What are the types of compressor oils?
Release date:
2024-04-25
Today, there are many types of compressor oils available; the base oils alone include mineral oil, second‑hydrogenated mineral oil, hydrogen‑isomerized Group III base oil, natural‑gas‑synthesized Group III base oil, PAO, polyether, ester oils—including diesters and polyol esters—and silicone oil, among others.
Currently available compressor oils include conventional mineral‑oil‑based oils, synthetic oils, and semi‑synthetic oils. Among these, the category of synthetic oils is somewhat confusing: synthetics are base oils produced through chemical synthesis. Shell refers to hydrogen‑isomerized Group III base oils as XHVI—synthetic oils with an exceptionally high viscosity index. These base oils are obtained via advanced refining of mineral oils, and even more remarkable are GTL Group III base oils synthesized from natural gas.
As for semi‑synthetic compressor oils, the situation is somewhat more complex. Semi‑synthetic oils were developed to address the limitations of purely mineral‑based lubricants in meeting the demanding operating conditions of compressors. By incorporating a proportion of specially formulated synthetic base stocks, they selectively enhance specific performance characteristics, offering a technical solution that balances superior performance with controlled cost increases. The properties of semi‑synthetic oils do not simply represent an arithmetic average of those of fully synthetic and mineral oils; with a carefully engineered formulation, they can sometimes deliver unexpectedly excellent performance.
The key question is: what proportion of the semi‑synthetic oil consists of mineral‑based base stock, and what are the types and concentrations of the synthetic components? Since Group III base stocks are classified as unconventional, some are produced by hydroisomerization of mineral oils, while others are GTL‑derived Group III base stocks synthesized from natural gas. In recent years, to distinguish Group III base stocks from both mineral oils and other synthetic oils, the term “Group III oil” has been adopted— a designation that is apt, logical, and clearly conveys its meaning.
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