Chevron Showcases New Low-Ash Oil
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ATLANTA — Chevron Products Co. rolled out a new 53-foot educational trailer and a mock, walk-through diesel particulate filter designed to showcase the value of its new heavy-duty engine oil whose low-ash content is meant to reduce the clogging typical in a DPF.
Chevron chose American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council annual meeting last month to unveil the new exhibits highlighting its latest oil, Delo 600 ADF. Chevron introduced the oil in November at its technology center in Richmond, Calif.
Delo 600 ADF is formulated to reduce the oil’s sulfated ash content by 60% to 0.4% compared with engine oils with the CK-4 limit of 1% sulfated ash, according to the San Ramon, Calif,-based company, a division of Chevron U.S.A. CK-4 and FA-4, are the American Petroleum Institute’s latest diesel engine oil standards.
Metallic lubricant additives form a protective layer in an engine that serves to reduce friction, among other features. These incombustible additives accumulate as ash in the DPF after the soot from incomplete engine combustion is periodically burned off. If the accumulating ash is not removed through other cleaning methods, it can increase tailpipe emissions and worsen engine performance. DPFs clogged with soot and ash can crack, with new ones costing $7,000, the company reported.
The heart of the work to create the new oil was “essentially saying, ‘If I remove this metallic additive, can I replace it with an organic compound directly. Or if not, can I simulate that same mechanism with a combination of organic compounds? And what is the right combination to do so?' ” James Booth, commercial sector manager at Chevron, told Transport Topics.
Delo is a “synthetic technology” and is positioned in the market between Chevron’s XLE product and its fully synthetic XSP products, he said.
All segments would benefit from the new oil, he said, but especially less-than-truckload carriers operating in urban environments, where “you’re not getting up to temperature” so that it doesn’t automatically burn off the soot.
The idea to investigate a new approach was sparked by a question from an original equipment manufacturer that wanted to know the feasibility of significantly reducing the metallic additives, Booth said.
“We are very fortunate to be in the position where Chevron Corp. recognizes the value of strategic research so we leveraged funding early on to do that. And then we progressed into the commercialization process,” he said.
Host Seth Clevenger went to CES 2020 in Las Vegas and met with Rich Mohr of Ryder Fleet Management Solutions and Stephan Olsen of the Paccar Innovation Center to discuss how high-tech the industry has become. Listen to a snippet above, and to hear the full episode, go to RoadSigns.TTNews.com.
There were some surprises along the way, too.
“It forces you, when formulating an approach, to look into some other possibilities. We have been focused on the DPF side of things, but actually from the engine performance side, we have seen some really interesting things,” Booth added.
Cam-wear performance, for instance, has been “fantastic” with the combination of organic additives, he said.
The new product line, available in the U.S. and Canada, includes Delo 600 ADF 15W-40 and Delo 600 ADF 10W-30. The oil is approved by or meets the performance requirements of on- and off-highway OEMS.
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