This article was downloaded by:[CSIR Order]

On: 18 September 2007

Access Details: [subscription number 779749116]
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954
Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Petroleum Science and Technology

Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t713597288
Base Oil Production. Part II: Dewaxing, Finishing, and
Blending
A. M. Al Nagar a; E. A. El Shamy a
a
Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute, Naser City, Cairo, Egypt

Online Publication Date: 01 July 2007

To cite this Article: Nagar, A. M. Al and Shamy, E. A. El (2007) 'Base Oil Production.
Part II: Dewaxing, Finishing, and Blending', Petroleum Science and Technology,
25:7, 853 - 866
To link to this article: DOI: 10.1080/10916460500297088
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10916460500297088

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.informaworld.com/terms-and-conditions-of-access.pdf

This article maybe used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction,
re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly
forbidden.
The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be
complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be
independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings,
demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or
arising out of the use of this material.
Downloaded By: [CSIR Order] At: 08:44 18 September 2007

Petroleum Science and Technology, 25:853–866, 2007

Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 1091-6466 print/1532-2459 online
DOI: 10.1080/10916460500297088

Base Oil Production. Part II:

Dewaxing, Finishing, and Blending

A. M. Al Nagar and E. A. El Shamy

Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute, Naser City, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract: Three feedstocks supplied by Alexandria Petroleum Company were ad-

justed to bench scale extraction as a first step in refining using N-methyl pyrrolidone
(NMP) and NMP containing 10% ethanolamine at the most suitable extraction condi-
tions. The raffinates were solvent-dewaxed under constant dewaxing conditions. Then
the dewaxed oils were treated with adsorption technique or with oleum treatment fol-
lowed by adsorption technique to produce finished base oils. Eight formulated blends
were prepared by blending selective base oils. The base oils and blended ones were
evaluated according to the standard specifications of the Egyptian Organization for
Standardization (EOS) and Mobil velocite oil.

Keywords: finishing, solvent dewaxing, spindle oil, textile base oil

INTRODUCTION

Base oils in their various fields of applications require different specifications.

These can only partly be satisfied by suitable choice of feedstock and the
sequence of manufacturing processes, or even by some modifications of these
processes.
Lubricating oil production consists mainly of two steps: the manufacture
of lubricant base oil and the blending by additives or other base oils Nowa-
days, lubricant base oils are made from selected crude oils by a selected
refining process; these refining processes include these basic steps:

1. Distillation: to isolate individual raw lube oils fractions.

2. Solvent deasphalting: to produce heavy lube base oils that called bright
stock from vacuum residue.
3. Solvent or hydrogen refining: to improve viscosity index and remove un-
desirable constituents.

Address correspondence to Ebaa El-Shamy, Egyptian Petroleum Research Insti-

tute, Naser City, Cairo, Egypt. E-mail: ebaa_elshamy@yahoo.com

853
Downloaded By: [CSIR Order] At: 08:44 18 September 2007

854 A. M. Al Nagar and E. A. El Shamy

4. Solvent or catalytic dewaxing: to remove wax and improve the low tem-
perature properties such as pour point of paraffinic base oils.
5. Clay or hydrofinishing to improve the color, stability, and quality of the
lubricant base stocks (Soudek, 1974; Brock, 1987; Sequira, 1994; Kramer
et al., 2001).

The present study deals with the production of base oils for textile ma-
chines from three feedstocks of different boiling point ranges from Alexandria
Petroleum Company.

EXPERIMENTAL

The schematic presentation of the processing sequence followed in this study

is given in Figure 1.

Figure 1. The schematic presentation of the processing sequence.

Downloaded By: [CSIR Order] At: 08:44 18 September 2007

Base Oil Production for Textile Machines 855

The raffinates obtained under the most suitable extraction conditions

(Al Nagar et al., 2004) were taken as the feedstocks for solvent dewaxing
(Table 1).

Solvent Dewaxing

Dewaxing processes were carried out at dewaxing temperature of 15ı C

using a solvent mixture composed of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), benzene
(B), and toluene (T) in the ratio of 40:30:30 by weight, and at constant solvent
feed ratio of 3:1 and 1:1 for dilution and washing, respectively (El Shafey
et al., 1985).

