4by4bygod
1/2 ton status
before the biofuel movement got underway...
This is an insert in an article called " Same oils for 2010", found in this months edition of Light & Medium Truck
http://www.lmtruck.com/articles/petemplate.aspx?storyid=176
A Watchful Eye on Biofuels
Increased use of biodiesel could eventually result in the need for a new motor oil specification, in the view of Steve Goodier, director of technology for BP.
U.S. energy policy mandates increased use of biofuels, including tax credits designed to encourage their use. But the long-term effects such use could have on diesel engines and their lubricants have yet to be discovered, Goodier said. “It’s a new and developing technology,” he said. What is known, Goodier said, is that biodiesel can be “very aggressive” on engine seals and on fuel injection equipment.
The Engine Manufacturers Association said there is very little information on the long-term effects of biodiesel fuel on engine performance, durability or emissions. “Because biodiesel fuel is produced and blended locally, it can exhibit wide fluctuations in quality,” the EMA said in a statement issued in December. The engine makers called for a specific biodiesel blend standard to be adopted, and emphasized that they “have not approved the unrestricted use of biodiesel fuel blends in engines at this time.”
Engine manufacturers have set limits on the blends that can be used in their engines. Goodier said, “Basically, if you start going above B5, then oil drains have to be reduced.” (Blends containing biodiesel are denoted by a “B” followed by a number indicating the percentage of pure biodiesel. So, B5 contains 5% biodiesel, 95% diesel.)
Castrol, part of the BP group, is among those conducting tests on the effect of biodiesel on engine lubricants. Goodier said research is focusing on numerous potential issues, including seal compatibility, deposit control, viscosity increase and wear. “All of these things are being investigated,” he said, because “at the moment there isn’t a conclusion as to what the major issues are.”
Walt Silveira, U.S. technical services manager for Shell Lubricants, said there are some positive attributes to biodiesel in engine lubrication, as well as some negative effects.
Among the positives is that biodiesel “has some natural lubricity qualities,” Silveira said. On the negative side is an affinity for water and the possibility of forming acids that could affect motor oil. Water in conventional diesel fuel is “more apt to flash away in the combustion chamber,” Silveira said.
More research will shed more light on how biodiesel might affect motor oil, Silveira said, “but today we haven’t seen any real negatives to biodiesel that will require formulation changes” in Shell’s Rotella T motor oil, a CJ-4 oil. —Stephen Bennett
Toms editorial comment - I would take issue with the last statement, about not seeing any negatives that would require a formulation change..
Silveira is engaging in a bit of CYA, and here's why (takes deep breath)
CJ-4 specs mean reduced anti wear additives ( which can't be increased as they are metallic), and reduced sulfated ash, which in turn puts a limit on the level of detergents that can be in there, leading to reduced TBN levels, which means the CJ4 oils can't handle acid formulations, which are increased by the biodiesel, thus making shorter drain intervals mandatory..
the point is, the oil companies make oil the way they have to make it, and that means their products are at the mercy of they biofuels, and they couldn't change the CJ4 oil formula if they wanted to.. CJ4 sucks with ULSD, and biofuels exacerbate the problems..
In conclusion -
Make sure you know what oil you are using. ( CJ4 vs. CI4 )
Use oil analysis if you are doing extended drain intervals. that goes for any oil, including mine. don't rely on marketing hype.
if you are a fan of biodiesel, use oil analysis to judge the performance of your oil when used with the BD - don't rely on marketing hype.
This is an insert in an article called " Same oils for 2010", found in this months edition of Light & Medium Truck
http://www.lmtruck.com/articles/petemplate.aspx?storyid=176
A Watchful Eye on Biofuels
Increased use of biodiesel could eventually result in the need for a new motor oil specification, in the view of Steve Goodier, director of technology for BP.
U.S. energy policy mandates increased use of biofuels, including tax credits designed to encourage their use. But the long-term effects such use could have on diesel engines and their lubricants have yet to be discovered, Goodier said. “It’s a new and developing technology,” he said. What is known, Goodier said, is that biodiesel can be “very aggressive” on engine seals and on fuel injection equipment.
The Engine Manufacturers Association said there is very little information on the long-term effects of biodiesel fuel on engine performance, durability or emissions. “Because biodiesel fuel is produced and blended locally, it can exhibit wide fluctuations in quality,” the EMA said in a statement issued in December. The engine makers called for a specific biodiesel blend standard to be adopted, and emphasized that they “have not approved the unrestricted use of biodiesel fuel blends in engines at this time.”
Engine manufacturers have set limits on the blends that can be used in their engines. Goodier said, “Basically, if you start going above B5, then oil drains have to be reduced.” (Blends containing biodiesel are denoted by a “B” followed by a number indicating the percentage of pure biodiesel. So, B5 contains 5% biodiesel, 95% diesel.)
Castrol, part of the BP group, is among those conducting tests on the effect of biodiesel on engine lubricants. Goodier said research is focusing on numerous potential issues, including seal compatibility, deposit control, viscosity increase and wear. “All of these things are being investigated,” he said, because “at the moment there isn’t a conclusion as to what the major issues are.”
Walt Silveira, U.S. technical services manager for Shell Lubricants, said there are some positive attributes to biodiesel in engine lubrication, as well as some negative effects.
Among the positives is that biodiesel “has some natural lubricity qualities,” Silveira said. On the negative side is an affinity for water and the possibility of forming acids that could affect motor oil. Water in conventional diesel fuel is “more apt to flash away in the combustion chamber,” Silveira said.
More research will shed more light on how biodiesel might affect motor oil, Silveira said, “but today we haven’t seen any real negatives to biodiesel that will require formulation changes” in Shell’s Rotella T motor oil, a CJ-4 oil. —Stephen Bennett
Toms editorial comment - I would take issue with the last statement, about not seeing any negatives that would require a formulation change..
Silveira is engaging in a bit of CYA, and here's why (takes deep breath)
CJ-4 specs mean reduced anti wear additives ( which can't be increased as they are metallic), and reduced sulfated ash, which in turn puts a limit on the level of detergents that can be in there, leading to reduced TBN levels, which means the CJ4 oils can't handle acid formulations, which are increased by the biodiesel, thus making shorter drain intervals mandatory..
the point is, the oil companies make oil the way they have to make it, and that means their products are at the mercy of they biofuels, and they couldn't change the CJ4 oil formula if they wanted to.. CJ4 sucks with ULSD, and biofuels exacerbate the problems..
In conclusion -
Make sure you know what oil you are using. ( CJ4 vs. CI4 )
Use oil analysis if you are doing extended drain intervals. that goes for any oil, including mine. don't rely on marketing hype.
if you are a fan of biodiesel, use oil analysis to judge the performance of your oil when used with the BD - don't rely on marketing hype.
