To solve the world’s thorniest lubrication problems, formulators often turn to the tailor-made chemistries of unconventional base stocks. Known by acronyms such as PAO, PIB, PAG and others, these are the backbone molecules for most synthetic lubricants. The new 2009 Nonconventional Base Stocks Guide from Lubes’n'Greases magazine provides a unique perspective of these fluids and their suppliers.
This annually updated guide identifies 185 plants worldwide that make seven major types of unconventional base stocks, with their locations plotted on a colorful map. The poster-format guide, which measures 22 by 33 inches, shows capacities in metric tons per year for most plants, and the owners for all. Product types include polyalphaolefins, polyisobutene, polyakylene glycols, esters, silicone fluids, phosphate esters and Group III base oils.