Finishing

The finishing process was considered the final step in refining processes.
All the dewaxed oils (I to V) were treated with adsorption technique via
percolation using bentonite as adsorbent at 80ıC (Figure 1).
Treated oleum followed by an adsorption technique was carried out for
dewaxed oils III and IV by using 10 and 25 wt% oleum for dewaxed oil IV and
on using 25 wt% oleum for dewaxed oil III at a reaction temperature of 65ı C
and under agitation for nearly 1 hour to remove the undesired contaminated
constituents (Mikhail et al., 1971).

Blending

To adjust certain property and to produce various grades of textile base oils,
different blends were made by mixing the following base oils:

Base oil I (10–80 wt%) C base oil VI (90–20 wt%)

Base oil V (10–80 wt%) C base oil VII (90–20 wt%)

Blends were made in a molten state with delicate stirring at room temperature
to secure homogeneous blends.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The raffinates are characterized by their paraffinicity nature in terms of high

saturates and wax contents, the percentage of paraffinic carbon (%CP ) per
molecule, and the viscosity index. The high pour point of the raffinates is
related to the high wax content (Table 1). Hence, the raffinates must be
subjected to solvent dewaxing to remove the high melting waxes to overcome
their poor effects on the low temperature characteristic (Table 1 and Figure 1).
Downloaded By: [CSIR Order] At: 08:44 18 September 2007

856 A. M. Al Nagar and E. A. El Shamy

Table 1. Physical characteristics, hydrocarbon component analysis, and structural

group analysis of the feeds of solvent dewaxing process

No. of the feed I II III

Boiling range, C 300–350 350–400 250–340

The most suitable conditions of extraction

Solvent NMP NMP C NMP NMP C NMP
10% EA 10% EA
Solvent feed ratio 2/1 2/1 2/1 2/1 2/1
Temperature, ı C 60 60 60 60 50

Characteristics Raffinate I Raffinate II Raffinate III Raffinate IV Raffinate V

Yield, wt% 68.10 77.65 68.74 79.65 69.92
Refractive index, 1.4545 1.4585 1.4617 1.4651 1.4568
70ı C
Density, gm/cc, 0.8164 0.8209 0.8339 0.8389 0.8171
70ı C
Mean molecular 334 320 409 391 314
weight
Pour point, ı C 43 42 49 48 35
Sulphur content, wt% 0.57 0.71 0.58 0.78 0.49
Kinematic viscosity, 17.0 17.5 30.8 32 15.25
cSt, 40ı C
Kinematic viscosity, 3.76 3.92 5.6 5.92 3.42
cSt, 100ı C
Viscosity index 110 120 122 130 95
VGC 0.8054 0.8170 0.8208 0.8269 0.8159
REN 0.9114 0.4622 0.7624 0.4153 1.6711
Wax content, wt% 34.72 31.86 31.72 26.25 25.35
Component analysis
Total aromatics, wt% 18.69 23.30 20.79 24.22 25.53
Total saturates, wt% 81.31 76.70 79.21 75.78 74.47
Structural group analysis
Carbon distribution
% CA 7.52 10.86 7.66 10.92 6.56
% CN 19.01 20.34 23.57 22.55 20.06
% CR 26.53 31.20 31.23 33.47 26.62
% CP 73.47 68.80 68.77 66.53 73.38
Ring content analysis
RA 0.35 0.45 0.37 0.45 0.32
RT 0.92 0.98 1.47 1.57 0.94
RN 0.57 0.53 1.10 1.12 0.62

VGC D viscosity gravity constant.

REN D refining effectiveness number.

