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This post was last edited by liaifeng on 2018-7-28 at 07:24. Key Technology Development and Industrialization Help China’s Polyα-olefin (PAO) Base Oils Take Their Own Path. Author/Source: Date: 2018-03-13. Views: 44. With the progress of society and technology, the lubricant industry is undergoing rapid upgrades. Synthetic lubricants have seen swift development due to their advantages such as improving fuel efficiency, extending oil change intervals, reducing emissions, minimizing engine wear, and maintaining good flow properties at extreme temperatures. Polyalphaolefins (PAO) boast a high viscosity index, an ultra-low pour point, a high flash point, excellent thermal and oxidative stability, hydrolytic stability, as well as low volatility, making them an ideal base oil for synthesis. They are primarily used in diesel engine oils, industrial lubricants, hydraulic fluids, and other applications; they also serve as a base oil for the synthesis of high-quality lubricants in the aviation, aerospace, and other industrial sectors. Statistical data show that the global supply of PAO amounts to approximately 605,000 tons per year, of which low-viscosity PAO accounts for about 457,000 tons per year, while high-viscosity PAO accounts for 148,000 tons per year. Related studies predict that demand for PAO will grow at an annual rate of 3.5% in the coming years, with the global PAO market expected to reach 815,200 tons by 2025. In industry, the production of PAO primarily relies on the olefin oligomerization method, with companies such as ExxonMobil, ChevronPhillips, and INEOS possessing their own patented technologies. The production and supply of PAO are mainly concentrated in international companies such as ExxonMobil, INEOS, and Chevron Phillips; the combined production capacity of these three companies accounts for 83% of the global total. http://img.yf116.cn/image/img/20180313/1014403688071.jpg The main raw material for PAO production is 1-octene (LAO). The global total production capacity for LAO is approximately 500,000 tons per year, with production concentrated among companies such as INEOS, Chevron Phillips, Shell, Idemitsu of Japan, and Mitsubishi Chemical. The demand is around 650,000 tons per year, and the supply does not meet the needs for PAO production. China has yet to achieve large-scale production of 1-decene, and its products are highly dependent on imports, which severely restricts the development of China’s high-quality base oil and lubricant industries. In recent years, China has also begun to make breakthroughs in the research and industrialization of PAO technology. For example, since 2015, the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has collaborated with Shanxi Lu’an Group to conduct intensive research on the core technologies involved in the production of PAO base oils through metallocene-catalyzed polymerization processes – namely the metallocene catalysts and co-catalyst systems. Multiple invention patents have been filed, thereby establishing independent intellectual property rights. On November 10, 2017, the pilot plant for the production of 3,000 tons per year of metallocene PAO (mPAO) by Lu’an Group began construction officially, with an estimated construction period of 10 months. This device utilizes the core catalytic polymerization technology with independent intellectual property rights, developed by the Laboratory of Advanced Lubricant Materials at the Shanghai Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. It uses long-chain α-olefins from Lu’an Group’s coal-to-oil products as raw materials to produce high-quality low-viscosity (4, 6, 8, 10) mPAO base oils. The construction of this facility fills the gap in domestic low-viscosity PAO base oils.