5W-XX Heavy Duty Diesel

Formulations
Delivering Improved
Fuel Economy and
Durability

Jeff Thompson
Crankcase Technologist
Infineum USA LP
Linden, NJ

Table of Contents

HDEO Market Status and Needs

Durability Testing

Fuel Economy Testing Program

GM 6.5L Engine Fuel Economy Testing
FTP Dynamometer Fuel Economy Testing
SAE J1321 Testing

Base Oil impacts

Industry challenges

Summary

Market Status and Needs

There are many drivers attracting increased attention to HDD

vehicle fuel economy
Increasing attention to reduce CO2 emissions & potential
regulation
Fleet fuel economy standards reaching into Class 8 trucks
Increasing crude and diesel prices focus attention to diesel truck
fuel economy.
New purchases
Existing fleet management

Can the engine oil help improve fuel economy and meet this
growing need?

What drives fuel economy?

Engine oil lubricants systems consume energy while pumping and

engine oil films play a role determining frictional losses in engine
operation

Efficiency could be increased with a engine oil lubricant tailored to

minimize friction and pumping losses

Durability remains a paramount concern and should not be sacrificed

for fuel economy benefits

This requires a carefully balanced lubricant formulation with an

optimized combination of additive components, viscosity modifiers
and base oils.

Fuel Economy Background Information

Data suggests that SAE 5W-40 & lighter viscosity grades

directionally provide improvements in fuel economy

Although difficult to quantify in limited field testing, fleet operators report

having seen fuel economy improvements on the order of 1% to 3% in their
monthly fuel bill over an entire fleet when using lighter viscosity grades

For a large fleet this savings can be quite substantial. A fleet of 50 trucks
could save ~ $30,000 in diesel fuel during the year

Europe has had significant experience with

SAE 5W-30 oils and confirms this benefit

Durability of Fuel Economy Formulations

A common misconception that fuel economy is a durability

compromise!

If no formulation changes were made lower HTHS formulations

reduce engine operating film thicknesses and could lead to an
increased the risk of engine wear

Careful design of the additive package can alleviate these

concerns with formulation changes for:
Optimized anti-wear componentry addressing boundary
interactions
Optimized soot dispersancy avoiding soot agglomeration and
subsequent soot induced wear

Durability of Fuel Economy Formulations

Formulation modifications were developed and confirmed using

API CJ-4 engine wear tests

Performance proven:

API CJ-4 and OEM performance levels achieved

Candidate SAE 5W-30 Field Trial involving the same additive chemistry used in
the fuel economy tests

API Testing Successes with Candidate SAE 5W-30 & 5W-40 formulations

Greater than 1300 merits in Mack T-12 : Mack EO-O /VDS-4 performance
Greater than 1600 merits in the Cummins ISM with the SAE 5W-30
Greater than 1800 merits in the Cummins ISM with the SAE 5W-40
Exceeding Cummins ISB limits for API and OEMs with SAE 5W-XX oils
Meeting or surpassing API and OEM limits in all other necessary tests

FE Formulations can exceed durability requirements in industry

accepted engine tests!!

Durability of Fuel Economy Formulations

2007 Emission Configuration Cummins Engine Testing at Cooke

Trucking, Mt. Airy, NC

Eleven 2008 Peterbilt model 387, Class 8, long-haul trucks

equipped with 2007 Cummins ISX 450-hp EGR engines
5 Vehicles on an SAE 5W-30 demonstration oil
3 Vehicles on an SAE 15W-40 CJ-4/SM reference oil

Same additive chemistry proven in API and OEM testing used in

Candidate SAE 5W-40 and SAE 5W-30 formulations

Engine Teardown and inspection completed between 500,000

and 600,000 miles

Inspection and ratings completed with Cummins participation

Durability of Fuel Economy Formulations

Engine inspection shows

excellent performance of all
oils
Candidate SAE 5W-30
demonstrates outstanding
protection and comparable
to both the Candidate SAE
5W-40 and Reference
SAE 15W-40 oils.

Cooke Engine Teardown Results

Vehicle

X136

X130

X127

Oil Grade

5W-30

5W-40

15W-40

Test mileage

532K

580K

577K

9.41

9.28

8.84

8.82

9.02

8.78

0.02

0.02

0.02

0.048

0.048

0.049

93

94

95

0.0015

0.0018

0.0011

Average Sludge
Rating
Avg Cylinder Liner
Varnish Rating
Avg Top Compression
Ring Gap, in.
Avg 2nd Compression
Ring Gap, in.
Average Hone
Retention, %
Average Max.
Cylinder Liner Wear, in.

