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If you think your engine oil is working hard with

16th April 2009, Page 44
16th April 2009
Page 44
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Page 44, 16th April 2009 — If you think your engine oil is working hard with
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today's low-emission diesels, wait until Euro-6 arrives. CM looks at the latest developments to ease your lubrication pain...

Words: Brian Weatheriey Chevron's senior product technical support chemist. Audi Sanders, has a catchy way of describing the world in which today's truck engine oils live. "They're operating in a 'chemical' box" he says. And in that box are some pretty nasty things, like sulphated ash, phosphorus and volatile aromatics. Add the high temperatures found in a diesel engine's combustion chamber and it's hardly surprising that current lubrication products have their work cut out And the job will get harder as emissions rules get ever tougher and oil performance parameters even tighter.

For many operators, especially those signed up to a contract maintenance agreement. the choice of what oil goes in their truck hardly arises. The dealer looking after your truck will hardly ask: "And what oil would sir like us to use...?" It will either meet the specification required by the manufacturer.. or it won't be used. So oil, is oil, is

. isn't it? No. not quite

There's a major revolution at the heart of the next generation of truck lubricants, as Chevron's product manager for base oil, Doug Bea, explains: "The majority of finished lubricants are made up of between 75-80%

of what are called 'base oils' they're the building blocks?' After the base oil comes the additive package (10-20%), the viscosity index improver (5-10%) and various inhibitors (5%). However, they all play second fiddle to the base oil.

The future of 'Group l' base oils

Up until now, the majority of engine lubricants have featured the tried-and-tested technology of 'Group l' base oils. These currently make up some 70% of the global engine oil market. And while there are alternatives to mineral oils such as synthetics, those operators opting for the superior performance of a fully-synthetic lubricant have had to pay a superior price for it, too.

Despite their current dominant position, Group I base oils are rapidly becoming yesterday's technology no least as the method of refining them (based on a solvent extraction process to remove impurities such as aromatics, sulphates and candle wax) is definitely not a 'green process. Indeed, Bea puts the future of Group I base oils into stark perspective "Nobody has built a Group I plant for 30 years, and nobody's planning to build one, either," For Chevron and other oil manufacturers, the future lies in the next generation of Group II base oils, which are created through a more environmentally friendly hydro-cracker relining process that yields a much purer base oil.

"The difference between Group I and Group II is between the impurities like sulphur, saturated aromatics and other impurities," explains Bea. With that greater purity comes better performance, too. "Group II base oils are longer lasting and more stable," he adds, "so you end up with a base oil better suited to modern engines."

That's just as well considering the conflicting demands placed on today's diesel engines not least for extended drain intervals. "Group II base oils reduce sludge and enable excellent soot dispersal," reports Bea. The soot dispersal feature, already important with the current generation of Euro-4/5 EGR engines, will become increasingly critical when Euro-6 hits the statute books around 2012. not least since most experts already expect that truck engine-makers will have to use a combination of EGR and SCR to hit the drastically reduced targets for NOx, soot and other engine impurities The need for Group II base oils is already growing, prompted by changing engine technology" confirms Bea. "They offer the highest protection to EGR engine manufacturers because of their performance under heat and will also increase the opportunity for operators to save money through extended drain periods."

It's hardly surprising then that at a time when the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) has Just unveiled its latest ACEA 9 oil specification, Chevron's new Ursa Ultra should feature a Group II base oil. Chevron describes it as: "An oil for Euro-5 and beyond.. and one that can perform as well as a synthetic but at a mineral oil price"

Globe( emissions

Ursa Ultra has been developed with more than one eye on the increasingly harmonised future global emissions standards, and the likely engine technology needed to meet them, not least diesel particulate filters. Thus, its low-sulphated ash and phosphorus content (or SAPS), as well as its volatility and enhanced soot dispersion. In fact, Chevron says it's for those world truck and enginemakers "looking for global engine oil specs". Being a 10W-30 lubricant, Ursa Ultra also offers modest gains in engine fuel economy (up to 1%), due to its reduced viscosity compared to a 15W-40 product. Other improvements over previous Group I base oil lubes include lower thermal oxidation, better wear performance on rings, liners, cams and bearings, as well as overall lower oil consumption. And Chevron has conducted a number of tests to prove it ,too, not least with proprietary engines from Cummins, Caterpillar and Daimler-Benz.

"For a company running a mixed age fleet of engines in their trucks, Ursa Ultra with its Group II base oil and unique additive is the best solution;' insists Sanders. "This will meet and exceed the ACEA E9 oil specification."

So whether you ask for a Group II base oil product by name, or get it by default, they're certainly on the rise.


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