Fischer-Tropsch Base Oil Blending for Cold Flow and Flash Point Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fischer-Tropsch derived light base oils have limited control over boiling range, viscosity, and pour point, restricting their applications due to inconsistent flash point and viscosity index, making it challenging to formulate them for specific uses like electrical oils without compromising their properties.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a Fischer-Tropsch derived gas oil into the light base oil formulation to tailor its properties, specifically reducing viscosity and pour point while maintaining a high flash point, thereby expanding its application range.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a Fischer-Tropsch derived light base oil is used, then excellent low temperature properties are achieved, but control over boiling range, viscosity, and pour point is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines Fischer-Tropsch derived light base oil with Fischer-Tropsch derived gas oil in a blended formulation. This merging allows the light base oil to retain its excellent low temperature properties while the gas oil component provides control over boiling range, viscosity, and pour point, resolving the contradiction between low temperature performance and manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the light base oil by blending it with gas oil in specific proportions. This parameter change enables adjustment of boiling range, viscosity, and pour point while maintaining the low temperature properties of the original light base oil, thus resolving the control issue.
2Adaptability or versatility
If viscosity and pour point are reduced for electrical oil application, then suitability for electrical oil is improved, but flash point may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges light base oil with gas oil in a formulation where the gas oil content is controlled to maintain flash point. The gas oil component reduces viscosity and improves low temperature flow properties for electrical oil application, while the controlled composition ensures flash point remains acceptable, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and temperature safety.
3Reliability
If light base oil is formulated for specific applications, then application-specific performance is improved, but overall versatility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal base oil formulation by blending light base oil with gas oil in a flexible ratio range. This formulation can be adapted to multiple applications including electrical oils, hydraulic fluids, and other lubricant applications by adjusting the blend composition, thus achieving both application-specific performance and overall versatility simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
Base oil formulation containing (i) a Fischer-Tropsch derived light base oil and (ii) a Fischer-Tropsch derived gas oil. The formulation can be prepared by back-blending a Fischer-Tropsch derived light base oil with a Fischer-Tropsch derived gas oil, for instance derived from the same Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. Also provided is the use of a Fischer-Tropsch derived gas oil in a base oil formulation containing a Fischer-Tropsch derived light base oil, for the purpose of improving the cold flow properties of the formulation while maintaining its flash point above a desired target value, and/or for the purpose of reducing the concentration of a cold flow additive in the formulation, preferably with less of a reduction in the flash point of the formulation than theory would have predicted to occur due to the incorporation of the Fischer-Tropsch derived gas oil.