After a five-year hiatus, ExxonMobil is resuming production of Group III base oils at its refinery in Fawley, U.K. The company said it made the decision because Group III demand has risen since the operation was idled in 1997.
ExxonMobil, by far the biggest base oil producer in Europe, described the new fluids as Group III-plus. Exact specifications have yet to be determined but officials said the slate will include 4 centistoke and 6 centistoke cuts, with typical viscosity indices of 140 and pour points of -18 degrees C. (The American Petroleum Institute defines Group III base oils as having sulfur content below 300 ppm, viscosity index greater than 120, and saturates content of at least 90 percent.)
Commercial operation is scheduled to begin by the end of 2003. The company expects to produce approximately 40,000 short tons per year initially.
The Fawley lubricants plant is part of a fully integrated refinery and has historically made Group I base stocks. Group III output was first added in 1991, with installation of a slack wax isomerization unit, according to Jay Gallagher of ExxonMobil Research and Engineering in Fairfax, Virginia, who is scheduled to deliver a presentation on the subject next month in Houston at the Lubricants and Waxes Meeting of the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association.
While this technology was successful, slower-than-expected growth in the high performance base stock market resulted in idling of the unit in 1997, Gallagher said.
To resume the operation, the company is retrofitting the reactors, which Exxon designed, and dropping in catalysts developed by Mobil. Officials declined to disclose the cost of the project but said that only minor modifications are required to accommodate the different catalysts.
Global Director of Base Stocks Marketing Tom Releford in Fairfax said the new Group III will complement the companys existing slate of base oils and is especially suited for the European engine oil market.