Development and Characterization of Lubricating Oil from Petroleum Base Source (500N)

Abstract

Lubricating oils were formulated from a petroleum base oil (500N oil) obtained from Nigerian National Petroleum corporation (NNPC) using simplex lattice design. Subsequently, the lubricant samples were characterized according to ASTM methods to define the following physicochemical properties: kinematic viscosity (at 40"C and 100°C), specific gravity, API gravity, viscosity index, flash point, pour point, total base number and appearances. The results showed that the samples were of the motor oil grades of SAE 30, SAE 40 and SAE and 20W50 based on their viscosities. Samples 5 and 6 of SAE20 and W50 grades were the best since they have specifications close to the acceptable standards world wide with viscosity indices of 126 and 124, respectively,