• Question: How do you make the engine oils for the planes?

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      Asked by bludfireitsyoungbz to Matt H on 17 Jun 2013. This question was also asked by liamvlotman, cakester.
      • Photo: Matthew Hudson

        Matthew Hudson answered on 17 Jun 2013:

        Well there are several stages…

        First we select a base oil. This is the main ‘oil’ part of the product. This usually come from a refinery in a truck. We will take two different base oils and mix them up to get the viscosity that we want. Viscosity is how ‘runny’ an oil is… Honey is very viscous and water is not very viscous!

        Next we put in additives, these are the chemicals that give the oil extra benefits to make them better and protect the aircraft engines.

        We add anti-oxidants that help to keep the oil fresh.

        Then we put in Pour Point depressants – these stop the oil freezing when it is very cold

        Then we have anti-foam which stop the oil foaming up in the engine – you wouldn’t want oil foam coming out your exhaust pipe now would you!

        Finally we put in anti-wear additives. These help to keep the engine in good condition and stop the parts from wearing each other out when they rub together.

        Once all the components are together they go into a blend vessel, which looks a bit like a giant cake mixer and are heated and mixed for a couple of hours. Once it’s all mixed they go into a bottle and get sent to the airport where they go into the planes!

        Hope that answers your question 🙂

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