Customers today expect lubricants to perform even in extreme conditions. To help you meet these expectations, Synesstic™ alkylated naphthalene (AN) base stocks are designed to empower lubricants to deliver durability and optimum performance in many operating environments.
Synesstic AN combines the stability of a polyalphaolefin (PAO) and solubility benefits of an ester, helping formulators extend the performance of synthetic and mineral-oil-based lubricants used in many automotive and industrial applications. Available in 5 and 12 cSt grades, Synesstic AN is listed on the U.S. FDA Inventory of Effective Food Contact Substance Notifications, making it suitable for applications with incidental food contact. In addition, Synesstic AN is H1/HX-1 National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) registered.
Oxidative and hydrolytic stability
The Turbine Oil Oxidation Stability Test (ASTM D943 and usually called TOST) is used to evaluate the oxidative stability of various industrial lubricants in the presence of water. We used this test to compare two ISO VG 46 compressor formulations. In one formulation, we blended a conventional PAO base stock, a polyol ester and an additive. In the other formulation, we replaced the ester with Synesstic 5 AN. In the test, Synesstic 5 AN improved oxidative and hydrolytic stability, offering potential to extend compressor oil lifetime.
Though there is a strong trend toward lower viscosity engine oils to limit CO2 emissions through increased fuel economy, 5W+ grades are currently the most popular viscosity grades. Enhancing the fuel efficiency of these 5W+ grades is therefore an area of opportunity for new molecules and solutions that formulators can leverage for sustainability goals.
Lower-viscosity base oils can help improve fuel efficiency, but formulations also must meet low-temperature specifications for CCS viscosity while staying within the 5W+ viscosity grade.
To help passenger and heavy-duty vehicle engine oils extend fuel economy in 5W+ grades while conforming to SAE J300 specs, we have developed Ester FE 2.X, a co-base stock ester from bio-based feedstock that provides:
Low viscosity
Low volatility
High viscosity index (VI)
Low traction
With a ~5% targeted treat rate, Ester FE 2.X can enable heavier grades (5W+) to achieve fuel economy similar to lower viscosity 0W engine oils. Thanks to a unique viscosity profile, Ester FE 2.X boosts CCS viscosity but not the base oil viscosity (BOV). The lower BOV enables a higher additive treat rate without increasing viscosity or sacrificing fuel efficiency.
This chart shows how blending 5 wt.% Ester FE 2.X with a 4 cSt or an 8 cSt @ 100°C base oil allows for enhanced fuel efficiency while still meeting the CCS requirements of a 5W-30 engine oil blend.
Synthetic base stocks have excellent thermal-oxidative stability, which helps minimize deposit formation in the engine – thereby enhancing cleanliness and durability. Group V synthetic base stocks such as alkylated naphthalene and esters have very high thermal-oxidative stability and excellent solubility, enabling them to dissolve oxidation products and prevent deposits and sludge formation. By protecting engines from deposits and sludge, these synthetic base stocks can improve engine life, which can provide sustainability benefits through reduced use of materials and other resources.
The chart shows that low-viscosity SpectraSyn™ PAO maintains viscosity longer than three Group III base oils during aging tests.
Alkylated Naphthalenes (AN) are a reaction of olefins with a naphthalene nucleus resulting in a base oil with excellent thermal and oxidative stability. In addition AN has first-rate hydrolytic stability and is miscible with other synthetic hydrocarbons, most notably Polyalphaolefins (PAO). Alkylated Naphthalenes summary:
Temperature range of -30 to 180°C
Excellent thermal and oxidative stability
Good plastic/elastomer compatibility, can have issues at higher temperatures
AN blended with PAO shows a synergistic effect
Keep in mind that if a Alkylated Naphthalene is used as the base oil for a grease, the thickener and additives also used in the formula will have an influence on the final characteristics and performance of the finished grease/lubricant.
Kinematic Viscosity (KV) is a type of viscosity data point that you will see on all our synthetic lubricant technical data sheets. There are different ways to measure the viscosity of a lubricant as the subject matter is not simple. Kinematic Viscosity is an oil/fluid resistance to flow under the influence of gravity – no external force is applied, only gravity is influencing the oil/fluid.
Depending on the temperature requirements for a specific application, it is important to understand the change in viscosity of an oil as temperature drops, which also gives an insight into what will happen when the oil is worked, in kinetic sense – Penetration Testing is a better data point to understand what happens to a finished grease from a kinetic energy standpoint.
The unit of measurement we use for KV is Centistokes (cSt). Other companies sometimes use m2/s. Here is an example of KV data on from a Polyalphaolefin base oil:
KV is an important data point but if using a grease, it is crucial to remember that kinematic viscosity only relates to the base oil within the grease. This does not detract from the importance of KV as the KV of the base oil will influence the finished grease stiffness/thickness and how the grease responds under the effects of shear; another example is when a grease is used in bearing applications, under pressure and load it is the grease that is forced away from the thickener of the grease that is ofter performing the lubrication task.