Process for synthetic lubricant production

A process for the preparation of oligomeric poly alpha-olefins which comprises co-oligomerizing in the presence of an acidic ionic liquid oligomerization catalyst system, (i) a C40— olefinic fraction derived from the a low molecular weight PAO produced by the metallocene-catalyzed oligomerization of a C8 to C14 alpha-olefin feed and comprising a mixture having a molecular weight in the range of 120 to 600, of C8H16 to C30H60 oligomers of the alpha-olefin feed, and containing a terminal olefin content of at least 50% of total olefinic unsaturation, (ii) a C8 to C14 alpha-olefin, the ionic liquid catalyst system comprising an aluminum halide or alkyl aluminum halide and a quaternary ammonium, quaternary phosphonium, or tertiary sulfonium ionic liquid compound.

A process for the preparation of oligomeric poly alpha-olefins in the lube oil boiling range which comprises oligomerizing, in the presence of an acidic ionic liquid oligomerization catalyst, a low molecular weight olefinic feed which comprises at least 25% of vinylidene compounds of the formula:

• R1R2 C═CH2
• where R1 and R2, which may be the same or different, together have from 6 to 40 carbon atoms and R1 is a hydrocarbon group of 1 to 24 carbon atoms, R2 is R1 or H.