What is Synthetic Oil?
2 Answers
Synthetic oil is a type of engine oil artificially synthesized through chemical methods by humans. Depending on its intended use, the composition of synthetic oil can be adjusted accordingly. Below is an introduction to synthetic oil: Semi-synthetic oil: This refers to lubricants blended from three types of base oils internationally. It is a technological product derived from mineral oil through hydro-cracking and purification processes. The purity of semi-synthetic oil is very close to that of fully synthetic oil, but its cost is slightly higher than mineral oil, making it an ideal transitional product from mineral oil to synthetic oil. Fully synthetic oil: This is a lubricant composed of ethylene and propylene dispersed from natural gas or crude oil-derived gas, which undergoes complex chemical reactions such as polymerization and catalysis to refine into a high-molecular compound lubricating fluid.
Synthetic oil is a high-performance lubricant formulated in laboratories, completely different from traditional mineral oils derived from petroleum refining. It uses chemically synthesized base oils as its foundation, with molecular structures far more uniform than mineral oils. This structural characteristic delivers three immediate advantages: low-temperature fluidity as smooth as water, ensuring effortless cold starts in winter; high-temperature film strength comparable to bulletproof vests, capable of withstanding the extreme heat of turbocharged engines; and significantly superior resistance to degradation, easily lasting over 10,000 kilometers between oil changes. Nowadays, turbocharged and hybrid vehicles essentially mandate synthetic oil usage, given that engine operating temperatures routinely exceed 100°C.