F+L Week 2015 | 10-13 March 2015
49
because of the need for transport vehicles
to meet increasingly tough emission
and fuel economy targets in all regions.
Reducing the oil’s viscosity to reduce liquid
churning losses has been shown to be an
effective method to improve fuel efficien-
cy. However this has to be done carefully
alongside other formulation and hardware
changes to ensure engine protection is
maintained as viscosity falls. Changes in
international standards have been imple-
mented to both reflect and enable these
changes, for example the SAE J300 vis-
cosity grade classification has introduced
new low-viscosity grades. Testing protocols
to measure fuel economy and emissions
against the legislative requirements have
been established in all regions. The main
testing cycles (JC08 in Japan, FTP75 in
North America and NEDC in Europe) will
soon be joined by a global protocol, WLTC.
All these can also be used to measure the
effectiveness of engine oils in realising fuel
economy benefits.
A considerable number of studies have
been published showing the influence of
lower viscosity engine oils on fuel econo-
my. In this paper we expand on these, and
compare fuel economy test results for the
main regional testing protocols with the
new WLTC procedure using a representa-
tive European passenger vehicle engine.
Furthermore we quantify the fuel efficiency
gains that can be gleaned on this engine by
the control of the engine oil viscosity.
Viscosity Index Improver (VII) is a major
formulation component used to control
the viscosity of engine oils. The choice of
VII can significantly influence oil viscosity
both in terms of achieving optimum fuel
economy and also in maintaining correct
viscosity for adequate engine protection
under conditions of extreme temperature
and shear. Comb-type VIIs are particularly
effective against this dual role, and here
we will demonstrate their fuel economy
performance in a variety of test protocols
and viscosity grades in a representative
passenger vehicle engine.
Phil Hutchinsongraduated after
studying chemistry (hon.) at
DurhamUniversity. Phil worked
for many years in the chemical
industry in theU.K. in various
product development andplant support roles
in the surfactant and lubricant additives areas.
Phil then joinedEvonikOil Additives in 2001 as
a technical servicemanager and currently is the
Asia Pacific Technical Manager of EvonikOil
Additives, based in Singapore.
EnablingFuelEconomy
Benefits inEngineOils
Friday 13 March 11:30 | 12:00
IAN BELL
AftonChemical
Reduced vehicle emissions is the number
one driver for technology change in our
industry, and this trendwill persist as wemove
through future specifications andmarket
requirements. This is not a new challenge. In-
deedwe have been addressing fuel economy
requirements for many years. The key differ-
ence is in the size of the technical challenge
we face and in howwe consider addressing
it. The targeted emission and fuel economy
requirements are amassive challenge to our
industries, but we cannot effectively achieve
these goals by simply considering fuel econ-
omy in isolation. An effective formulator must
understand and balance how tomaximise fuel
economy performance while still delivering the
performance required inmany other parame-
ters. As we look forward to future needs, we see
that even this holistic approach to formulation
challenges will not be enough. To attain the
fuel economy targets of the future there will
need to be engineering changes to the vehicle
and the engine. The next step of the lubricant
journey is to address howwe can enable these
changes and unlock further fuel economy
potential.
This paper will provide a fuller context for
the discussion and exemplify the thoughts and
approach necessary tomeet these emerging
needs.
Ian Bell, a native of northern
Scotland, graduatedwith
honours in chemistry from the
University of Edinburgh in1992.
He then attainedhis doctorate
there, specialising in synthetic heterocyclic
organic chemistry in 1996.
Ian joinedExxonChemical, leading the
