Oil knowledge

S·O·S Oil Condition Analysis

What is worth knowing about oil?

Today's vehicle lubricants are based on base oil, which can be synthetic, mineral oil, or a mixture of the two, and additives to improve the performance of the base oil. It requires a well balanced combination of base oil plus additives to make a high-performance lubricant. Lubricant are components of the vehicle (the engine, the gearbox, the axle, and other applications) and, like all other components of the vehicle, are best designed as a part of the vehicle as a whole.

The base oil provides the general lubrication properties of separating and sealing surfaces, cooling the hot metal by transferring heat away, and washing deposits off the metal surfaces. The viscosity (thickness) of the base oil is critical to the performance of the lubricant. High viscosity (thick) base oil is good at keeping surfaces apart and sealing but may not flow properly at cold temperatures and the extra viscosity steals both fuel economy and power. Low viscosity (thin) base oil flows well at low temperatures and improves both fuel economy and power but, if too thin, will not separate and seal the metal surfaces adequately and wear rates will increase. The base oil behaviour is modified by the addition of viscosity modifiers that change the viscosity of the lubricant to different degrees at low and high temperatures and also at low and high speeds.

The additives provide major extra performance to the base oil, typically through chemical interactions, and engineers have been designing vehicles assuming this extra chemical protection for more than 50 years. Vehicle technology and additives technology have developed hand in hand to meet the increasing demands of consumers and legislators (especially for improved emissions control). Most people are aware that antioxidants can help extend the useful life of lubricants and these are of the most common families of lubricant additives. Other major additives are detergents (that clean up deposits from the hot surfaces), dispersants (that keep potential deposits suspended in the oil and prevents them from dropping out), and anti-wear additives that protect the metal surfaces when the base oil viscosity is not sufficient to keep the surfaces apart. Other additives include anti-foam, anti-corrosion, and anti-friction chemicals that provide extra benefits.

The right lubricant has advantages in every respect for the driver!

Protection of engine and gear box right from the start
Optimised performance of the engine
Limitation of noise
Smooth gearshift
Reduction of fuel consumption
Environmentally friendly due to reduced environmental pollution
Retention of value of your Volkswagen

What is naphthenic oil?

Crude oils are complex mixtures, containing thousands of different molecules.

Because these complex mixtures are difficult to identify chemically, they are grouped according to the predominant type of hydrocarbon: paraffinic, naphthenic, or aromatic.

HILUBO refines from naphthenic-rich crude oils because of their high solvency. Naphthenic oils are also virtually free from waxes. This means they continue to flow at very low temperatures, which is essential in many applications.

Maximize performance by knowing your oil condition

Oxygen exposure, heat and contaminants cause all oils to degrade. Engine oil is particularly susceptible to degradation by sulfur, nitration, by-products of combustion, high temperatures, and water from the combustion process or condensation. Oil condition analysis, part of the comprehensive Finning (Canada) fluid analysis program, helps prevent component damage by monitoring your oil and keeping track of its degradation. Oil condition analysis also allows you to correct problems that affect oil performance. The bottom-line benefit: maximum oil performance, optimum oil change intervals and reduced repair costs.

Understanding Oil Condition Analysis (Fourier Transform Infrared Analysis)

Oil condition analysis is similar to wear rate analysis with one important exception: It evaluates chemical compounds in the oil rather than wear element particles.

Oil condition analysis is important for oil from all systems: transmissions and hydraulics, as well as engines.

S·O·S Oil condition analysis includes an infrared instrument that uses a mathematical method to convert raw instrument data into meaningful terms. This test, often called FT-IR (Fourier transform infrared analysis), identifies and quantifies organic compound groups by measuring their infrared absorption at the specific wavelength of each group. Besides identifying oxidation, soot, sulfur products and nitration, the test is also used to scan for oil contamination by fuel, water or glycol (engine coolant).

Identifying contaminants before they cause problems

Oil condition analysis detects soot, oxidation, nitration products and sulfur products/acids. This test can also detect contamination by water, fuel and glycol from coolant. If detected, specific contaminant tests are used to confirm findings. Oil condition analysis focuses on:

Soot
Soot is found only in engine oil. It is the insoluble residue of partially burned fuel. It is held in suspension by the oil additive package and causes engine oil to turn black. When soot drops out of suspension in the oil, it contributes to additive depletion and eventually increases oil viscosity. Heavy concentrations of soot can cause bearing damage by starving contact surfaces of lubrication.

Oxidation
Oxidation occurs in transmission, hydraulic and engine oils when oxygen molecules chemically join with oil molecules. This chemical reaction is accelerated by high oil temperatures, glycol contamination from engine coolant, the presence of copper, and from extended oil change intervals. Oxidation causes the oil to thicken, form acids, and lose lubrication qualities, which threatens the life of your components. Oxidized oil will cause deposits on engine pistons and valves, stuck rings, and bore polishing. In hydraulic systems and transmissions, it can cause valve scuffing and sticking.

BSI British Standard 148:2009 [download]

Address: Room 1016 Huineng Buiding Dllian FTZ, Liaoning, China

Post cold: 116600 | Tel:0411-87314301 87321181 | Email: hiluboenglish@hotmail.com