Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/339485
16 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | JULY 2014 JOURNAL FUEL SAVVY A t a late May press event in Greensboro, N.C., Shell outlined a timeline update on the development of PC-11 lower-viscosity engine oil. Dan Arcy, Shell's OEM technical manager, said the development team is shooting for April 2016 as the go-to-market date for the thinner lubricant. The new development team is made of members from engine makers, truck makers, oil marketers, additive com- panies and others in the industry, Arcy said, and a few steps remain –including approval of the tests that will be used to validate PC-11 – before American Petroleum Institute licensing begins. PC-11 originally was requested by engine makers in 2011 in response to the industry's mandate to lower fuel consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Modern engines also are running hotter than older engines by as much as 10 degrees Celsius, Arcy said, and a new oil category was needed to reflect the changes. The key PC-11 goals are to improve oxidation stability to handle the hotter engine temperatures, reduce aeration, provide scuffing and adhesive wear pro- tection and improve shear stability. There are two subcategories to PC-11: PC-11A and PC-11B. PC-11A will have the aforementioned improvements to the current CJ-4 engine oil, but it will retain the viscosity level of CJ-4. It will be backwards-com- patible with all model-year engines. PC-11B also will have the requested improvements over CJ-4, but it also will increase fuel economy and in turn lower greenhouse gas emissions, Arcy said. It's uncertain yet whether the oil will be backwards-compatible and may be rec- ommended only by manufacturers for model-year 2017 and newer engines. Arcy said Shell will back up whatever recommendations manufacturers make about the backwards compatibility regarding PC-11B. Matt Urbanak, lead formulator for Shell Rotella heavy-duty engine oils, said tests show no discernible differ- ence in engine wear between PC-11 and higher-viscosity oils currently on the market. There also was no differ- ence in iron wear, chromium, lead, copper or aluminum in oil analysis, Urbanak said. "Testing does indicate that [low-vis- cosity] oils do maintain engine durabil- ity," he said. Urbanak said Shell has 16 million miles of field testing so far on low- viscosity oils, and still roughly two years remain before the oils will go to market. – James Jaillet Shell maps out PC-11 engine oil timeline Testing does indicate that [low-viscosity] oils do maintain engine durability. – Matt Urbanak, lead formulator, Shell Rotella heavy-duty engine oils Go-to-market date for the thinner lubricant set for April 2016 Dan Arcy, Shell's OEM technical manager, explains the results of the company's low-viscosity fi eld trial testing. James Jaillet