Lubricant market

Regional performance demand Different geographical regions have different market requirements. European oils tend to be for longer drain applications, up to 30,000 miles between oil drains, whereas North American market lubricants tend to be changed every 3000-10,000 miles. Additionally, differences between developed and developing markets have an effect on the required lubricant performance and hence the formulation and the lubricant drain interval. Local fuel variation also needs to be considered, e.g. the sulphur content of diesel, overall fuel quality based upon refinery processing and contamination of fuel. 

ExxonMobil downstream business includes refining, retail marketing, lubricant basestock production and sales, finished lubricants, petroleum specialty products and downstream technology. The global downstream business is divided into four companies ... 

Standards have shifted from being neutral market lubricants to serving as new tools of product differentiation. We are witnessing a fundamental shift in their role from reducing transaction costs to serving as strategic tools for market penetration, system co-ordination, quality and safety assurance, and even product niche definition (Giovannucci and Reardon, 1999). 

Ousler GW III, Michaelson C, Christensen MT (2007) An evaluation of tear film breakup time extension and ocular protection index scores among three marketed lubricant eye drops. Cornea 26 949-52... 

The development of a line of lubricant additives is an expensive and slow undertaking the market for these products —on the order of 10 billion dollars in 1992— is very large and is dominated by a few companies. 

Polyols. Several important polyhydric alcohols or polyols are made from formaldehyde. The principal ones include pentaerythritol, made from acetaldehyde and formaldehyde trimethylolpropane, made from -butyraldehyde and formaldehyde and neopentyl glycol, made from isobutyraldehyde and formaldehyde. These polyols find use in the alkyd resin (qv) and synthetic lubricants markets. Pentaerythritol [115-77-5] is also used to produce rosin/tall oil esters and explosives (pentaerythritol tetranitrate). Trimethylolpropane [77-99-6] is also used in urethane coatings, polyurethane foams, and multiftmctional monomers. Neopentyl glycol [126-30-7] finds use in plastics produced from unsaturated polyester resins and in coatings based on saturated polyesters. 

Hydraikic fluids are the second largest use of lubricants for automotive and iadustrial markets. Estimates for 1992 are that 1.089 x 10 L(81 x 10 gal) of hydraikic fluids were sold out of 8.9 x 10 L(2.3 x 10 gal) of total iadustrial lubricating fluids. The world market is shown ia Table 6. Most hydraikic fluids were mineral ok-based products. The remainder represented principally fire-resistant hydraikic fluids and synthetic-based lubricants. 

South America and Africa also have about 4% of the industrial lubricant market. 

Except for fire-resistant fluids, synthetic lubricants have not captured a significant portion of the general lubricant or hydrauhc markets, primarily because the cost is two to four times that of other premium lubricants. However, development of satisfactorily formulated products continues. 

Olefin oligomers are used widely as automotive lubricants. They often are combiaed with some of the organic esters as base fluids ia engine oils, gear oils, and hydrauHc fluids, eg, for equipment intended for operation ia extremely cold climates, and for premium oils, eg, for the service station market ia temperate climates. 

Petroleum (qv) products dominate lubricant production with a 98% share of the market for lubricating oils and greases. While lower cost leads to first consideration of these petroleum lubricants, production of various synthetic lubricants covered later has been expanding to take advantage of special properties such as stability at extreme temperatures, chemical inertness, fire resistance, low toxicity, and environmental compatibility. 

Detergents are metal salts of organic acids used primarily in crankcase lubricants. Alkylbenzenesulfonic acids, alkylphenols, sulfur- and methjiene-coupled alkyl phenols, carboxyUc acids, and alkylphosphonic acids are commonly used as their calcium, sodium, and magnesium salts. Calcium sulfonates, overbased with excess calcium hydroxide or calcium carbonate to neutralize acidic combustion and oxidation products, constitute 65% of the total detergent market. These are followed by calcium phenates at 31% (22). 

Alkylated aromatic lubricants, phosphate esters, polyglycols, chlorotrifluoroethylene, siUcones, and siUcates are among other synthetics that came into production during much that same period (28,29). Polyphenyl ethers and perfluoroalkyl polyethers have followed as fluids with distinctive high temperature stabiUty. Although a range of these synthetic fluids find appHcations which employ their unique individual characteristics, total production of synthetics represent only on the order of 2% of the lubricant market. Poly(a-olefin)s, esters, polyglycols, and polybutenes represent the types of primary commercial interest. 

Total yearly production of lubricants ia the United States has been faidy stable siace the 1960s. The production peak of 11.2 X 10 m (70.7 x 10 bbl)ia 1974 gradually dechned to 8.9 x 10 m (55.9 x 10 bbl) ia 1991, which is about 30% of worldwide production. Automotive lubricants make up about 56% of U.S. production, iadustrial lubricants 38%, and greases 2%. Future growth rate of the market is expected typically to be 1—3% per year. 

Although synthetic lubrication oil production amounts to only about 2% of the total market, volume has been increasing rapidly (67). Growth rates of the order of 20% per year for poly( a-olefin)s, 10% for polybutenes, and 8% for esters (28) reflect increasing automotive use and these increases would accelerate if synthetics were adopted for factory fill of engines by automotive manufacturers. The estimated production of poly( a-olefin)s for lubricants appears to be approximately 100,000 m /yr, esters 75,000, poly(alkylene glycol)s 42,000, polybutenes 38,000, phosphates 20,000, and dialkyl benzene 18,000 (28,67). The higher costs reflected in Table 18 (18,28) have restricted the volume of siUcones, chlorotrifluoroethylene, perfluoroalkylpolyethers, and polyphenyl ethers. 

