Glossary of Petroleum Industry Common Terms

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P

Pale Oil

A base or process oil refined until its color, by

transmitted light, is straw to pale yellow.

PAN

Phenyl-Alpha-Naphthylamine, a commonly

used antioxidant

PAPTG

Product Approval Protocol Task Group

Paraffin Series

A homologous series of open-chain saturated

hydrocarbons of the general formula CnH2n+2 of

which methane (CH4) is the first member;

sometimes referred to as the methane series.

PCMO

Passenger Car Motor Oil

Penetration

Consistency, expressed as the distance in

millimeters that a standard needle or cone

penetrates vertically into a sample of the

material under known conditions of loading, time

and temperature.

Pentane Insolubles

Usually called normal pentane insolubles; the

insoluble matter which can be separated from

a solution of used lubricating oil in normal

pentane and, in addition to the benzene

insolubles, may include resinous bitumens

produced from the oxidation of oil and fuel

(ASTM Method C 893).

Pour Depressor

A lubricating oil additive which lowers the pour

point of an oil by reducing the tendency of the

wax to form a solid mass in the oil. Also called

pour-point depressor, pour depressant.

Pour Point

The lowest temperature at which oil will pour or

flow when it is chilled without disturbance under

definite conditions (ASTM Method D 97)

Pour Stability

The ability of a pour depressed oil to maintain

its original ASTM pour point when subjected to

storage at low temperature approximating winter

conditions

Precipitation Number

The number of milliliters of precipitate formed

when 10 ml of lubricating oil is mixed with 90 ml

of petroleum naphtha and centrifuged under

definitely prescribed conditions. The precipitation

number should indicate the amount of the

asphaltic bodies dissolved in the lubricating oil,

although a certain amount of paraffin bodies

may separate with the asphaltic bodies (ASTM

method D 91).

Process Oil

An oil not used for lubrication but as a component

of another material, or as a carrier of other

products.

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Q

QPL

Qualified Product List (military listing)

R

(R+M)/2

Research Octane Number plus Motor Octane

Number, divided by two. Used now as general

measure of road octanes of gasoline.

R&O

Rust and oxidation-inhibited.

Reclaimed Oil

A lubricating oil which, after undergoing a period

of service is collected, reprocessed and sold for

reuse. (Not to be confused with re-refined oil.)

Red Oil

The term is now used to describe any oil of red

color, regardless of refining process.

Redwood Viscometer

Standard British viscometer. The number of

seconds required for 50 ml of an oil to flow out

of a standard Redwood viscometer at a definite

temperature (IP Method 70). Instrument is

available in two sizes: Redwood No. I and No.

II. When the flow time exceeds 2,000 sec, the

No. II must be used.

Reid Vapor Pressure

An important test for gasolines. It is a measure

of the vapor pressure of a sample at 100°F, and

the test is commonly made in a bomb. The results

are reported in pounds (ASTM Method D 323).

Re-Refined

Totally re-distilled base stocks made from used

oils that have been fully hydrotreated to remove

all contaminants. This highly re-refined base oil

can then be blended with new performance

additives and VI improvers to create a new oil.

Laboratory tests cannot determine any

difference between the base oil produced by

Safety-Kleen’s unique re-refining process and

virgin crude base oil.

Research Method-Research Octane

Number (RON)

A test for determining the knock rating, in terms

of ASTM Research octane numbers, of fuels

for use in spark-ignition engines. The knocking

tendency of the fuel is compared with those for

blends of reference fuels of known octane

numbers when run in the ASTM-CFR engine at

600 rpm under standard operating conditions

(ASTM Methods D 908 and D 1656).

Road Octane Number

A numerical value based upon the relative antiknock

performance in an automobile of a test

gasoline, as compared with specified reference

fuels. Road octanes are determined by

operating a car over a stretch of road or on a

chassis dynamometer under conditions

simulating those encountered on the highway.

RSI

Registrations Systems Inc

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S

SAE
S

SAE

Society of Automotive Engineers



Society of Automotive Engineers

SAE EP Lubricant Tester

A machine designed to test the extremepressure

properties of a lubricant under a

combined rolling and sliding action. The

revolving members are two bearing cups which

rotate at different speeds.

SAE Viscosity Number

System for classifying crankcase, transmission,

and differential lubricants, according to their

viscosities, established by the Society of

Automotive Engineers. SAE numbers are used

in connection with recommendations for

crankcase oils to meet various design, service

and temperature requirements affecting

viscosity only; they do not denote quality.

