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-Special Report-
KEY CONCEPTS • The level of sulfur allowed in • With the challenges of operating
marine fuels has differed in specific shipping fleets, operators have
• Marine diesel cylinder lubricants
geographical locations globally, turned to slow steaming that has
provide a hydrocarbon film between
leading to the development of reduced fuel costs but led to the
rings and liners of engines in large
different lubricant options. This development of cold corrosion due to
container ships that transport cargo
issue may be resolved when the IMO the lower steaming temperatures.
globally.
implements a 0.5% sulfur fuel cap in The most important strategy to
marine fuels in 2020. minimize cold corrosion is to monitor
engine wear.
The marine engine oil segment would appear at first glance not to be a
transportation lubricant category where much change is occurring or
where lubricant suppliers are challenged. After all, there has been a good
deal of attention paid to the newest automotive engine oil specifications
developed and under development in the EU and in North America.1
In contrast to lubricants affected by composition of the diesel fuel used in tinues, “With a raft of legislation in-
the 2013 U.S. Vessel General Permit these two-stroke engines is having an cluding increased Emission Control Ar-
Regulation (VGP),2 marine engine oils effect on how MDCLs are formulated. eas (ECAs) and a cap on sulfur content
are not impacted because they do not The purpose of this article is to discuss in marine fuels to be implemented by
interface with the sea. the key operating and regulatory issues The International Maritime Organiza-
The engine oils used in slow speed, facing additive suppliers and finished tion (IMO) on the horizon, ship opera-
two-stroke diesel engines are known as lubricant manufacturers. tors and lubricants suppliers must now
marine diesel cylinder lubricants (MD- Input on MDCLs was obtained from think hard about solutions.”
CLs). This once-through lubricant al- representatives at the following com- Dick Wolpert, product line special-
lows the functioning of these large panies: Chevron Marine Lubricants, ist for Chevron Oronite in Richmond,
ocean-going vessels to transport cargo Chevron Oronite, Cockett Marine Oil, Calif., provides further details on the
globally. Marie-Claire Soobramanien, ExxonMobil Marine Lubricants and problems faced by ship operators. He
global product manager marine die- The Lubrizol Corp. says, “The current shipping business
sel engine oils for The Lubrizol Corp. environment is creating pressure on
based in Hazelwood, UK, summarizes OPERATING AND ship operators to economize and ag-
the roles of MDCLs by saying, REGULATORY FACTORS gressively reduce operating expenses.
“MDCLs provide a hydrocarbon Ian Thurloway, global brand & market World trade continues to be flat with
film between rings and liners. They manager for Chevron Marine Lubricants slow growth prospects. The shipping
are typically monograde, SAE 50 high- based in London, believes that the over- industry has seen examples of busi-
viscosity lubricants that exhibit good capacity present in sea trade is forcing ness failures of shipping companies and
dispersancy, provide a gas seal between operators of large-container ship fleets bulk carriers. There have been consoli-
rings and liners, control corrosive wear, to focus on running costs. He says, dations, merger activities and shipping
display good detergency by ensuring “With the continuing long-term down alliances formed. The business outlook
high temperature cleanliness at the top cycle in the global economy, ship op- drives toward a strong cost focus to
of the cylinder, up to 300 C and avoid erators are reducing fuel costs by mov- implement fuel and lubricant savings
adhesive and abrasive wear. An MDCL ing to 2-stroke engine slow steaming. initiatives.”
demonstrates good deposit control in The problem is this approach may lead Wolpert continues, “Besides a trend
pistons, in the ring zone and in the un- potentially to increasing maintenance toward slower and reduced load opera-
dercrowns. It must have good thermal costs because of cold corrosion if cylin- tion to save fuel consumption, newer
© Can Stock Photo / sengnsp
and oxidative stability and spreadabil- der feed rates are not optimized or the engine designs are concentrating on
ity over a large surface area.” wrong cylinder lubricant is used.” further enhancing fuel efficiency, which
But strong competition and the Regulations also are a major factor can affect combustion conditions and
onset of regulations impacting the facing ship operators. Thurloway con- the performance requirements of addi-
