the process of hydrogenation or hydrotreating in group 3 is coupled with high pressures and high temperatures. This leads to convert all the undesirable components in the oil into desirable hydrocarbon structures.
When you compare these groups of mineral oil bases, you will see that highly refined oils provide greater benefits in terms of thermal stability, oxidation stability, pour point, operating temperature, and viscosity index. But the oil starts to show some key weaknesses, affecting additive solubility and oils biodegradability.. For more info visit us at https://www.shaikhpetroleum.in/latest-update/The-refining-process-of-mineral-oils-has-improved-greatly-in-the-20th-century-The-American-Petroleu/2087?utm_source=facebookpage