Effect of Solvent Dewaxing

The yield of the dewaxed oils calculated on the raffinate and the feed basis is
greatly affected; it ranges from 66.14 to 73.58 wt% on the former and from
45.04 to 57.42 wt% on the latter basis, respectively, due to the separation of
a great amount of wax as well as the oil inherent to such wax (Tables 2–4).
It can also be observed that the yields of the dewaxed oils II and IV are
Downloaded By: [CSIR Order] At: 08:44 18 September 2007

Base Oil Production for Textile Machines 857

Table 2. Effect of the dewaxing variables on the physical characteristics,

hydrocarbon component analysis, and structural group analysis of dewaxed
raffinates of feed I

NMP alone NMP C 10% EA

Raffinate Dewaxed Raffinate Dewaxed

Solvent of extraction I oil I II oil II

Characteristics
Yield on raffinate, wt% — 66.14 — 69.28
Yield on feedstock, wt% 68.10 45.04 77.65 53.80
Refractive index, 70ıC 1.4545 1.4640 1.4585 1.4685
Density, gm/cc, 70ı C 0.8164 0.8369 0.8209 0.8468
Mean molecular weight 334 277 320 264
Pour point, ı C 43 8 42 9
Sulphur content, wt% 0.57 0.94 0.71 1.11
Kinematic viscosity, 17.0 20.4 17.5 21.5
cSt, 40ıC
Kinematic viscosity, 3.76 4.00 3.92 4.15
cSt, 100ıC
Viscosity index 110 85 120 89
VGC 0.8054 0.8352 0.8170 0.8420
Color — 4.5 — 5
Wax content, wt% 34.72 3.78 31.86 3.48
Component analysis
Total aromatics, wt% 18.69 25.85 23.30 27.18
Total saturates, wt% 81.31 74.15 76.70 72.82
Structural group analysis
Carbon distribution
% CA 7.52 11.53 10.86 14.59
% CN 19.01 29.25 20.34 31.22
% CR 26.53 30.78 31.20 45.81
% CP 73.47 59.22 68.80 54.19
Ring content analysis
RA 0.35 0.87 0.45 0.96
RT 0.92 1.52 0.98 1.59
RN 0.57 0.65 0.53 0.63

VGC D viscosity gravity constant.

Solvent:  MEK C benzene C toluene 40:30:30.
Dewaxing temperature D 15ıC.
Solvent to feed ratio D 3:1.

somewhat higher than I and III, calculated on the basis of feedstock, which
may be due to the higher yields of raffinates obtained by extraction with
N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) containing ethanolamine (EA) for the former
and those obtained by extraction with pure NMP for the latter.
Downloaded By: [CSIR Order] At: 08:44 18 September 2007

858 A. M. Al Nagar and E. A. El Shamy

Table 3. Effect of the dewaxing variables on the physical characteristics,

hydrocarbon component analysis, and structural group analysis of the dewaxed
raffinates of feed II

NMP alone NMP C 10% EA

Raffinate Dewaxed Raffinate Dewaxed

Solvent of extraction III oil I IV oil II

Characteristics
Yield on raffinate, wt% — 68.32 — 72.09
Yield on feedstock, wt% 68.74 46.96 79.65 57.42
Refractive index, 70ı C 1.4617 1.4752 1.4651 1.4785
Density, gm/cc, 70ı C 0.8339 0.8573 0.8389 0.8615
Mean molecular weight 409 314 391 311
Pour point, ı C 49 6 48 7
Sulphur content, wt% 0.58 1.38 0.78 1.63
Kinematic viscosity, 30.8 39.2 32 40.3
cSt, 40ı C
Kinematic viscosity, 5.6 5.9 5.92 6.1
cSt, 100ı C
Viscosity index 122 90 130 95
VGC 0.8208 0.8443 0.8269 0.8480
Color — 8 — 8.5
Wax content, wt% 31.72 2.94 26.25 2.86
Component analysis
Total aromatics, wt% 20.79 33.65 24.22 35.44
Total saturates, wt% 79.21 66.35 75.78 64.56
Structural group analysis
Carbon distribution
% CA 7.66 12.72 10.92 15.89
% CN 23.57 28.54 22.55 31.57
% CR 31.23 41.26 33.47 47.46
% CP 68.77 58.74 66.53 52.54
Ring content analysis
RA 0.37 0.91 0.45 0.99
RT 1.47 2.11 1.57 2.17
RN 1.10 1.20 1.12 1.18

VGC D viscosity gravity constant.

Solvent:  MEK C benzene C toluene 40:30:30.
Dewaxing temperature D 15ıC.
Solvent to feed ratio D 3:1.