Lubrication oil additives represent another important market segment for maleic anhydride derivatives. The molecular stmctures of importance are adducts of polyalkenyl succinic anhydrides (see Lubrication and lubricants). These materials act as dispersants and corrosion inhibitors (see Dispersants Corrosion and corrosion control). One particularly important polyalkenyl succinic anhydride molecule in this market is polyisobutylene succinic anhydride (PIBSA) where the polyisobutylene group has a molecular weight of 900 to 1500. Other polyalkenes are also used. Polyalkenyl succinic anhydride is further derivatized with various amines to produce both dispersants and corrosion inhibitors. Another type of dispersant is a polyester produced from a polyalkenyl succinic anhydride and pentaerythritol [115-77-5]. 

The uniqueness of methyl methacrylate as a plastic component accounts for its industrial use in this capacity, and it far exceeds the combined volume of all of the other methacrylates. In addition to plastics, the various methacrylate polymers also find appHcation in sizable markets as diverse as lubricating oil additives, surface coatings (qv), impregnates, adhesives (qv), binders, sealers (see Sealants), and floor poHshes. It is impossible to segregate the total methacrylate polymer market because many of the polymers produced are copolymers with acrylates and other monomers. The total 1991 production capacity of methyl methacrylate in the United States was estimated at 585,000 t/yr. The worldwide production in 1991 was estimated at about 1,785,000 t/yr (3). 

Oil field uses are primarily imidazolines for surfactant and corrosion inhibition (see Petroleum). Besides the lubrication market for metal salts, the miscellaneous market is comprised of free acids used ia concrete additives, motor oil lubricants, and asphalt-paving applications (47) (see Asphalt Lubrication AND lubricants). Naphthenic acid has also been studied ia ore flotation for recovery of rare-earth metals (48) (see Flotation Lanthanides). 

In the other market areas, lead naphthenates are used on a limited basis in extreme pressure additives for lubricating oils and greases. Sodium and potassium naphthenates are used in emulsiftable oils, where they have the advantage over fatty acid soaps of having improved disinfectant properties. Catalyst uses include cobalt naphthenate as a cross-linking catalyst in adhesives (52) and manganese naphthenate as an oxidation catalyst (35). Metal naphthenates are also being used in the hydroconversion of heavy petroleum fractions (53,54) and bitumens (55). 

Mud lubricants and spotting fluids, although not needed for every well, are essential for many deep directional wells. The consumption of these materials is difficult to estimate, and represents a relatively small fraction of the total drilling fluid additive market. 

Eatty bisamides are used primarily to kicrease sHp, reduce blocking, and reduce static ki polymeric systems. Other specialty appHcations kiclude cosolvents or coupling agents for polyamide reskis, fillers for electrical kisulation coatings, additives for asphalt to reduce cold flow, and synthetic waxes for textile treatments (68). Bisamides have been used ki all the traditional primary amide appHcations to kicrease lubricity and have become the amide of choice because of thek better efficiency. Bisamides have the highest commercial value ki the amide market. 

Japan Wax. Japan wax [8001-39-6] is a fat and is derived from the berries of a small tree native to Japan and China cultivated for its wax. Japan wax is composed of triglycerides, primarily tripalmitin. Japan wax typically has a melting point of 53°C, an acid number of 18, and a saponification number of 217. Principal markets include the formulation of candles, poHshes, lubricants, and as an additive to thermoplastic resins. The product has some food-related apphcations. 

About 65% of the lithium is used as a ceU-bath additive in aluminum production and in ceramics and glass. Lithium batteries enjoy increasing popularity leading to steady growth in this market. Other uses are in lubricants and synthetic mbber (46). Since lithium is a light, strong metal, it finds apphcations in aerospace metals and alloys where a light metal is needed (see Lithiumand lithium compounds). 

Jojoba is a desert crop that gives a small bean containing about 50% of a wax, a fatty acid ester with a fatty alcohol. The only other large source of such a wax is sperm whale oil, traditionally used in fine lubricants (see Lubrication and lubricants). Because the sperm whale is an endangered species, relatively Httle sperm whale oil is available and there is a large market for a substitute. Jojoba oil has been found to be usable for most of these appHcations. The jojoba oil is obtained by simply pressing the nut followed by conventional refining. Some jojoba oil is used in cosmetics (qv). 

Chlorinated paraffins with the general molecular formula x 2x-y+2) have been manufactured on a commercial basis for over 50 years. The early products were based on paraffin wax feedstocks and were used as fine retardants and plasticizers in surface coatings and textile treatments and as extreme pressure—antiwear additives in lubricants. The development of chlorinated paraffins into new and emerging technologies was constrained principally because of the limitations of grades based on paraffin wax and the lack of suitable alternative feedstocks to meet the demands of the new potential markets. 

Other Chlorobenzenes. The market for the higher chlorobenzenes (higher than di) is small in comparison to the combined mono- and dichlorobenzenes. Trichlorobenzenes are used in some pesticides, as a dye carrier, in dielectric fluids, as an organic intermediate and a chemical manufacturing solvent, in lubricants, and as a heat-transfer medium. These are small and decreasing markets. 

Microemulsions, temporary emulsions, that is, two-layer haH dressHigs, and clear solutions of nonvolatile lubricants are on the market. HaH tonics, usually hydro-alcohoHc, achieve similar effects by including Hpid substances or synthetic em ollients, such as the mono butyl ethers of polypropylene oxides [9003-13-8] (10—50 mol). The primary benefits of these Hpid-based products are lubrication and improvements Hi haH gloss and hair-hoi ding (dressHig)... 

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