Browse Topic: Engine lubricants
A computational investigation was carried out using SimericsMP+ to analyze oil distribution and aeration behavior in a V6 engine oil pan during severe vehicle maneuvers. The model accounted for the crankshaft/camshaft rotations and piston motions, which allows for capturing realistic oil distribution in cylinder head drainbacks, engine bay and sump after initializing the crankcase with prescribed oil levels to establish baseline aeration prior to applying dynamic maneuver profiles. Of particular interest was the response of the main oil gallery (MOG) pressure and the exposure of the oil pickup tube during kickoff conditions at multiple fill levels. Both a baseline configuration and a modified sump featuring a containment “doghouse” were examined. Results obtained from the kickoff maneuver show complete uncovering of the pickup tube in the baseline design, leading to unstable lubrication. The first doghouse design only delayed pickup tube uncovering briefly, as oil pooled at the rear gap and air ingestion still occurred. Full fill avoids air ingestion; however, high interaction with the crank shaft results in higher oil aeration longer term after kickoff maneuver ends. The findings highlight the complexity of oil behavior in engine environments, where unpredictable interactions during dynamic maneuvers can easily lead to ingestion and aeration. Despite this complexity, the computational strategy developed in this study was able to accurately reproduce and predict these events which were seen in the test scenario as well in the form of pressure readings at the pump inlet. Since these high-aeration events were validated against experimental measurements, this simulation approach proves to be highly valuable for guiding product design and optimization, allowing engineers to identify risks early and improve lubrication performance in the engines before physical testing.
Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) with an increasing level of electrification, are becoming a major part of the global energy transition. To achieve lower engine tailpipe exhaust emissions and improve total fuel consumption, typically the HEV control system expertly and frequently switches between the internal combustion engine and electric motor drive, with multiple stops and restarts of the internal combustion engine (ICE). As a consequential result of this switching, are typically slower or even incomplete engine warm-up times, depending on the engine speed, load pattern and run time of the vehicle drive cycle. Along with the speed and load transient control, the engine stop and start processes are also challenging to control, with respect to cold start fuel and combustion by-products entering the oil. Consequently, contamination enters the engine oil but may not completely leave. These effects are highly transient over the drive cycle. Contaminants and in particular, fuel dilution, will affect the engine oil viscosity. To demonstrate this whilst yielding insights, a precisely controlled engine test cell, running the cold start Worldwide Harmonized Light Duty Transient Cycle (WLTC) for both, a non-hybridized ICE only vehicle and a HEV in charge sustaining mode operation is described. This also has on-line viscosity sensing and oil sampling. Typical data is shared along with engine oil comparisons. For complimentary insights, the impact of the fuel dilution on engine friction was investigated using a novel, precise, fully transient engine friction test rig, which measures gasoline direct injection high pressure fuel-pump friction and engine oil viscosity accurately. The cycle is based on measured data from vehicles tested on a chassis dynamometer. On-line friction data, with oil comparisons is used to show real-time data of the effect of fuel dilution on the frictional energy required, thus CO2 over the full WLTC.
Emissions regulations, such as Euro VI, drives the Automotive industry to innovate continuously in Engine development. One significant challenge is the engine oil pumping from the crankcase into the combustion chamber, where it participates in combustion, which contributes to increased Particulate Numbers and fails to meet Euro VI emission compliance. This issue is most noticeable during engine idling and motoring conditions. During this time, a higher negative pressure difference develops between the intake manifold, which is acting above the combustion chamber and the engine crankcase. This pressure difference drives oil-laden blow-by aerosols past piston rings during the intake stroke and through the valve stem seals, allowing oil into the combustion chamber. The impact of the pressure difference between the intake manifold and crankcase was studied by varying the crankcase pressure through crankcase ventilation system. The results confirm that oil entry into the combustion chamber, contributing to combustion, occurs primarily through the piston rings, contributing to increase in Particulate Number (PN). To address this issue, it becomes necessary to introduce a mechanism that optimizes negative crankcase pressure across varying engine operating conditions. By reducing the pressure difference between the intake manifold and crankcase, this mechanism prevents oil entering the combustion chamber, thereby minimizing Particulate Number emissions and ensuring Euro VI compliance. This study focuses on the development and implementation of a negative crankcase pressure control system via the crankcase ventilation system. Through targeted optimization, it provides an effective way to control oil pumping into the combustion chamber, thereby enhancing emission control and advancing the development of cleaner Naturally Aspirated Gas engines.