The effect of wax removal upon the nature of the raffinates is reflected
by the decrease in pour point, viscosity index, and mean molecular weight
and the increase of a viscosity-gravity constant (Tables 2–4). These changes
result from the decrease in the saturated constituents and, consequently, the
Downloaded By: [CSIR Order] At: 08:44 18 September 2007

Base Oil Production for Textile Machines 859

Table 4. Effect of the dewaxing variables on the physical

characteristics, hydrocarbon component analysis, and structural
group analysis of the dewaxed raffinate of feed III

NMP alone

Raffinate Dewaxed
Solvent of extraction V oil V

Characteristics
Yield on raffinate, wt% — 73.58
Yield on feedstock, wt% 69.92 51.44
Refractive index, 70ı C 1.4568 1.4636
Density, gm/cc, 70ı C 0.8171 0.8221
Mean molecular weight 314 261
Pour point, ı C 35 11
Sulphur content, wt% 0.49 1.00
Kinematic viscosity, cSt, 40ıC 15.25 17.77
Kinematic viscosity, cSt, 100ıC 3.42 3.70
Viscosity index 95 88
VGC 0.8159 0.8209
Color — 4.5
Wax content, wt% 25.35 1.04
Component analysis
Total aromatics, wt% 25.53 28.82
Total saturates, wt% 74.47 71.18
Structural group analysis
Carbon distribution
% CA 6.56 11.05
% CN 20.06 28.07
% CR 26.62 39.12
% CP 73.38 60.88
Ring content analysis
RA 0.32 0.83
RT 0.94 1.47
RN 0.62 0.64

VGC D viscosity gravity constant.

Solvent:  MEK C benzene C toluene. 40:30:30.
Dewaxing temperature D 15ıC.
Solvent to feed ratio D 3:1.

corresponding increase in the aromatic components and sulphur content of the

dewaxed oil. The carbon distribution spectrum and the ring content analysis
are parallel to the above findings.
The efficiency of the dewaxing process is measured by the dewaxing
temperature differential—the spread between the dewaxing temperature and
the pour point of the dewaxed oil. The low value of the dewaxing temperature
Downloaded By: [CSIR Order] At: 08:44 18 September 2007

860 A. M. Al Nagar and E. A. El Shamy

differential means that the process is economic from the industrial point of
view. The pour point of the dewaxed oils are (6 and 7), (8 and 9), and
4ı C higher than the dewaxing temperature of 15ıC for feeds I, II, and III,
respectively. It may be concluded that the process of dewaxing for feed III
at a temperature of 15ıC is the most economic one.

FINISHING

The dewaxed oils must be subjected to the finishing process to improve the
color, color stability, and oxidation resistance.

Adsorption Treatment

All the dewaxed oils were treated with adsorption technique via percola-
tion using activated bentonite to reduce the level of trace-contaminated con-
stituents (Figure 1 and Table 5).
It is obvious from the data of the component analysis that the total
aromatics are slightly decreased and, consequently, the saturates content in-
creased with clay treatment. This behavior is also confirmed from the sulphur
content of the product which decreases as the aromatics content decreases.
The carbon distribution spectrum reflects the above findings; accordingly, the
pour point, viscosity index, and mean molecular weight of the base oils are
increased (compare Table 5 with Tables 2–4).

Oleum Treatment

The two dewaxed oils III and IV are not greatly affected by adsorption treat-
ment, as previously discussed, due to their relatively high aromatic contents
(33.65 and 35.44 wt%, respectively). Therefore, they must be subjected to
oleum (fuming sulphuric acid) treatment. Then the adsorption technique was
carried out via percolation to remove the traces of acidity and the undesired
contaminated constituents. The effect of adding oleum on the dewaxed oil is
presented in Table 6.
Data indicate that refractive index, density, and kinematic viscosity de-
crease, while the mean molecular weight, viscosity index, and pour point
increase with a continuous increase in the amount of oleum added. This is
in accordance with the gradual decrease in aromatics content and the gradual
increase in total saturates content.
The aromatics content, even so, is still high for base oil VI and VIII after
25 wt% oleum treatment (27.94 and 29.22 wt%, respectively). This may be
Downloaded By: [CSIR Order] At: 08:44 18 September 2007

Base Oil Production for Textile Machines 861

Table 5. Physical characteristics, hydrocarbon component analysis, and structural

group analysis of finished base oil by clay treatment of the dewaxed raffinates of
three feedstocks

