Finally, a change in engine testing where the Mack T-11 is being replaced by the Mack T-8E as the latest Euro VI diesel engines typically produce only ~1% soot during an oil drain interval, so a high soot loading test is no longer relevant. This change impacts the ACEA E9 category and brings it in line with the other E Sequences that already use the Mack T-8E.
Moving to higher performance lubricants
All of these changes are resulting in an upgrade in the quality and performance of heavy-duty diesel engine oils meeting the latest service-fill requirements, which represents an opportunity for all stakeholders throughout the supply chain.
The ACEA 2016 upgrade came into effect December 2016. What this means in reality is that the industry has until December 2017 where new claims can still be made based on the current ACEA 2012. After 2 years all claims must be based on ACEA 2016.
Importantly, whilst the approval claims do not allow oil marketers to state the ACEA 2016 year on the labels of their branded products, the opportunity exists to more readily promote oils which are approved to the latest ACEA 2016 in their marketing materials and marketing claims, so promoting the higher performance these oils provide to the fleets.
The drive to lower emissions and increased fuel efficiency For passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, target emission limits are here already and getting progressively tighter, whilst there is currently no system of measurement for CO2
emissions from
HDVs across Europe. It is likely the European Union will be seeking to initially introduce engine efficiency targets and then move wider to cover the full vehicle, using VECTO, the computer simulation tool to estimate fuel consumption and CO2
emissions for the whole vehicle.
When this legislation is in force the EU Commission may consider further measures to curb CO2
emissions from HDVs. The most apparent option is to
set mandatory limits on average CO2 emissions from newly-registered HDVs, as is already done for cars and Light Duty Vehicles (LDVs).
As the drive to reduced emissions and increased fuel efficiency continues, changes in engine hardware design also continues, including downsizing, down speeding, stop/start technology and variable valve timing to name a few.
High Temperature High Shear environments With these changes in engine hardware design, lubricants are having to perform in high temperature high shear (HTHS) environments, notably in the camshaft, journal bearing piston ring and liner areas.
Today, HTHS – or specifically low HTHS - is a key word being synonymous with increased fuel efficiency.
Whilst not new, with limits being explicitly defined within SAE J300 as far back as the early 1990’s, HTHS viscosity is the current industry standard test that best predicts fluid behaviour in high temperature, high shear environments where the measured number gives the temporary viscosity loss of a lubricant under high shear at elevated temperatures representative of engine operating conditions.
The number measures the resistance to flow of the oil, simulating the narrow tolerances between moving parts in a hot engine. The lower the number, the lower the HTHS viscosity of the oil and in turn the greater the increase in predicted fuel efficiency.
Traditionally, heavy-duty diesel engine oils have had minimum HTHS viscosity rates of 3.5 mPa.s - also commonly referred in centipoise (cP) - and all of the current ACEA E, including the updated ACEA 2016 E Sequences have this minimum limit.
The drive to lower HTHS European OEMs are driving toward lower HTHS viscosity lubricants in order to deliver increased fuel efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions, where the engine oil can both enable efficiency improvements in hardware design as well as directly contributing to increased fuel economy.
In turn, a new fuel economy category is being proposed to incorporate into the ACEA heavy-duty category, being driven by the OEMs as they incorporate the benefits lower HTHS lubricants can provide in their modern engine hardware designs.
Looking in other parts of the world and specifically to the American Petroleum Institute following a request by OEMs back in 2011, a new fuel economy category saw first license in December 2016.
The longstanding API CJ-4 category is being directly superseded by API CK-4, which delivers performance way beyond API CJ-4, driven by new technology and verified stringent testing. Greater oxidation and aeration limits with increased shear stability provide greater protection for all engines.
At the same time, a new ‘fuel efficient’ category has been introduced. API FA-4 requires passing all the same performance tests as for API CK-4, with the addition of a limit of between 2.9 and 3.2 cP HTHS viscosity.
Increased fuel efficiency is being supported by lower HTHS viscosity. Continued on page 34
LUBE MAGAZINE NO.137 FEBRUARY 2017
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