Oil pressure, the most fundamental to engine's performance and longevity, is not only critical to ensure that the engine components are properly lubricated, cooled, and protected against wear and contamination, but also ultimately contributing to reliable engine performance. Due to several factors of engine such as, rotational fluctuation, aeration, functioning of hydraulic components there are fluctuations in oil pressure. In engines, with a crank-mounted fixed displacement oil pump (FDOP), these inherited pressure fluctuations cannot be eliminated completely. However, it is very necessary to control the abnormal oil pressure fluctuation because abnormal pressure fluctuation may lead to malfunction of hydraulic component functioning like variable valve timing (VVT), hydraulic lash adjuster (HLA) and dynamic chain tensioner which can further cause serious issues like excessive or sudden load drops, unstable engine performance, valve train noise, improper valve lift operation etc. In this paper, engine oil pressure fluctuation in HLA gallery is studied, and its impact was assessed on valve train system. Root cause analysis (RCA) was conducted using high frequency oil pressure measurement to understand the various reasons impacting high oil pressure fluctuations inside HLA galleries. Time domain analysis was performed to understand oil pressure fluctuations with respect to VVT cam phasing. Angle domain analysis was performed to assess the impact of oil pressure fluctuations on valve train behavior. Further findings from this study aim to enhance the understanding of impact of VVT cam phasing in oil pressure fluctuations.
Dynamic vehicle operation, such as acceleration, deceleration, and tilting, can cause severe oil sloshing in the engine oil pan. This can lead to oil starvation at the pickup tube, compromising lubrication pump performance, and potentially damaging engine components. This study presents a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) multiphase model of an engine oil pan and a system of lubrication pumps, simulated using Simerics-MP+®. A series of numerical simulations are conducted at a given pump speed and extreme oil pan tilt angles or accelerations relevant to a high performance vehicle. Time-dependent oil distributions are visualized, and real-time oil flow rates are monitored at the pickup tubes to assess the impact of oil dynamics and pan position on pick-up tube starvation. This CFD model provides valuable insights into oil pan and pump behavior under extreme vehicle operation conditions, aiding in the design and optimization of lubrication systems to mitigate the risk of oil starvation and improve overall engine safety and performance.
This paper presents experimental research aimed at developing novel low lubrication methods for rotorcraft and jet engines, focusing on sustaining minimal lubrication to prevent catastrophic bearing failure during loss of lubrication (LoL) events or to increase fuel consumption performance on once-through, fuel-oil bearing lubrication engines. Utilizing two high-speed bearing test rigs simulating low and high thrust class engine conditions, the study establishes lower bounds for oil flow rates necessary to maintain thermal stability and prevent thermal runaway in hybrid ball bearings. These findings inform the design of the Zulu Pod (ZPod), a passively driven, self-contained oil delivery system that uses engine compressor bleed air to precisely meter lubricant flow. Engine test stand results demonstrate that replacing traditional fuel-oil lubrication with the ZPod system reduces thrust specific fuel consumption (TSFC) by an average of 7%, with up to 11% savings, without compromising engine thrust or bearing health. The ZPod offers a simplified, efficient alternative to fuel-lubricated systems by eliminating fuel diversion for lubrication, enhancing fuel efficiency, and maintaining bearing performance in attritable or single-use engines. Additionally, the study highlights the potential of minimal lubrication supplied by the ZPod to extend operational life during LoL scenarios, enabling safer aircraft recovery. Future work will focus on extending testing to higher thrust classes and optimizing ZPod designs for broader applications.
In this article we examine the behavior of oil in the lubrication channel between the main bearing and the connecting rod bearing in the crankshaft of an internal combustion engine. The requirement for high service life and proper operation of these bearings, while minimizing input power of the lubrication system, lead to the need to understand the function of these structural parts in detail. To simulate and visualize this process, an experimental device was created. The device allows the experimenters to change individual parameters such as rotation speed, oil pressure, oil temperature, and aeration, while simultaneously visualizing the process with the help of a special rotating camera. These parameters are then obtained by image processing. In this way, the following influences are investigated here: at oil temperatures of 30, 50, and 80°C, relative oil pressures of 1, 2, 3, and 4 bar, at undissolved air in the oil of 5 and 10 vol% and crankshaft station speeds from 0 to 6000 1/min. The work is inspired by previously known publications by other authors. Their results were obtained mainly using computational methods. In the case of experiments, the authors used indirect methods of measurement using pressures and flows. Therefore, this work has a great contribution in the experimental area. The results of the experiments show the influence of the tested parameters on the gradual limitation of the oil flow through the channel. At a relative oil pressure of 1 bar and a crankshaft speed of 6000 1/min, the pressure even drops to 0 bar, and the oil flow through the channel collapses. The results of image processing show not only the area of the channel filled with oil, but also the distance of the beginning and end of the air bubble from the beginning of the channel.
