The No-Harm Performance of Lubricity Additives for Low Sulphur Diesel Fuels

The majority of low sulphur automotive diesel fuels marketed today are treated with an additive to enhance the lubricity of the base fuel.

Field experience has shown that in order to achieve the full benefits of the low sulphur diesel fuel, the lubricity additive must not only provide sufficient lubricity performance to protect sensitive diesel fuel pumps, but must have no undesirable side effects. These potential side effects include:

1. 1)
   Degrading the properties of the base fuel,
2. 2)
   Interacting with crankcase lubricating oils,
3. 3)
   Reducing the performance benefits of other fuel additives

The oil and additive industries have developed a wide range of tests to evaluate the no-harm performance of lubricity additive packages and components. This paper describes many of these tests, with respect to their use in the development of a novel, lubricity additive package for City Diesel Fuel. We propose that these tests be used as a protocol for the evaluation of lubricity additives for all low sulphur diesel fuels, worldwide.