Engine Performance SAE 5W-30 Teardown

Roller follower wear: Trace wear

Camshaft wear:
Trace Wear

Oil pan sludge Rating: 9.2 Merit

Engine Performance SAE 5W-30 Teardown

Excellent Wrist Pin
Bushing
Protection

Hone Retention
Rating
93% average

Copper exposed: Zero

Engine Performance SAE 5W-30 Teardown

Excellent piston cleanliness

Crownland Heavy
Carbon Rating:
Average 3%

Piston Under-crown
Rating:
Average 6%

Durability of Fuel Economy Formulations

SAE 5W-XX formulations can also provide more wear protection than
conventional oils in cold starting conditions

Candidate SAE 5W-XX formulations help lubricate critical engine parts

much faster than seen with an SAE 15W-40 conventional oil. This is a
function of base stock selection, pour point depressant and viscosity
modifier selection.

Cold Box Testing with used oils in diesel engines clearly showed this
benefit in pressure readings on startup after the cold soak
80

Pressure (psi)

70
60
50
5W40

40

15W40

30
20
10
0
0

60

0
12

0
18

0
24

0
30

Time (s)

0
36

0
42

0
48

0
54

Durability of Fuel Economy Formulations

Field Testing, API and OEM engine tests all show superb engine
protection

This confirms that with proper formulation, a fuel economy

formulation does not sacrifice durability and can provide the some of
the highest levels of durability available in the marketplace

Lets now examine fuel economy.

Fuel Economy Testing

Infineum sought to explore the fuel economy benefits of SAE 5W-XX

formulations for diesel engines in a methodical fashion
GM 6.5 L
US ARMY FE Test
(slight modification)
ENGINE RIG

Modified
GM 6.5 L
Fuel Economy Testing
17 Stages
ENGINE RIG

SAE J1321
Fuel Economy Testing
Class 8 Truck Testing

Light Duty Diesel

Dynamometer Testing
Fuel Economy Testing
Dynamometer Car Test

GM 6.5L Fuel Economy Results

There are little to no industry established and accepted engine tests for
measuring fuel economy in diesel engines

Infineum noticed that a US Army FE test based on the GM 6.5L diesel

engine provided a reasonably consistent measurement of fuel
consumption and was practical from a cost and time standpoint

Early testing focused on three oils:

SAE 15W-40 API CJ-4/SM Reference, HTHS Viscosity of 4.2 cP
Candidate SAE 5W-40 Oil, HTHS Viscosity of 3.8 cP (run x2)
Candidate SAE 5W-30 Oil, HTHS Viscosity of 3.0 cP

5W-XX Oils were formulated with Grp III and Grp IV (PAO) base stocks

GM 6.5L Fuel Economy Results

Test protocol:
GM 6.5 Liter, indirect-injected 160
hp diesel engine mounted on dyno
Fuel consumption rate was
measured over the length of the
test
Independent laboratory conducted
testing (Southwest Research
Institute)

% Fuel Economy Improvement

Fuel Economy Relationship to HTHS

HTHS Effect Relative to SAE 15W-40
2.0
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0

SAE 5W-40 Run 2

SAE 5W-40 Run 1

SAE 5W-30

3.0

SAE 15W-40

3.3

3.5

3.8

4.0

4.3

4.5

HTHS@150C, cP

FE improvement shown as a function of HTHS relative to SAE 15W-40 grade

SAE 5W-40 run twice with similar results showing very good repeatability
SAE 5W-30 demonstrates best fuel economy relative to SAE 15W-40
Test has good repeatability and can discriminate between oils

Refining the GM 6.5L Test

GM 6.5L test was useful but was the drive cycle representative
of real world operation?

Modified engine speeds and load conditions specifically to

simulate different driving conditions throughout 18 cycles

Translated results to project fuel economy at High Idle, Line

Haul, and Off Road services

Three test oils:

SAE 15W-40 API CJ-4/SM Reference, HTHS Viscosity of 4.2 cP
Candidate SAE 5W-30, HTHS Viscosity of 3.5 cP
Candidate SAE 5W-30, HTHS Viscosity of 2.9 cP

Modified GM 6.5L Fuel Economy Results

SAE 5W-30 Fuel Economy
% Fuel Economy
Improvement

3.5 cP HTHS

2.9 cP HTHS

1.75
1.50
1.25
1.00
0.75
0.50
0.25
0.00
Overall

High Idle

Line Haul

Off Road

Simulated Engine Operating Conditions

Overall, the lower the HTHS viscosity, the better the fuel economy compared to an
SAE 15W-40 with 4.2 cP HTHS viscosity
Over-the-road or highway hauling shows more advantage for lower viscosity oils than other
operating conditions
Up to a 1.5% FE improvement was demonstrated in the GM 6.5L test
Can we continue to confirm a fuel economy benefit as we scale up fuel economy testing?

