Refining – from crude oil to high-quality lubricant
Refining refers to the industrial refining process in which crude oil is converted into usable products such as fuels, heating oils and lubricants. Undesirable components such as sulphur, nitrogen, metals and aromatic compounds are removed in several processing steps to obtain a stable, pure and high-performance product – including base oils for lubricants.
What exactly happens during the refining of base oils for lubricants?
Refining is at the heart of lubricant production. Depending on the desired product, various processes are used:
– Atmospheric and vacuum distillation
– Dewaxing
– hydrofinishing
– hydrocracking
– Solvent refining
These processes result in a base oil-like product with precisely defined properties – for example in terms of viscosity, oxidation stability and low-temperature behavior. BASINOL lubricants are based on specifically refined base oils that have been developed for maximum performance and long-term stability.
What is the difference between refining and cracking?
Refining includes all processes for the purification and stabilization of crude oil products, while cracking is a targeted chemical process in which large molecules are broken down into smaller, usable components. Hydrocracking, a combination of the two, produces, for example, high-quality base oil for lubricants – with a particularly uniform molecular structure.
What role does refining play in the quality of lubricating oils?
Without careful refining, lubricants would age too quickly, evaporate or form residues. Targeted purification steps remove unwanted substances, which significantly improves the thermal and oxidative stability, viscosity and service life of the oil. This is particularly important for modern engine oils that operate under high loads.
Are there different refinery qualities for base oils?
Yes – depending on the refining depth and the processes used, a distinction is made, for example, between Group I (classically refined), Group II (hydro-refined) and Group III (hydrocrack-refined). The higher the group, the higher the purity and performance of the base oil – which is directly reflected in the quality of the end product. BASINOL uses modern refining technologies to ensure consistently high oil quality.
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