Additive Motor oil is an industrial compound added to motor oil. These additives are used in engine oil for various reasons. Sometimes additives are used to create new properties. Sometimes they intensify the positive properties of engine oil and improve the performance of engine oil. In some cases, these additives It is used to increase the life of the oil and prevent the quality of the engine oil from decreasing. In this article, we are going to talk about the most used additives.
Engine oil additive and its 4 important types strong>
Engine oil additive is added to the oil in order to correct possible engine problems, such as wear, body corrosion and friction. Engine oil additive is also effective in reducing combustion acids.
Pour point reducer
In explaining the pour point, we must say that this point is the lowest temperature at which engine oil still maintains its fluidity and flows. The drop point of engine oil is one of the most important points in choosing engine oil for off-road machines and in general any machine that may be placed in a cold and mountainous environment. Engine oil that has a mineral base has some dissolved wax. . When the engine oil is close to its breaking point, these waxes start to produce crystals.
These crystals cause the engine oil to harden over time. On the other hand, with the increase of these crystals, the engine oil loses its fluidity and no longer flows. As we mentioned, lowering the drop point is very important for many drivers. Since removing waxes from engine oil is very high, many manufacturers and of course consumers prefer to use engine oil additives to lower the pour point. In general, engine oil additives used for this purpose It is divided into 2 general categories. These polymers have a high molecular weight so that they prevent the growth of these waxes. The first category are additives that prevent the growth of waxes and are known as aromatic alkyl. The second category are polymers called polymethacrylate. These additives are able to produce co-crystals by chemically reacting with the crystals themselves. Keep in mind that engine oil must have a lower pour point than the environment in which the car is supposed to operate.
The most important indicators that are considered in choosing the right engine oil is the viscosity index or the amount of viscosity in the oil. Viscosity index in engine oil improves lubrication between parts. Of course, care should be taken that due to the environmental and temperature conditions, high viscosity does not cause excessive reduction of the friction level and damage to the parts.
The viscosity index is different at different temperatures. To determine the viscosity index, they put the engine oil at 40 and 100 degrees and check its viscosity. The number obtained by connecting the numbers in these tables indicates the viscosity index.
Before talking about the engine oil additive used for the viscosity index, it is better to give a full explanation about it. Be careful when the engine oil additive is used to improve the viscosity index, the goal is to keep the engine oil stable at high temperature. Imagine that the engine oil has a high viscosity index. At high temperature, this engine oil produces its own viscosity in a normal state, and the amount of dilution is not such that the operation of the engine oil is disturbed. Polymers are heavy and consist of long chains. This engine oil additive improves the viscosity index of engine oil.
foam reducer
Antifoam is an engine oil additive that is used to prevent foams from sticking to the oil. The foams that form on the oil have a very negative effect on the performance of the oil. If these foams are mixed with air, they increase the rate of oxidation.
On the other hand, the increase in oxidation reduces the viscosity and lubrication of the engine oil and the rusting and corrosion of the parts. Also, the foams that form on the engine oil make the transfer of oil difficult.
The amount of engine oil foaming depends on various parameters. One of these parameters is the presence of various active chemical compounds such as cleaners and corrosion reducing agents. The surface tension of the engine oil itself is also very important.
Sometimes very small amounts of foam and their constant presence in the engine oil space cause malfunction of the oil. For this reason, anti-foam motor oil additive is used to solve this problem. Experts claim that these anti-foam additives stick to the bubbles and cause them to connect to each other so that bigger bubbles are created. These big bubbles come to the bottom surface much easier and as a result burst faster and release the air inside them. It should be noted, the degree of resistance of the oil to oxidation. When the hydrocarbon is exposed to oxygen and high temperature, its oxidation speed increases.
The hot space inside the engine and the combustion in it, as well as the iron and copper parts in the engine greatly increase the speed of this oxidation. According to the things we have mentioned, engine oil is more prone to oxidation than any other lubricant. Engine oil additive is sometimes added to the oil as an antioxidant to reduce the amount of oxidation. These additives have found many uses in the last few years and are used in many lubricants, including motor oil. Phenolic compounds, sulfur compounds, phosphorus compounds, organic alkaline salt compounds, zinc compounds, aromatic amine compounds, organic copper compounds. and molybdenum are among the most important and widely used antioxidants used in lubricants.