12 In the 11th Century, the Arab scientist Alhazen described the use and characteristics of glass lenses.
ÎÎÎÎÎ ity issues while decreasing feed rates. He says, “There will still be a need economics becoming clearer once the
Issues formulators will need to tackle for lubricants that can handle high- difference in cost between the two fuels
include making sure the carry away sulfur-containing fuels. The result is is known in 2020. The scrubber payback
residue from combustion is minimized that lubricant suppliers will need to of- period currently looks like it will be be-
through proper use of detergents and fer MDCLs with BNs ranging from 25 tween three to five years, whereas post
lubrication films need to be resilient.” to 140 BN. We firmly believe that one 2020, the economic return on invest-
Wolpert believes that the chemical size does not fit all, and careful con- ment for using a scrubber will be better.”
constituents of the lubricant additives sideration must be made to eradicate Soobramanien reveals that marine
will not change in moving from a high- knock-on issues with excessive wear engine OEMs offer guidelines on MDCL
sulfur-containing HFO to a low-sulfur and deposits.” feed rates for various BNs to address
fuel. He says, “The concentration of various sulfur levels in fuels. She says,
the additives used in the MDCLs will MULTIPLE FUELS “MAN Diesel & Turbo goes further by
need to be adjusted. For a low-sulfur The current need for ship owners to offering an automated cylinder oil mix-
HFO, a traditional 70-BN lubricant is meet lower sulfur-emission regulations ing system that uses combinations of
not suitable because it is important that in ECAs, yet wish to continue to use high (>100 BN) and low-BN MDCLs to
the fuel sulfur level and lubricant are higher sulfur-containing fuels outside help the ship handle a range of sulfur-
matched. If too little base is available, of ECAs until 2020, leads to the pros- containing fuels. Other options include
then the acids of combustion will not pect that multiple fuels will be used blending lubricants onboard the ship by
be neutralized and will attack the pis- and, as a consequence, multiple MD- using a detergent additive for high-BN
ton liners, leading to corrosive wear. If CLs may be required. Thurloway says, applications blended with system oils.
too much base (in the form of calcium “Most ships are able to store more than One example is iCOLube, introduced by
carbonate) is present, this inorganic one lubricant, so we advocate using the Lukoil, that uses a high-BN MDCL with
substance does not burn and could correct base number lubricant for the used or fresh system oils.”
form hard deposits leading to the po- fuel being burnt. Trips into ECA areas System oil is a separate fluid used in
tential for abrasive wear.” in many cases require a lower BN lubri- a ship to lubricate the crankcase.
Wolpert advises that OEM guide- cant for a period of time to minimize Huot states that changes in the way
lines for lubricants are 40 BN for fuel the chance of experiencing damage to lubricant suppliers service this global
sulfur levels below 1%, 70-80 BN for the engine.” market is impacting the availability of
sulfur levels between 1%-2% and 70- MDCLs to ship owners further com-
100 BN for fuels above 2% sulfur. He plicating how they can deal with us-
says, “In formulating 40-BN lubricants, ing multiple fuels. She says, “There are
the traditional 70-BN additive formula- It is not clear which fuel now at least six types of different MD-
tions are not suitable to use in a simple alternatives will be available CLs sold on the market, and a typical
down-treat. The lubricant does need ship will require the use of at least three
in sufficient quantity or at
to supply BN for acid neutralization, of them if moving from an HFO area to
but it has a second function to deliver acceptable economics. a low-sulfur HFO area to an ECA. Con-
detergency to prevent the formation of sidering that a maximum of two tanks
piston deposits. 40-BN formulations are available in most ship designs and
typically need to have specific addi- White agrees that ships need to carry that drum storage on deck is only a last
tives that deliver sufficient cleanliness more than one MDCL today, but this resort (due to being a possible hazard),
performance at the lower BN level.” will change. He feels that once the IMO regular availability has become a major
White feels that the reduction in the regulation is implemented in 2020, the issue. Switching between fuels is still a
sulfur level of fuel may require not just rule change will make it simpler for ship gray area as ship owners are uncertain
reducing the BN but also rebalancing owners. White says, “Only low-BN lu- about how to manage the transition, es-
the formulation to achieve optimum bricant will be needed past 2020 to work tablish accurate feed rates and limit the
performance. He says, “It is not just a with 0.1% and 0.5% sulfur-continuing risk of costly wear. In using MDCLs,
case of lowering the detergent treat rate fuel. Ship owners also have the option of too much and too less are both harmful
but also making other changes to the installing a scrubber to deal with high- and might cost way more than just the
MDCL formulation.” sulfur-containing fuel, which will mean cost of the lubricant.”