Fuel Economy FTP Cycles

Moving away from engine rigs, fuel economy needed to be

demonstrated on an FTP dynamometer with a production vehicle

To achieve this a 2007 light duty diesel pickup truck running through
various FTP Fuel Economy Cycles

The candidate SAE 5W-30 was evaluated in FTP tests relative to a

reference SAE 15W-40

SAE 5W-30 Fuel Economy Results - FTP Cycle

Fuel Economy
Improvement (%)

FTP cycle FE data SAE 5W-30

5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
City

Highway

55/45
Combined

Cold Start

Stabilized

Hot Start

Driving Cycle

Results are in agreement with the improvement seen in the SwRI test utilizing GM 6.5L
engine

Proven FE improvement on engine dyno, in a pick-up truck, next was to demonstrate in

actual on-highway Class 8 diesel truck

SAE J1321 Fuel Economy Testing

Joint TMC/SAE Fuel Consumption Test Procedure Type II

This provides a standardized test procedure for comparing in-service fuel

consumption of a vehicle operated under two conditions (lube oil
differences)

Two test oils:

Reference SAE 15W-40 API CJ-4/SM
HTHS Viscosity of 4.2 cP

Candidate SAE 5W-30 API CJ-4/SM

HTHS Viscosity of 2.9 cP

SAE J1321 Fuel Economy Testing

Design of experiment
Four trucks, 1 Control Truck, 3 Test Trucks
All trucks completed base-line, on-highway segment with SAE 15W-40
Then all trucks had their oil changed
Control truck was drained of SAE 15W-40 and refilled with fresh SAE 15W-40
Test trucks were drained of SAE 15W-40 and filled with fresh SAE 5W-30

Finally, all trucks completed a test on-highway segment

The percent difference in fuel consumption was calculated for each test
truck relative to the control truck

SAE J1321 Fuel Economy Results

2.00
1.75

1.6

Fuel Economy
Improvement (%)

1.50

1.5

1.25
1.00
0.75
0.50
0.25
0.00
Truck 84

Truck 85

As in the GM 6.5L testing up to a 1.6 % improvement in fuel economy is possible

with the candidate SAE 5W-30 oil compared to the SAE 15W-40 control oil in
actual on-highway testing
Repeatability was demonstrated with Truck 85 at a 1.5% improvement
Statistical analysis from Truck 81 showed it to be an outlier and not
representative of the true performance of the SAE 5W-30 oil

SAE J1321 Fuel Economy Results

Overall, results were excellent and aligned with the GM 6.5L dyno
testing.

Premium additive technology can enable fuel economy improvement

through the use of light viscosity grades by providing outstanding wear
performance

The SAE 5W-30 oil demonstrated fuel economy credits in a class 8

vehicle in real world operating conditions.

Fuel Economy improvement of 1.5 - 1.6% over the

use of an SAE 15W-40 oil!

Base Stock Impacts

Fuel Economy formulations for HDD are likely to require a higher

proportion of lower viscosity stocks to meet lower HTHS. To
continue to meet volatility requirements, higher quality base
stocks are needed

HDD Fuel Economy formulations are expected to use Grp III

and/or PAO to meet viscosity and volatility requirements

Demand is expected to increase steadily along with the demands

for base oils needed to enable their sale

These oils also become advantaged in low temperature, used oil

pumpability. This makes them additionally well suited for colder
climates

Formulation Considerations

Formulation variables other than HTHS can be quite important

for fuel economy and should be considered in development of
fuel economy formulations

Current API CJ-4 specification mandates an HTHS150 minimum of

3.5 cP, limiting potential fuel economy gains

Selection of these component types have also been found to

effect observed fuel economy:
Viscosity Modifier
Detergent Components
Friction Modifiers

Striking a balance

Oil drain intervals and fuel economy are understandably linked

As the engine oil ages, viscosity increases and soot accumulation

reduce fuel economy from its initial highs

The magnitude of this effect is additive chemistry dependant and may

be able to be mitigated with a tailored formulation

Economic balance
Oil drain change interval balance with improved fuel economy

Environmental balance
Oil drain waste generation balanced with improved fuel economy

Summary

Lower viscosity engine oils can provide improved fuel economy

performance compared to traditional SAE 15W-40. SAE 5W-30 grade
may be a unique value-added offering in the marketplace

Lower viscosity grade HDD engine oils provide significant improvements

in protection for cold temperature start ups where most engine wear
takes place

SAE 5W-40 is currently an excellent choice, providing improved fuel

economy, improved low temperature wear protection and excellent
overall engine protection.
All OEMs allow SAE 5W-40 engine oils, many allowing SAE 5W-30
Provides outstanding value for end customers

Lower viscosity does not mean a compromise in wear performance if the

overall balance of additive technology, viscosity modifier and base oil
blends are robust