Oil is an important ingredient for day-to-day life. We see it just about everywhere.
Vegetable oil for the frying pan, overnight moroccan oil to soften up your hair…this is one useful, flexible material. Mineral insulating oil is just another iteration, doing all the necessary work of keeping various vehicles working smoothly. Working in distribution means being acutely aware of what brands — and customers — need out of their everyday products. They need clear instructions, accessibility, and quality they can count on in a pinch. Anything less could see them choosing someone else to spend their hard-earned money on.
Mineral oils and motor oils come in many different shapes and sizes. Let’s look at some of the properties that go into a smart purchase.
Interesting Facts About Oil Usage
Oil is nearly as common an ingredient as salt and wood. We use it to alter the quality of a given material, making it softer, smoother, or resistant to water. According to a 2012 study on the health properties of oil, mineral oil is widely considered the most effective for many skin types — even the sensitive skin of infants can benefit from regular sunflower oil. Today’s mineral oil distributor has their work cut out for them finding a niche and supplying it consistently. Providing your consumer base with the type of oil they need means double-checking what makes oil stand apart.
Viscosity
An important term to be familiar with concerning mineral insulating oil is viscosity. This is used to refer to the thickness of oil, with the most viscous oil being thick and pouring slow. Many motor oils are rather thick, with the exception of lubricating oils which tend to lean on the thinner (and slippery) side. The properties of oil can be altered with additives or temperature changes — oil that becomes very cold can become thick, with a cloudy finish a sign you might have to ditch it for a new bottle. Thick oils are very useful at maintaining temperature and lasting a long time.
Thin Oils
On the other hand, you have thin oil types that can provide you with an entirely different range of benefits. You can find mineral oils in concentrations between 1% and beyond 95% in various skin creams, lotions, body cleansers, face cleansers, and foundations. They’re also common in hair gels, vaselines, and baby oils. Thin oils are often better for skin care so they don’t clog pores and lead to acne or ingrown hairs. Back in June of 2018 the total production of paraffinic oil in the United States hit 30 million barrels.
Health Benefits
Oils enhance our lives, in one form or another. As touched on above, many babies will be given thin layers of oil to protect their skin and keep it soft — the familiar ‘baby oil’ can be found in several varieties at your local grocery store. Avocado oil and argon oil are popular for different hair types, used to trap moisture and create a shiny sheen that can last for days. Olive oil is one of the most commonly used ingredients for frying food, popular for its healthier fat content compared to vegetable and coconut oil. The future of your base oil plant and mineral insulating oil hinges on your intrinsic knowledge of all it can do.
High-Performance Lubricants
Alongside oils for our skin and for our food we have performance enhancers. Chevron base oil, machine lubricants, they all are essential to keep our equipment running properly. Even machine tools need to be wiped down with an oil rag to prevent the possibility of rust. Renoil white oils — which use a mixture of saturated paraffinic and naphthenic hydrocarbons — span a viscosity range of 60 to 500 SUS when used at a high temperature. Premium base oils shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all, but a specific solution for a specific problem.
Oil is a truly wonderful creation. What steps will you take to continue providing the best mineral insulating oil this year?
