An Accelerated Testing Approach for Lubricant Oil Consumption Reduction on an EMD 710 Diesel Engine

Abstract

Real-Time Da Vinci Lubricant Oil Consumption (DALOC™) measurements were made on a 2,942 kW (4,000 hp) EMD 16-710G3 locomotive diesel engine, as part of a program to evaluate prototype cylinder kits that hold the potential to reduce lubricating oil consumption and hence reduce exhaust particulate matter emissions towards meeting EPA Tier 0+ locomotive emissions certification. The DALOC technique uses sulfur dioxide (SO2) measured in the exhaust gas stream as a tracer for oil consumption. The engine was operated on an ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel (3 ppm by weight) and commercially available SAE grade 20W40 mineral-based lubricating oil (4,865 ppm by weight). Knowing the SO2 concentration in the exhaust, the air and fuel flow rates, and the lubricating oil consumption rate can be calculated in real-time, i.e. on a second-to-second basis. Use of this measurement technique on the locomotive engine application has proven to be a cost- and time-reducing tool for mapping steady-state lubricating oil consumption rate. Numerous prior publications describe the evolution of this technique over time as well as the prior art in the area of lubricant impact on emissions [1–12]. As part of this project, the lubricant oil consumption of 4 different cylinder kits were accurately quantified at 4 steady-state operating conditions typical of North American freight locomotive operation within less than 40 hours of actual engine running. Applying this measurement technique, a reduction of lubricant oil consumption of 75%+ in comparison to the baseline cylinder kits were documented.