Evaluation of kinetic parameters of thermal and oxidative decomposition of base oils by conventional, isothermal and modulated TGA, and pressure DSC

Multigrade engine oils used in today’s sophisticated engines are carefully engineered products. Different ingredients, such as viscosity index improvers, dispersants, antioxidants, detergents, antiwear agents, pour point depressants, etc. are added to the base oils to improve their performance as lubricants, significantly. However, the ultimate performance of the lubricant principally depends on the quality of the base oil. Therefore, understanding the degradation behaviour of the base oil is of significant importance. In this study, the kinetic parameters of the decomposition of different types and grades of base oils (all-natural, fully synthetic and semi-synthetic) have been investigated in detail by conventional and isothermal thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) as well as modulated TGA (MTGA®). Pressure DSC (PDSC) has been employed to evaluate the spontaneous ignition and oxidative degradation behaviour of the base oils. Base oils with higher viscosity within the same grade tend to degrade at higher temperatures. It appears that the degradation of the oils studied can be modelled by an nth-order mechanism and have similar activation energies of degradation under an inert atmosphere. The all-natural base oil ALOR100 is more resistant to oxidation than the semi-synthetic Yubase4 and fully synthetic PAO4 due to the presence of naturally occurring antioxidants.