Thurloway believes that with the the use of high-BN lubricants.” From Huot’s perspective, the good
emphasis on reducing SOx emissions, White indicates that a tradeoff ex- news is that the choice after 2020 for
low-sulfur-distillated or compliant fuels ists in having new ships use low-sulfur ship owners will be whether to install
will need to be used. Lubricants and ad- fuel or install a scrubber. He says, “Fuel a scrubber. She says, “We believe most
ditive technologies are already available choice will be compliant fuel versus ship owners will not decide to use a
that are compatible with these fuels. high-sulfur fuel oil (HSFO) with the scrubber after 2020.”
Figure 1 | Iron content is determined as a measure of wear in a 70-BN MDCL while the feed rate is varied in old design engines and newest design
engines. (Figure courtesy of Chevron Marine Lubricants.)
COLD CORROSION support the use of 140-BN lubricants as ship operator cannot know what is oc-
Wolpert indicates that cold corrosion one means to provide adequate basic- curring. Testing needs to be done each
occurs as a consequence of slow steam- ity for neutralization, yet reduce overall time that refueling takes place because
ing that reduces engine load leading to feed rates to reduce lubricant consump- significant shifts in sulfur levels are
lower combustion chamber tempera- tion and total operating costs.” possible that may impact engine opera-
tures and lower cylinder liner temper- While Soobramanien sees cold cor- tion and the onset of cold corrosion.”
atures. He says, “Under these condi- rosion in some older vessels following As part of a condition monitoring
tions, more sulfuric acid, a combustion slow steaming guidelines, the problem program, Huot advises, “The lubricant
product from the sulfur present in the seems to be prevalent among newer en- supplier needs to assist the ship owner
fuel, condenses on the liner surface gines in recently built ships. She says, with finding the optimum lubricant
and causes corrosive wear that is often “Newer engines are operating at higher feed rate, perform condition monitor-
termed cold corrosion. MDCLs with pressures resulting in more of the sul- ing and reduce downtime costs.”
70 BN are not adequately formulated fur in the fuel being converted to sul- Thurloway feels that specially for-
to neutralize the increased acid levels.” furic acid. Extreme corrosive wear can mulated 140-BN MDCL can be designed
Wolpert believes that different lu- be observed in modern engines even to minimize cold corrosion in the most
bricants and operating adjustments are under normal operation.” modern ultra long stroke slow speed
needed to minimize cold corrosion. Huot agrees that cold corrosion is engines using a high-sulfur-containing
He says, “One solution has been to widely seen in marine diesel engines HFO. He adds, “Cold corrosion can be
introduce lubricants with higher base and indicates that a condition monitor- managed effectively using the correct
levels (100 BN) and higher lubricant ing program is essential to make sure base number lubricant in conjunction
feed rates, sometimes above 1.2 grams any operating issues can be promptly with MDCL oil monitoring to ensure
per kilowatt-hour. These operating ad- handled. She says, “Serious cold cor- that the correct feed rate is used.”
justments have been approved by the rosion is found in at least one engine Figure 1 shows how condition moni-
engine manufacturers to prevent corro- out of 10 since the appearance of new toring is done to evaluate the iron con-
sion. In addition, OEMs have begun to designs in 2010. Without monitoring, a tent, a measure of wear in the lubricant,
In the 13th Century, Italy’s Salvino D’Armate made the first eyeglass, providing the wearer with an element of magnification to one eye. 15
Newest engines – High sulphur fuel
Figure 2 | Iron content is measured in MDCLs with three different BNs as a function of feed rate in the newest design engines. (Figure courtesy
of Chevron Marine Lubricants.)
