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F+L Week 2015 | 10-13 March 2015
cantly. Ultimately, this is leading to tighter
fuel economy legislation and vehicle evolu-
tion. One favourable evolution is fuels and
lubricants, which offer significant improve-
ments in vehicle efficiency with very little
outlay. Fuels are evolving with develop-
ments in advanced additives that maintain
fuel system cleanliness and efficiency, as
well as potentially provide performance
benefits. Lubricants are evolving towards
lighter viscosity fluids, which when com-
bined with high performance additives, not
only contribute to fuel economy improve-
ments but also enable the use of other new
efficient technologies.
High performance fuels and lubricants
also translate into an increase in power.
Power is a performance aspect that is
greatly valued in many markets includ-
ing Thailand. This paper focuses on the
power and acceleration gains that can
be achieved by combining high perfor-
mance lubricants and fuels. A statistically
designed study was carried out on a single
vehicle comparing baseline products for
fuel, engine and drivetrain to a combination
of improved products in the same vehicle
components. The study independently
investigated both power testing on a chas-
sis dynamometer and real life acceleration
testing carried out on a track. Data from
both tests were subjected to a thorough
and robust analysis method. The results
from this innovative analysis process con-
firmed statistically significant power and
acceleration gains that are relevant and
appropriate to the end user.
Sarah Graham is a statistician
at Lubrizol Ltd., based in
Derbyshire, U.K. Her present
activities are centred around
support of Lubrizol’s global
engine oil business, focusing on efficient
product development and testing design
by use of robust statistical analysis and
inference. This includes R&D activities that
range from fundamental knowledge and
component development to proof of perfor-
mance of fully formulated fluids. Prior to
joining Lubrizol in 2012, Sarah received a
Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from
the University of Southampton, U.K. and a
Master of Science in Statistics from the
University of Warwick, U.K.
Olefin Copolymer (OCP)
Viscosity Index Improvers
withOptimised
Performance
Friday 13 March 16:00 | 16:30
ALEX BOFFA, JOHN FANG (PRESENT-
ER), RAJAGOPALAN PADMANABHAN
ANDMARYAMSEPEHR
ChevronOronite Pte Ltd.
Modern lubricants must satisfy progres-
sively stringent performance criteria, such as
low temperature, engine deposit and long
drain performance. Viscosity Index Improver
(VII) is an important class of the additive com-
ponent of lubricant formulation in meeting
performance demands. While the primary
function of the VII is to thicken the lubricant
at high temperatures to enable multi-grade
engine oils, VII polymers have a range of
performance impacts beyond viscosity.
This paper presents the development
and evaluation of optimised high ethylene
content olefin copolymers (HE-OCP) with
enhanced properties to meet the increas-
ing formulation demands of today’s and
future lubricants. The polymer development
involved a series of structure property studies
in which HE-OCP structures were systemat-
ically varied and then evaluated for impact
on viscosity and performance. In particular,
new advanced rheological protocols were
developed and applied, which combined
with techniques for probing polymer struc-
ture, such as differential scanning calorimetry
(DSC) and gel permeation chromatography
(GPC), allowed for an in-depth characterisa-
tion and understanding.
Certain key structural properties were
found to have critical performance impacts
in low temperature environments and have
been incorporated into the final design of
the optimised HE-OCP. Once completing
the new HE-OCP development, a wide
range of motor oil formulations, including
varying viscosity grades and performance
tiers, have been formulated and tested in
a set of comprehensive protocols. Robust
low-temperature performance is a primary
feature, as demonstrated in tests such as
Mini-Rotary Viscometer (MRV), pour point,
scanning Brookfield and used-oil, low-tem-
perature tests such as the CEC L105 of the