As the global energy transition moves to increased levels of electrification for passenger cars, then the number and role of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) increases rapidly. For these, the power reaches the road from an internal combustion engine (ICE) and/or an electric motor, with several switches between these three modes, over a typical drive-cycle. Consequently, this comes with a large increase in the number of significant engine stop and start events. Such events are potentially challenging for the HEV engine lubricant, as by comparison, for standard ICE cycles there is almost continuous relative movement of the two lubricated surfaces, for most areas of the engine. Based on both field and test cell observations, a challenging area for the lubricant within the gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine is the high pressure (HP) fuel pump, typically driven by a cam and follower, whilst lubricated by engine oil. From engine start, the speeds are low, also the fuel pump loads are high and transient. The loads continue to be variable and highly transient over a drive-cycle. A novel motoring friction test rig is described, which measures transient GDI HP fuel pump friction accurately. Using the same engine, further comparison data showing the contribution of this to engine friction is presented over the Worldwide Harmonized Light Duty Transient Cycle (WLTC), for both ICE and two types of HEV operating in charge sustaining mode (CS mode); lubricant friction differentiation in this area is shown. Based on measured data from vehicles tested on a chassis dynamometer, this friction rig runs from a controlled cold start, whilst also achieving the correct transient oil and coolant warm-up profiles. Further, it achieves the vehicle highly transient fuel flow, so the relevant transient GDI pump cam loading, over the WLTC. The frictional energy required is used to compare engine lubricants.
In pursuit of reducing carbon emissions and to fulfill the customers’ needs for fuel-saving and environmentally friendly cars, car manufacturers have been increasingly offering different choices of electrified cars to their customers. Among those different powertrain solutions, with a balance of energy source between on-board electricity and fossil fuels, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) are becoming a choice for more and more end users, particularly in regional car markets such as China in recent years. Owing to the diversified vehicle operating conditions, new challenges are brought to the engine oil to protect the hardware from issues such as piston deposit, water/oil emulsification, oil thinning caused by fuel dilution, stop-start bearing wear and corrosion. This technical paper seeks to understand the impact of different operating modes of PHEV on engine oil performance. One key finding is that extreme conditions were needed to accumulate water content in the oil. When the oil temperature is under 10°C and the coolant temperature is under 40°C, water content could be continuously built up in the oil. Conversely, when these conditions are not met, water in the oil can be easily vaporised and released from oil. On the other hand, when the ambient temperature is low (below -20°C), and under low-speed/frequent stop-start driving cycle, fuel can be entrained in oil much more easily, to as high as 20% (m/m). Fuel dilution can significantly reduce the oil viscosity. A SAE 0W-20 oil could effectively end up as a SAE 0W-8 oil under high fuel dilution rate, which promotes wear between friction pairs such as ring-liner and bearing-journal. Star Polymer (Hydrogenated Styrene-Diene) viscosity modifier demonstrated better viscometric control performance over OCP (Ethylene-Propylene Co-polymer). Finally, it has been noted that at equivalent vehicle running distances, wear metals like iron and aluminum are more prevalent in non-plug-in hybrid vehicles compared to PHEVs, with the lowest levels found in ICE vehicles. This trend is attributed to the decreasing severity of stop-start operations, ranked as follows: HEV > PHEV > ICE.
Shell Rotella hosted journalists at the National Tractor Pulling Championships in Bowling Green, Ohio, in August, where the company was sponsoring tractors run by Koester Racing in the mini-modified division. Karin Haumann, OEM technical manager of Shell Global Solutions, was onsite and spoke with TOHE about the approaching proposed category 12 (PC-12) heavy-duty diesel engine oil category. PC-12 engine oils are in development and will be licensed for use on January 1, 2027. The current engine oil categories, CK-4 and FA-4, were introduced in 2016. Development of the new category is necessary due to advancements in engine technology, and it aligns with stricter emissions regulations that begin in 2027, said Haumann, who serves as chairperson of the API new category development team. “As diesel engine technology evolves, they require oils that offer increased oxidation performance and wear reduction, can handle higher temperatures, and improve fuel economy,” she said. Lubricant producers also must meet reduced phosphorous and sulfated ash limits, which otherwise can compromise emission control systems and negatively impact fuel economy.
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