Savant Labs adds ACEA seals compatibility testing!

Savant Labs has recently added the elastomer / seals compatibility tests per method CEC L-112-16 that is required by the latest 2016 ACEA Sequences. The Coordinating European Council (CEC) released test method CEC L-112-16, ‘The Evaluation of Oil – Elastomer Compatibility’ in October of 2016. In response to frequent demands from our customers, Savant Labs has registered and certified our capabilities to run this method with the CEC.

The team at Savant Labs thought it would be a good idea to provide our OTH readers an overview of the ACEA sequence categories.

ACEA Categories A & B

2016 ACEA categories for Gasoline and Light Duty Diesel Engines are A3/B3, A3/B4, A5/B5. The A/B class’s A5/B5 oils have lower HTHS viscosities, which means they provide better fuel economy but may not provide adequate protection in engines that are not designed for these lower viscosity oils. ACEA A3/B3 and A3/B4 on the other hand require oils with higher HTHS viscosities that may not provide the improved fuel economy as an A5/B5 category oil but may offer better engine protection in certain engine designs.

ACEA Category C

The categories within the C class differentiated as emission catalyst compatible and are divided along SAPS limits and HTHS viscosities. C1 and C4 are low-SAPS oils, while C2 and C3 are mid-SAPS oils. The C3 and C4 category oils have higher HTHS viscosities than the C1 and C2 category oils. The C5 category has been newly introduced in the ACEA 2016 sequences and has an even lower limit for HTHS viscosity. To meet this specification, the oil must be a mid-SAPS oil with HTHS viscosities between 2.6 and 2.9 mPa*s.

ACEA Category E

The ACEA E sequences are for heavy duty diesel engine oils. In case of the E class the SAPS content and the drain interval are the differentiating factors. E4 and E6 heavy duty oils offer longer drain intervals where the engine manufacturer allows it, while E7 and E9 are designed for medium drain applications. E6 and E9 have limited SAPS content oils so they can be used in engines that require limited SAPS content including Euro VI engines.

All these ACEA categories set forth maximum variation in elastomer characteristics for a sample fresh oil vs. a reference oil. The four elastomers tested are known as RE6 (Fluoroelastomer), RE7 (Polyacrylate), RE8 (Nitrile), and RE9 (Ethylene Acrylic) and were chosen to represent a cross section of the elastomer materials that might come in contact with engine oils.

Savant Labs can provide unequivocal elastomer compatibility testing for your ACEA 2016 Sequence formulations. Please contact us to set up your next testing project.