Petroleum refers to the product resulting from crude oil refining, used as a lubricant for vehicles and machinery. It can be produced in various grades and has dozens of additives. Its properties include reducing friction, carrying away heat, inhibiting corrosion, and cleaning away dirt and debris. The composition of crude oil varies by region, and additives are developed to improve its properties.
When the word “petroleum” is used without particular context, it should be understood to refer to the product resulting from the refining of crude oil, such as motor oil or engine oil. The properties of the oil make it unique and irreplaceable as a lubricant for vehicles and other machinery. The oil is versatile for two reasons: it can be produced in a variety of grades, plus dozens of additives have been developed, increasing its useful range of applicability. Making oil a profitable product requires a large availability of raw materials and the ability to obtain and process them at a reasonable cost. The two most important properties of oil are that it promotes free movement of non-stationary parts and reduces the production of heat which can cause the engine to seize.
Chemically, commercial motor oil is largely a mixture of hydrocarbons — organic compounds made of hydrogen and carbon — mostly found as straight and branched chains, although some ring or cyclic hydrocarbons are usually present. The composition of crude oil varies slightly by geographic region, leading some to advocate oil obtained from one area over another. For example, some believe that crude oil originating in Pennsylvania (USA) produces superior motor oil, as it has a high paraffin content but a low level of sulfur, nitrogen and asphalt.
In an internal engine, the moving parts are immersed in engine oil. An oil film forms between these parts, effectively reducing kinetic friction and damaging heat. Not only does oil keep machinery running by reducing friction, but because it is a relatively ‘thin’ fluid in operation, it carries away heat. None of this would be helpful, however, if the oil’s properties didn’t hold up to heat, if the oil wasn’t thermally stable. Because metal expands when heated, if not cooled properly, hot moving parts can be forced into full contact, stopped, and even fused together, destroying the mechanism.
Two other beneficial properties of the oil include inhibiting corrosion of metal surfaces, such as steel, and cleaning away dirt and debris. Because motor oil invariably contains some chemical “unsaturation” – carbon-carbon double or triple bonds – and is exposed to oxygen in the presence of considerable heat, oxidation occurs to form carboxylic acid, which attacks the metal. This weakness in the natural properties of the oil is effectively reduced through laboratory research performed by petroleum chemists, who develop and test new additives, which are then field tested using fleet vehicles. Nitrogen-based cleaning additives often help keep engine valves in top condition.
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