ExxonMobil is set to offer a high-viscosity Group II alternative to the Group I bright stock grade by 2025, delegates heard at the European Base Oils and Lubricants summit today.
ExxonMobil's Group II EHC340 max will be produced out of the company's Jurong refinery in Singapore.
The new product aims to provide an improved alternative to Group I bright stock by offering "more efficient formulation costs, improved low-temperature fluidity and higher durability," said Erdem Kok, ExxonMobil's Eastern Asia and Middle East basestocks technical advisor.
There is no large-scale alternative for Group I bright stock. Bright stock is mostly produced for industrial use, due to its high viscosity levels.
ExxonMobil is working with several additive companies to gain the required approvals for this product before 2025. The Group II bright stock and will add to Exxon's current Group II grades, which include low- and mid-viscosity base oils.
ExxonMobil will cater the Group II bright stock to European customers by delivering material to its 900,000 t/yr Group II plant in Rotterdam, the company told Argus.
Argus Group I spot prices are facing downward pressure from persistently weak demand. The limited interchangeability and a structural shortage globally are tempering its drop in price.