Saybolt Color

A color standard for petroleum products. The

procedure for determining Saybolt color and

description of the Saybolt chronometer are

given in ASTM method D 156.

Saybolt Furol Viscosity

The time, in seconds, for 60 ml of fluid to flow

through a capillary tube in a Saybolt Furol

viscometer at specified temperatures between

70°F and 210°F. This method is appropriate

for high-viscosity oils such as transmission,

gear and heavy fuel oils. ASTM Method D 88

describes the equipment and procedure.

Saybolt Universal Viscosity

The time, in seconds, for 60 ml of fluid to flow

through a capillary tube in a Saybolt Universal

viscometer at a given temperature, as described

in ASTM Method D 88.

SCL

A sulfur, chlorine and lead component extreme

pressure additive package, once commonly

used for automotive type gear lubricants. It has

been largely replaced by sulfur/phosphorous

materials.

Separate Test

A test to determine the tendency of oil to

separate from a lubricating grease under

conditions prescribed in ASTM Method D 1742.

Soap

A general term denoting the salt of a fatty acid.

The ordinary soaps are those of sodium and

potassium. The soaps of lithium, calcium,

sodium and aluminum are the principal

thickeners used in grease making.

Specific Gravity

The ratio of the weight (in air) of a given volume

of material to the weight (in air) of an equal

volume of water at a stated temperature.

Starting Fluid (diesel)

A fluid, such as diethyl ether, which has a wide

flammability range and is used to start diesel

engines at extremely low temperatures.

STLE

The Society of Tribologists and Lubrication

Engineers

Sulfated Ash

Defined in ASTM Method D 874 as the ash

which remains after a sample of new additivecontaining

lubricating oil has been burned, and

the residue subsequently heated with sulfuric

acid until constant weight is achieved.

Sulfurized Oil

A product formed from mineral oil combined with

sulfur or certain sulfur compounds. It has far

greater film strength and load-carrying ability than

straight mineral oil and is used as cutting oil.

SUS (SSU)

Saybolt Universal Seconds. A measure of

lubricating oil viscosity used in the oil industry.

Synergism

A situation when a mixture of two or more

separate additive materials results in a total

effect than is greater than the total sum of their

individual effects.

Synthetic Oils

Oils produced by synthesis rather than by

extraction or refinement.

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T

Tacky

A descriptive term applied to lubricating oils and

greases which appear particularly sticky or

adhesive.

Tag Closed-cup Tester

An instrument used to determine the flash point

of volatile flammable materials flashing below

200°F, as described in ASTM Method D 56.

TAN (Total Acid Number)

The quantity of base, expressed in terms of the

equivalent number of milligrams of potassium

hydroxide, that is required to titrate the strong

acid constituents present in 1 g of sample

(ASTM Method D 664 or D 974).

TBN (Total Base Number)

The quantity of acid, expressed in terms of the

equivalent number of milligrams of potassium

hydroxide, that is required to titrate the strong

base constituents present in 1 g of sample

(ASTM Method D 664 or D 974).

Thixotropy

The property of a grease, or some gels, to

decrease in consistency when subjected to a

shear stress and return to original consistency

when the stress is removed.

Timken EP Test

The Timken Extreme Pressure Test is one of

many laboratory machines used in determining

the load carrying capacities of oils and greases.

In this test, a Timken bearing cup is rotated

against a steel block. The highest load under

which a lubricant prevents scoring of the steel

block by the rotating cup is the reported value.

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u

ul

Underwriters Laboratories,Inc .

(ul)_ non- profit organization sponsored

by the national Board of Fire Underwriter

and established for making testes and

specifications Directed at The reduction of

fire and other hazards

V

VI (Viscosity Index)

Viscosity Index is an arbitrary scale used to

show the magnitude of viscosity changes in

lubricating oils with changes in temperature,

the tables found in ASTM Method D 2270 are

widely used.

Viscosity

The measure of the internal friction or the

resistance to flow of a liquid.

Viscosity Index

See VI

W

Worked Penetration

The penetration of a sample of lubricating

grease immediately after it has been brought to

77°F and then subjected to 60 strokes in a

standard grease worker. This procedure and the

standard grease worker are described in ASTM

Method D 217.

x

xylene

aromatic naptha of high solvence

often used as acomponent of coating

formations.

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Y

yield point

the minimum force required

to produce flow of aplastic material.

z

ZDDP

initials for zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate

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