Figure 3 | Overlubrication of a diesel cylinder engine as shown by the TBN of the latest samples can negatively effect the operating condition
of the engine. (Figure courtesy of ExxonMobil Marine Fuels and Lubricants.)
as a function of feed rate and BN for old- Changing the base number of the cold corrosion at lower feed rates. But
er engines (in red) and newer engines lubricant has a significant impact on to bring the feed rates down to histori-
(in blue). Thurloway says, “A new en- cold corrosion and feed rate as shown cally low levels, a 140-BN lubricant is
gine type requires about three times as in Figure 2. Thurloway says, “Mov- required (green line).”
much 70-BN lubricant dosage to attain ing from a 70-BN lubricant (blue) to White provides details on how cold
the same corrosion protection level.” a 100-BN lubricant (orange) reduces corrosion is monitored. He says, “To Î Î Î Î Î
Figure 4 | Underlubrication of a diesel cylinder engine is shown by the low TBN values and the high iron content in most of the samples that
indicate high wear levels. (Figure courtesy of ExxonMobil Marine Fuels and Lubricants.)
Figure 5 | The presence of a high level of cat particles in a diesel cylinder engine can cause high levels of abrasive wear even if the engine is
operating under optimal conditions as shown from data plotted on this graph. (Figure courtesy of ExxonMobil Marine Fuels and Lubricants.)
18 Magnifying glasses, usually in the 6-10x range, were the earliest simple forms of
that some new ships under construction America and the U.S. Caribbean ECA. seems to be the most adopted option.
will be using LNG and there are a num- Thurloway lists several other op- SCRs are relatively new in the marine
ber of ships undergoing retrofits that tions for reducing NOx emissions, industry and experience is limited.
will switch to LNG. One fuel supplier including combustion tuning, 2-stage However, research work shows that the
has established key scale-able LNG hubs turbo charging and water admission impact on poisoning by the lubricant
that has been quite successful on a small (either by direct injection, emulsion and marine fuel is manageable with the
scale to date. The purpose of the hubs of water in fuel and humidification of products available today.”
is to develop cooperative relationships charge air). He says, “The use of SCRs An additional regulation facing ship Î Î Î Î Î
with ship owners in key geographical
locations.”
Huot continues, “Field experience
with LNG is still quite limited, and
more is needed to define the key op-
erating parameters so that the proper
lubricant formulations can be recom-
mended and ships can achieve opti-
mum performance. W.e believe that
this will occur and that a valid business
case exists for using LNG as an alterna-
tive fuel over the long term.”
Thurloway says, “LNG is already
used in some ships and will become
more prevalent in the coming years
with the continuing implementation of
emissions constraints and rolling out of
LNG bunkering infrastructure.”
Soobramanien is mindful that LNG
use, while limited, may lead to a lubri-
cation challenge in case of dual fuel ap-
plication, depending upon the length of
operation of high-sulfur fuels. She says,
“LNG has recently been introduced as
a fuel for 2-stroke engines, and only a
few ships are running on LNG or LNG
+ distillates or HFO. The concern is
that using high-sulfur fuels may lead
to deposit and wear problems.”
White also agrees that natural gas Heavy loads demand a strong formulation. Zschimmer & Schwarz
use as a fuel is in its infancy. He pre- has ingredients to build robust lubricants for your toughest
challenge. Complex esters provide boundary lubrication, ester
dicts that demand for natural gas-pow- based friction modifiers reduce friction, amides reduce wear and
ered ships will grow and adds, “Our en- phosphate esters give EP and protect against corrosion. The
ergy outlook estimates that 10% of the Zschimmer portfolio of additives helps strengthen your
marine ships operating by 2040 will be formulation to handle the load.
using natural gas.”
Zschimmer & Schwarz - Your source for Premium lubricant ingredients
CARBON DIOXIDE
AND NOx EMISSIONS
Besides reducing the sulfur level of fu-
els in an effort to lower SOx emissions,
trends are in place to also reduce NOx
and carbon dioxide emissions. NOx
ZSCHIMMER & SCHWARZ
emissions are being regulated by geo-
graphical region. White says, “Ships
built after Jan. 1, 2016, must comply
with Tier III NOx regulations in North
magnification and were used for inspecting insects. They were called flea glasses. 19
ÎÎÎÎÎ
SOx Global
(Via fuel sulphur or 0.5% Sulphur
after-treatment) Cap
2016 2017 I 2018 I 2019 2020 2021 I 2022 I 2023 I 2024 2025
Figure 6 | A summary of the reduction in the emissions of SOx, NOx, and carbon dioxide by geographical region and by implementation date is
shown. (Figure courtesy of The Lubrizol Corporation.)
owners was IMO’s implementation of line by a set amount, which will get graphical region and by implementa-
an Energy Efficiency Design Index progressively tougher over time. By tion date.
