LubesnGreases Magazines exclusive 2006 Global Guide to Nonconventional Base Stocks is now available, listing nearly 180 manufacturing plants where the worlds most important nonconventional base stocks — PAGs, PIBs, PAOs, PIOs, esters, silicones,Group IIIand more — are made, with company names, locations and capacities. This colorful and fully updated 33-by-22-inch wall chart offers a unique snapshot of the key producers of: Polyalphaolefins and poly internal olefins (we estimate to...

Delphi Corp. is promoting a new diesel engine oil condition sensor for commercial vehicles that will alert the operator when oil quality falls outside specified parameters. Mounted in the oil pan or in a custom-designed engine location, the sensor detects soot and fuel dilution, measures viscosity and can be configured to measure oil levels. Unlike the oil life monitors now common on General Motors passenger cars, which rely on algorithms to estimate remaining oil life, the Delphi sensor physica...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed another clutch of biobased lubricants to receive preference by all federal agencies when making purchases. Included in its Aug. 17 proposed rules are preferences for hydraulic fluids for stationary equipment, 2-cycle engine oils, greases, fluid-filled transformers and metalworking fluids. The rulemaking, which also covers 15 non-lubricant product categories such as cleaners and degreasers, foam insulation, biodegradable cutlery, carpets and lipcare...

BRADFORD, Pa. – American Refining Group broke ground Friday on a new hydrogenation unit during the celebration of the base oil and fuel refinerys 125th anniversary. At a cost of nearly $20 million, the new unit will upgrade two base stocks and will allow the refinery to produce ultra low sulfur diesel fuel. The company will hydrotreat medium neutral base oils and bright stocks, President and COO Harvey L. Golubock told Lube Report. ARG will install two reactors, one for lubricant base stoc...

TruSouth Oil, a brand-new lubricant manufacturer in a spanking-new facility in the Port of Shreveport-Bossier, La., is set to begin blending and packaging by the end of this month. And L. David Myatt – president of Westland Oil and the Specialty Oil companies from 1977 to their sale to Quaker State in 1994, then an officer and director of Quaker State and Pennzoil-Quaker State until its acquisition by Shell – is back in the blending business as a principal investor and chief executiv...

U.S. lubricant suppliers continue to report price increases on finished lubes, with most increases in the 4 to 10 percent range. Citgo Lubricants, BP Lubricants, Petro-Canada America and American Refining Group have joined ExxonMobil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips in this latest round of price hikes, triggered by ExxonMobils announcement three weeks ago. Citgo announced Sept. 8 that it will increase prices on Citgo, Mystik, and unbranded and private label finished lubricants effective Oct. 30. Its ...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Construction of new base oil plants will keep the lubricants industry comfortably over-supplied with high-quality stocks for the foreseeable future, an industry consultant told a gathering of base oil buyers and sellers here yesterday. But the speaker also predicted that blenders will findas-yet-unidentified uses for Group II, Group III and gas-to-liquids base stocks, and thereby prevent prices from crashing. Purvin & Gertz Vice President Blake Eskew laid...