Cylinder Wear Mechanism in an EGR-Equipped Diesel Engine and Wear Protection by the Engine Oil

Piston ring moving zone in the cylinder is one of the most critical lubrication regimes in diesel engines. This area is susceptible to combustion substances. In particular, abnormal wear is occasionally detected due to Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system equipment.

In Japan, NOx emission requirements for passenger car diesels have become more stringent effective October 1, 1986. OEMs tend to apply EGR systems to reduce NOx in exhaust gas. In order to identify the phenomenon of abnormal cylinder wear of EGR equipped engine, engine bench tests were conducted under varied conditions in EGR equipment, cooling water temperature and fuel sulfur content. The test results suggest that wear caused at low temperature is mainly corrosive wear attributable to sulfuric acid formed by reaction with fuel sulfur and condensed water.

Engine oil additives behavior against sulfuric acid was studied for control of corrosive wear and excellent CD 10W-30 engine oil was developed by selection of additives from the viewpoint of capability to neutralize sulfuric acid. The developed product demonstrated very good wear protection performance in the bench tests using EGR equipped engines.