Energy Efficient Gas Engine Lubrication
Engine designs, ever more challenging operating conditions, evolving customer needs and environmental factors collectively place high demands on lubricants for natural gas engines. Projections for future energy supply and demand indicate that oil, coal and natural gas will continue to be predominant energy sources through 2030. As energy prices fluctuate through market cycles, owners and operators of natural gas engines are keen to manage controllable cost levers, such as energy consumption. This is particularly true in power generation markets where fuel costs directly affect the profitability. This paper will focus on natural gas engine oil product development, leveraging leading edge lubrication technology to deliver sustainability related benefits such as extended oil life, excellent piston deposit control and increased engine efficiency while helping reduce emissions and extend oil drain intervals. The comprehensive bench test program which evaluated oxidation stability, high temperature thermal stability and frictional characteristics of promising candidates, will be discussed. The paper will also provide highlights of the extensive engine performance and durability test program which evaluated the energy efficiency, oil life, piston cleanliness, oil consumption and wear performance in field demonstrations and laboratory endurance engine testing. The use of low viscosity oil requires proper validation before use in an engine. Simulation was used to verify that use of lower viscosity oil would still maintain the required oil film thicknesses and not damage the engine bearings or the power cylinders. The modeling work was followed by a 1,000 hour laboratory endurance test to compare the power cylinder wear rates vs. the conventional SAE 40 grade oil. Once the lab endurance screening was complete, additional laboratory testing focused on documenting the candidate oils’ impact on oil consumption, engine fuel efficiency, oil filter change interval and oil drain interval. Based on the lab test results, the range of oil consumption reduction achieved with lower viscosity oils is between 10 and 20%, and the fuel efficiency improvement is between 1.0 and 1.3%. The lab testing has also demonstrated the potential to extend the oil drain intervals out to approximately four times the current interval. The field demonstration has confirmed the fuel efficiency improvement demonstrated in the laboratory.
Kathleen Tellier Brian Murphy James R. Zurlo Richard J. Donahue
ExxonMobil Research and Engineering,USA GE Power and Water,USA
国际会议
上海
英文
1-10
2013-05-13（万方平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）