No. of the feed I II III

Solvent of extraction NMP NMP C NMP NMP C NMP

10% EA 10% EA
Raffinate no. I II III IV V
Dewaxed oil no. I II III IV V

Characteristics Base oil I Base oil II Base oil III Base oil IV Base oil V
Yield, wt% 74.89 56.82 73.79 65.02 64.38
Yield on feedstock, 33.73 30.57 34.65 37.33 33.11
wt%
Refractive index, 1.4626 1.4665 1.4744 1.4768 1.4619
70ı C
Density, gm/cc, 0.8245 0.8314 0.8548 0.8594 0.8197
70ı C
Mean molecular 286 281 322 319 245

qquad weight
Flash point, ı C 221 225 241 240 161
Pour point, ı C 7 8 5 6 10
Sulphur content, wt% 0.89 1.04 1.35 1.48 0.88
Kinematic viscosity, 19.60 20.84 38.14 39.35 16.49
cSt, 40ı C
Kinematic viscosity, 3.95 4.08 6.00 6.05 3.53
cSt, 100ıC
Viscosity index 90 92 94 96 88
Conradson carbon 0.02 0.03 0.06 0.07 0.02
residue, wt%
Color 1 1.5 7 7.5 0.5
Component analysis
Total aromatics, wt% 24.46 25.66 32.40 34.78 23.25
Total saturates, wt% 75.54 74.34 67.60 65.22 76.75
Structural group analysis
Carbon distribution
% CA 10.87 13.96 11.96 15.14 10.24
% CN 27.99 30.56 28.17 30.74 27.59
% CR 38.86 44.52 40.13 45.88 37.83
% CP 61.14 55.48 59.87 54.12 62.17
Ring content analysis
RA 0.86 0.94 0.89 0.98 0.81
RT 1.5 1.56 2.09 2.15 1.46
RN 0.64 0.62 1.20 1.17 0.65
Downloaded By: [CSIR Order] At: 08:44 18 September 2007

862 A. M. Al Nagar and E. A. El Shamy

Table 6. Physical characteristics, hydrocarbon component analysis, and structural

group analysis of finished base oil by oleum clay treatment of the dewaxed
raffinates of Feed II

No. of the feed II

Solvent of extraction NMP NMPC10% EA

Raffinate no. II IV
Dewaxed oil no. III IV

Amount of oleum 25 0 10 25
(based on oil) wt%

Characteristics Base oil VI Base oil IV Base oil VII Base oil VIII
Yield, wt% 39.25 65.02 51.98 37
Yield on feedstock, wt% 18.43 37.33 29.86 21.24
Refractive index, 70ı C 1.4689 1.4768 1.4734 1.4712
Density, gm/cc, 70ı C 0.8496 0.8594 0.8542 0.8516
Mean molecular weight 371 319 336 367
Flash point, ı C 240 238 237 239
Pour point, ı C 1 6 3 1
Sulphur content, wt% 1.004 1.480 1.276 1.140
Kinematic viscosity, 32.87 39.35 37.26 34.05
cSt, 40ı C
Kinematic viscosity, 5.92 6.05 5.98 5.94
cSt, 100ı C
Viscosity index 95 96 98 100
Conradson carbon 0.03 0.07 0.04 0.03
residue, wt%
Color 0 7.5 0.5 0
Component analysis
Total aromatics, wt% 27.94 34.78 31.41 29.22
Total saturates, wt% 72.06 65.22 68.59 70.78
Structural group analysis
Carbon distribution
% CA 8.65 15.14 13.92 11.38
% CN 28.13 30.74 30.12 30.89
% CR 36.78 45.88 44.04 42.27
% CP 63.22 54.12 55.96 57.73
Ring content analysis
RA 0.85 0.98 0.96 0.94
RT 1.92 2.15 2.07 1.99
RN 1.07 1.17 1.11 1.05

attributed to the presence of a dominant percentage of saturated structure

attached to the aromatic rings, which weaken the attack of oleum.
The sulphur content data for base oils are in line with aromatics content
data as both decrease with the increase of oleum concentration. Accordingly,
the ASTM color is greatly improved; it decreased from 8 or 8.5 to 0 units
(compare Table 3 with Table 6).
Downloaded By: [CSIR Order] At: 08:44 18 September 2007

