6/2/2021 Synthetic Oil or Mineral Oil?

How to Make the Right Choice

Synthetic Oil or Mineral Oil? How to Make

the Right Choice
Daniel Rader, Noria Corporation

Tags: synthetic lubricants, automotive, industrial lubricants

Up until the 1850s, mineral oil was considered a nuisance, seeping into wells or
other forms of drinking water. Its main use was as an insect repellent or for
homemade medicinal remedies. Mainstream commercialization of mineral oil
came about because of James Curtis Booth of the Franklin Institute in
Philadelphia. He performed some simple chemical analysis of “rock oil” and
discovered that it could be distilled for lighting oil and other uses similar to whale
blubber.

Suddenly, all the oil literally laying around the country could be put to use.
“Carbon oil” vs. whale blubber was the first battle for dominance of the lubricant
market, with mineral oil ending up on top due to its abundance and relative ease
of production compared to hunting whales on the open ocean.

In the last few decades, the debate has moved to mineral oil vs synthetic. The
general conventional processes involved for mineral oil are still the same, though
technology has advanced to allow for much better separation of crude sources
and quality.

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6/2/2021 Synthetic Oil or Mineral Oil? How to Make the Right Choice

But an even higher grade of lubricating oil can be obtained from catalytically
synthesizing gaseous hydrocarbons. In short, mineral oil is typically cheaper but
lower quality compared to synthetic. And while that is the summary of the
difference between the two formulations there are a variety of factors to consider
for use in any given piece of equipment.

Oil Classifications
The American Petroleum Institute developed a simple classification system for
lubricant base stocks. Groups I, II and III are generally derived from crude oil.
Group I is solvent-refined and comes from more traditional solvent refining
techniques. Group II is hydroprocessed and has properties similar to Group III
except for having a lower Viscosity Index. Group III is for more waxy feeds.

Commercially speaking, highly refined Group III oils most resemble synthetics as
far as molecular makeup of the finished process. Group IV is for all
polyalphaolefins and are all synthetic. Most synthetic oils will fit into Group IV,
and in fact it is the most extensively used group in industry. Group V embraces
all base stocks not included in the first four groups.
There are some mineral oils in Group V (specifically naphthenics) but more
synthetics than anything else. Group V will contain a lot of specialty use oils with
highly prized properties, such as fire resistance, environmentally acceptable,
radiation resistant, and even low varnish forming potential.
Identifying the proper base group to use is important as the base stock will make
up 70-99 percent of finished lubricants used in engines or other industrial
equipment. The performance of a finished lubricant will come primarily from the
base stock and while additives can help stabilize or improve certain
characteristics, the primary influence will come from which base oil was used.

Chemical Makeup
Crude oil is made up of a variety of hydrocarbon chains. Different processes will
yield different amounts of each type of molecule chain, but all will typically be
present as all are naturally occurring in mineral oil. The synthetic manufacturing

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6/2/2021 Synthetic Oil or Mineral Oil? How to Make the Right Choice

process allows for only the desirable molecule chains to be created. As different
chains have different performance properties, it is vital to select as a base stock
an oil whose principle characteristics most closely aligned with the desired use.

If a machine required a lubricant with great viscosity index and oxidation

properties, a synthetic manufacturing process could be used to make a
practically pure Isoparaffin batch or crude oil could be refined to eliminate or
transform as many non-paraffin or non-Isoparaffin molecule chains as possible.
Additionally, with the synthetic manufacturing process, a higher rate of having the
Isoparaffin molecule chain form exactly so would occur.

Limitations for Both Types

There are several performance advantages inherent in using synthetic
lubricants, chief of which are extended service life and wider temperature band
for normal operations. The temperature band also allows for low-temperature
startups and higher temperature stability, including fire resistance. The main
limiting property of a synthetic lubricant is how easily they can degrade when
used with improper care. For example, in an environment where rust or small
metal particles may be present, a synthetic lubricant will suffer. The molecular
makeup is so pure there’s no “free radical” molecules to grab these
contaminants.
Likewise, there are limitations in using mineral based lubricants. The impurities
can lead to a build-up of waxes, varnish, or sludge from n-paraffin chains forming
in undesirable ways. Similarly, they are susceptible to failure at higher
temperatures where oxidation is more likely to occur, again potentially creating
sludge or acid. Additionally, at high temperatures the viscosity will drop
dramatically, thinning out the lubricant boundary layer.

When to Use Mineral or Synthetic

In the end, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for using mineral or synthetic.
Yes, mineral oil is cheaper and synthetic oil typically has better performance
overall. The key question to ask really is task-based: What is the lubricant being
used for? What are the operating conditions for the lubricant? What is the

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maintenance or contamination history of the equipment being lubricated? What

storage and handling options are available for these lubricants prior to being
used?
When considering which oil to use from a system/usage-based viewpoint, you’ll
quickly find that it’s not a question of synthetic vs. mineral, but of practical
application and having a holistic outlook on lubrication processes that allows
you, your equipment, and your oils and greases to excel.

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