(EEDI) on ships built after Jan. 1, 2013. 2025 all new ships will be a massive
White says, “EEDI regulates the allow- 30% more energy efficient than those FUTURE TRENDS
able carbon dioxide emissions. The built in 2014.” Huot indicates that two future trends
base line for this was determined by Soobramanien points out that the for the industry to deal with are issues
ship size and type.” with fuel blend con-
As the EEDI tamination and dual
concept is being in- fuel-2-stroke marine
troduced for newly Group II base oil can, in principle, replace Group I diesel engines. She
built ships, IMO has says, “Fuel blend
developed the Ship up to 100% with little impact to overall performance, contamination will
Energy Efficiency especially in marine diesel cylinder lubes. be one of the big-
Management Plan gest challenges for
(SEEMP), a man- the marine industry.
agement tool to as- The cat fines prob-
sist ship operators in managing the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions lem previously seen will come back as
energy efficiency of their vessels. Soo- will not impact the current lubricant a major issue because any fuel stream
bramanien says, “IMO has established additive technology used in formulat- that has a low-sulfur level irrespective
a series of baselines for the amount ing MDCLs. of the degree of contamination will be
of fuel each type of ship burns for a Figure 6 lists a summary of the re- used for blending. The objective of ship
certain cargo capacity. Ships built in duction in the emissions of SOx, NOx owners is to meet the 0.5% sulfur maxi-
the future will have to beat the base- and carbon dioxide emissions by geo- mum target at all costs. A misconcep-
20 In the 1590s, Dutch spectacle makers Zacharias Jansen and his father, Hans, started experimenting by putting several lenses in a tube, creating the first compound
tion exists that ship owners will burn lic and lubrication duties such as fuel future to meet these ongoing changes
straight cut distillates. Instead, ship injection, turbochargers and cross head in the marine industry.
owners will purchase whatever fuel is bearings.”
available that meets the sulfur regula- White feels that the various regula-
tion at the lowest cost.” tory changes affecting SOx, NOx and
OEMs are starting to develop engines CO2 will continue to lead to changes REFERENCES
that operate on more than one fuel. in engine designs as the marine in- 1. Canter, N. (2015), “GF-6, PC-11
Huot says, “The OEM Wärtsilä has just dustry strives for better efficiency. He and dexos1™: New engine oil
introduced a new hybrid product that says, “Lubricants will need to adapt to specifications mean new additive
is the first hybrid module of its kind changes in engine designs where there challenges,” TLT, 71 (9), pp.
in the marine industry. The fully inte- are increases in operating temperatures 10-24.
grated hybrid power module combines and pressures.” 2. Sniderman, D. (2017), “VGP
engines, an energy storage system and Changes in MDCLs will be im- 2013: Propelling marine lubri-
power electronics optimized to work in pacted by regulatory drivers that are cants,” TLT, 73 (5), pp. 32-40.
unison through a newly developed en- in the process of being implemented.
ergy management system (EMS). Future Ship owners will be striving to reduce
lubricant formulations will have to cater operating costs in today’s competitive
to very diverse requirements.” environment and will need to choose Neil Canter heads his own
In addition to the regulation issues, between using low-sulfur fuel or scrub- consulting company, Chemical
Soobramanien believes that there will bers after the IMO regulation becomes Solutions, in Willow Grove, Pa.
be changes to the system oil. She says, effective in 2020. Lubricant manufac- Ideas for Tech Beat items
“System oil will be affected by changes turers and additive suppliers will need can be sent to him at
in the cylinder and additional hydrau- to continue to develop solutions in the neilcanter@comcast.net.
microscope. They discovered that the object near the end of the tube appeared to be enlarged far larger than any simple magnifying glass could achieve. 21