Base Oil Production for Textile Machines 863

EVALUATION AND BLENDING OF BASE OILS

Evaluation of base oils, according to the Egyptian Organization for Standard-

ization (EOS) revealed that base oils I, II, and V, which finished with clay
treatment are within the limits of the standard specifications of spindle oils
with high viscosity indices (88–92). According to the kinematic viscosity at
40ı C, base oils I and V are related to group (B) middle spindle oil, while
base oil II is related to group (C) heavy spindle oil. Base oil III and IV are
out of the limits of standard specifications of spindle oils (Table 5).
According to the kinematic viscosity at 40ıC, base oils VI and VIII
finished with 25 wt% oleum followed by clay treatment are within the limits
of group (C) heavy spindle oil, while base oil VII, which finished with 10 wt%
oleum, is higher than the limits of group (C) heavy spindle oils. According
to the pour point, the three base oils VI, VII, and VIII have higher values
than the limit of standard specification of spindle oils.

BLEND FORMULATION

To adjust the specifications of base oils to meet the standard specifications of

spindle oils related to the EOS and produce different grades of spindle oils,
blends were made by mixing base oils.

Blends Containing Base Oils I and VI

The pour points of the two base oils VI and VIII are higher than the standard
limit by 8 and 6ı C, respectively, which may be improved to attain to the
standard limit by blending the base oil with one of a lower pour point, either
base oil I or II or V. Thus, four formulations were made from base oils I and
VI as indicated in Table 7.
Data indicate that the kinematic viscosity at 40ıC for all the base oils
obtained by blending base oils VI with I are within the limits of standard

Table 7. Blend formulations

Group 1 Group 2

Base Base Base Base

Base oil no. oil VI oil I Base oil no. oil VII oil V

Base oil IX 90 10 Base oil XIII 90 10

Base oil X 60 40 Base oil XIV 70 30
Base oil XI 30 70 Base oil XV 40 60
Base oil XII 20 80 Base oil XVI 20 80
Downloaded By: [CSIR Order] At: 08:44 18 September 2007

864 A. M. Al Nagar and E. A. El Shamy

Table 8. Physical characteristics and hydrocarbon component analysis of blends

containing base oils I and VI

Base Base Base Base Base Base

Base oil no. oil VI oil IX oil X oil XI oil XII oil I

Characteristics:
Refractive index, 1.4689 1.4681 1.4659 1.4642 1.4636 1.4626
70ı C
Density, gm/cc, 0.8496 0.8480 0.8442 0.8406 0.8396 0.8245
70ı C
Mean molecular 371 361 331 298 289 286
weight
Flash point, ı C 240 238 232 227 225 221
Pour point, ı C 1 0 2 4 5 7
Sulphur content, 1.00 0.99 0.96 0.92 0.91 0.89
wt%
Kinematic viscosity, 32.87 31.18 27.07 23.11 21.91 19.60
cSt, 40ı C
Kinematic viscosity, 5.92 5.72 5.1 4.5 4.35 3.95
cSt, 100ı C
Viscosity index 95 94 93 92 91 90
VGC 0.8364 0.8341 0.8305 0.8260 0.8235 0.8208
Conradson carbon 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.02 0.02 0.02
residue, wt%
Component analysis
Total aromatics, 27.94 27.59 26.55 25.50 25.16 24.46
wt%
Total saturates, 72.06 72.41 73.45 74.50 74.84 75.54
wt%

VGC D viscosity-gravity constant.

specifications of group (C) heavy spindle oil related to the EOS, while the
pour points of these blended base oils are higher than the standard limit by
2–7ı C (Table 8).
Meanwhile, base oils XI and XII, which have a pour point of 4 and
5ı C higher than the standard limit by 3 and 2ı C, respectively, are in accor-
dance with the specifications of Mobil Velocite Oils (Mobil, 1995) (premium
low viscosity textile machinery oils) of group CX and DX, respectively.
Moreover, the blended base oils IX to XII would be blended with pour
point depressant to improve their pour points to attain the standard limit of
spindle oil.

