Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring liquid found in
formations in the earth consisting of acomplex mixture of
hydrocarbons of various lengths. Crude oil is used mostly for
producing fuel oiland petrol, both important primary energy
sources. Synthetic oil could be made to be a substitute
for crude oil or specially made to be a substitute for a
lubricant oil such as conventional or mineralmotor oil refined from
petroleum.
Synthetic oil is not refined from crude oil, but constructed
from pure chemicals selected for their ability to lubricate.
Synthetic oil is oil consisting of chemical compounds which were
not originallypresent in crude oil but were artificially made from
other compounds. When synthetic oil is made asa substitute for
lubricant refined from crude oil, it is generally to provide
superior mechanical andchemical properties than those found in
traditional mineral oils.
With no paraffin to congeal at low temperatures, synthetic motor
oil maintain better low temperaturefluidity than petroleum crude
oil do, which protects equipment operating in cold environments
-even the relative cold of a just started engine. The technical
advantages of synthetic motor oilsinclude - better chemical &
shear stability, decreased evaporative loss, resistance to
oxidation,thermal breakdown and oil sludge problems, extended drain
intervals with the environmentalbenefit of less waste oil created.
Synthetic oil also have some disadvantages like it is three
timesexpensive than crude oil, potential decomposition problems in
certain chemical environments.
