Abstract
This study highlights how the results from an artificial engine oil aging method compare to used engine oil samples collected from a vehicle fleet. Additionally, this paper presents the effect of contaminating the oil during aging with synthetic fuel alternatives on the physical and chemical properties of artificially aged engine oil samples. A laboratory-scale artificial thermo-oxidative aging experiment was conducted on multiple samples of commercially available formulated fully-synthetic SAE 0W-30 engine oil. The goal of the experiment was to establish the validity of the artificially aged samples as well as the validity of the underlying process in reproducibly fabricating small batches of aged engine oil with comparable chemical and physical properties to real-life used oils. Eight samples were subjected to distinct load cases (temperature, air flow rate, sample volume and aging time). Six additional samples were subjected to an intermediate load case, with five of them contaminated with selected conventional fuels and novel automotive fuel candidates. Conventional oil analysis was conducted on each sample to determine oxidation, residual additive content, kinematic viscosity and total base number. Additionally, analysis results were compared to in-use engine oil samples through PCA. The resulting oil condition after aging is in accordance with independently published results in terms of zinc dialkyldithiophosphate content and kinematic viscosity. Contaminated aging with OME 3-5 resulted in a drop in antioxidant content and elevated kinematic viscosity. Based on the comparison with in-use samples, artificial aging of 200 mL engine oil at 180 °C with 1 L/min air flow for 96 h can produce similar oil conditions as mixed vehicle use for 7000 km.
Highlights
Electrification in the automotive industry is a globally emerging tendency, with more and more automakers committing to introducing an increasing amount of electric powertrains in their commercial line-up in the near future [1,2,3]
Residual zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) antiwear additive content (Figure 1b) shows a significant drop in all cases compared to the reference sample (100%)
This study aimed at presenting the applicability of the previously developed aging equipment and implemented procedure for laboratory-scale artificial engine oil aging, as well as the validity of resulting artificially aged samples in terms of oil condition compared to in-use engine oil samples
Summary
Electrification in the automotive industry is a globally emerging tendency, with more and more automakers committing to introducing an increasing amount of electric powertrains in their commercial line-up in the near future [1,2,3]. Existing vehicle fleets and special applications (e.g., off-road, off-grid and heavy-duty) still rely heavily on internal combustion engines, which require appropriate lubrication throughout their service life. Reaching set targets [4] for the global reduction of harmful emissions requires a systematic approach, which incorporates novel fuel technologies that are backwards compatible with current internal combustion powertrains. Lubricants in general are manufactured from a base oil and a tailor-made additive package, which ensures long-term functionality and stable lubrication properties. Modern engine oils are predominantly fully synthetic lubricants, which use a poly-alpha-olefin as a base fluid and a selection of property-enhancing functional additives, e.g., antioxidants, corrosion inhibitors, viscosity modifiers, antifoaming agents, biocide agents, pressure tolerance modifiers, friction modifiers and antiwear additives [5,6]. A previous study established the applicability of the developed equipment [9]
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