Blends Containing Base Oils V and VII

It is of interest to improve the pour point and the kinematic viscosity at

40ı C for base oil VII by blending it with base oil V and to produce different
grades of base oil to meet the standard specifications of spindle oil related
Downloaded By: [CSIR Order] At: 08:44 18 September 2007

Base Oil Production for Textile Machines 865

Table 9. Physical characteristics and hydrocarbon component analysis of blends

containing base oils V and VII

Base Base Base Base Base Base

Base oil no. oil VII oil XIII oil XIV oil XV oil XVI oil V

Characteristics
Refractive index, 1.4734 1.4724 1.4696 1.4670 1.4638 1.4619
70ı C
Density, gm/cc, 0.8542 0.8513 0.8449 0.8350 0.8281 0.8197
70ı C
Mean molecular 336 327 310 282 263 245
weight
Flash point, ı C 237 230 215 191 176 161
Pour point, ı C 3 4 5 7 8 10
Sulphur content, 1.28 1.24 1.16 1.04 0.96 0.88
wt%
Kinematic viscosity, 37.26 34.91 30.52 24.16 20.24 16.49
cSt, 40ı C
Kinematic viscosity, 5.98 5.72 5.40 4.50 4.15 3.53
cSt, 100ıC
Viscosity index 98 97 94 92 89 88
VGC 0.8406 0.8378 0.8336 0.8266 0.8217 0.8164
Conradson carbon 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.03 0.03 0.02
residue, wt%
Component analysis
Total aromatics, 31.41 30.59 28.96 26.51 24.88 23.25
wt%
Total saturates, 68.59 69.41 71.04 73.49 75.12 76.75
wt%

VGC D viscosity-gravity constant.

to EOS (Table 7). The effect of the addition of base oil V to base oil VII is
represented in Table 9.
Data indicate that the kinematic viscosity at 40ı C for base oil VII
(37.26 cSt) has been decreased to attain the upper standard limit of spindle
oil (35 cSt) by the addition of 10 wt% of base oil V as shown for blended
base oil XIII. A further increase in the concentration of base oil V gives base
oils with different grades of kinematic viscosity 30.5, 24.16, and 20.24 for
base oils XIV, XV, and XVI, respectively. Meanwhile, the addition of 60 wt%
of base oil V to base oil VII decreases its pour point from ( 3ı C) to the
standard limit of pour point for spindle oil ( 7ı C) as shown for base oil XV
(Table 9).
We can conclude that the blended base oils XV and XVI confirm the
specifications of the spindle oil of group (C) heavy and group (B) middle
spindle oil, respectively, according to the definition of the EOS.
Base oil XIII and XIV confirm the standard specifications of group (C)
heavy spindle oil excepting the pour points, which are 3 and 2ı C higher than
Downloaded By: [CSIR Order] At: 08:44 18 September 2007

866 A. M. Al Nagar and E. A. El Shamy

the standard limit, respectively. From an economical point of view, these

base oils can be used as spindle oils in hot countries and when too low a
temperature would be required.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The authors would like to thank Prof. Dr. Amal Said Farag for her efforts,
without which this work would not have been made possible.

REFERENCES

Al Naggar, A. M., El Shamy, E. A., Farag, A. S., and El Azabawy, S. R.

(2004). Mans. Sci. Bull. Egypt 31:165.
Brock, D. V. (1987). Lubrication Engineering 43:184.
Egyptian Organization for Standardization (EOS). (1964). ES 549, ARE.
El Shafey, M. A., Farag, A. S., Riad, M. A., and Youssef, M. H. (1985). Bull.
NRC, Egypt 10:88.
Kramer, D. C., Lok, B. K., and Krug, R. R. (2001). Turbine Lubrication in
21st Century, ASTM STP1407. W. R. Herguth and T. M. Warne (eds.).
West Conshohocken, PA: American Society for Testing and Materials.
Mikhail, S., Rizk, N., Grigis, B., and Abdou, I. (1971). Revue de Lt’Institut
Français du Petrole 26:1213.
Mobil Product Data. (1995). 3057, Virginia.
Sequira, A. Jr. (1994). Lubricant Base Oil and Wax Processing. New York:
Marcel Dekker, Inc.
Soudek, M. (1974). Hydroc. Process. 53:59.