SYNTHETIC LUBRICANTS AND HIGH-PERFORMANCE ...

viii Introduction
From the end of World War II until the mid-1970s, a variety of synthetic fluids were developed
to meet the ever-increasing demands of the newer and more efficient high-performance
engines and machines being developed. The use of synthetics, however, was limited to applications
in which the required performance characteristics could not be met by petroleum-based
products.
The oil embargo of 1974, and the subsequent escalation of petroleum prices, brought about
a new and urgent need for the conservation of oil reserves and the development of alternative raw
materials. By early 1987, the pressures on the world petroleum supply had abated, but the lessons
of the late 1970s had not been forgotten. The increased emphasis on cost-effectiveness had a
twofold effect on the growth of synthetics. First, the fluids themselves were found to offer advantages
of longer drain intervals, less downtime, and greater fuel efficiency. Second, a new generation
of engines was being developed that required fluid performance characteristics that were
becoming increasingly difficult to achieve with mineral oil-based products.
Finally, in the 1990s there is a new urgency to the concept of environmental responsibility.
This development has led to an increased need for functional fluids that are both biodegradable
and low in toxicity.
As the new millennium begins, we ponder the role of synthetic fluids in the years,
decades, and even millennia to come. Looking back, we recall that as recently as 1859, lubrication
functions were performed by natural oils and fats. Starting soon after the drilling of the
first oil well that year, mineral oils began to displace natural oils and fats. By the 1970s, mineral
oils had essentially displaced natural oils and fats, but synthetics were starting to come
into use. At the end of the 1990s, synthetics still account for only a low percentage of the total,
but their use is certainly on the rise. The idea that synthetic lubricants could ever totally displace
mineral oils seems far-fetched, but estimates of worldwide crude oil reserves indicate
that we may run out of crude oil sometime in the next century. Will synthetic oils displace
mineral oils, or will alternative technologies displace both? Only time will tell. In the interim,
however, synthetic oils have proven their value and promise to make their impact on the third
millennium.
Copyright © 1999 Marcel Dekker, Inc.
Ronald L. Shubkin