Lube Oil requirements for Diesel Engines

Crankcase
The oil has to serve two purposes;
1. reduce friction
2. Cool bearings
A good quality mineral oil will serve the purpose of reducing friction to an acceptable level
depending upon the metals involved and other conditions such as temperature. All oils will oxidise and this
reduces its effectiveness as a lubricant. Oxidation will also cause deposits which can block passage ways
and coat working parts. The rate of oxidation will depend upon temperature, the higher the temperature
the more rapid the rate. Anti oxidants are available which reduce the rate, also additional properties can
be achieved by the use of additives.
Under high temperatures an oil is liable to thermal degradation which causes discoloration and
changes the viscosity. Additives cannot change an oils susceptibility to this degradation. The refining
process can remove compounds which effect the thermal stability of the oil and also those that lower
oxidation resistance. ost of the chemicals found in an oil will react more or less with oxygen, The effects
of this oxidation is always undesirable. !ence, a ma"or ob"ective of the refining process of a mineral oil is
to remove those hydrocarbons i.e. the aromatics, the small amount of unsaturates together with
molecules containing sulphur, oxygen and nitrogen.
Unfortunately these same molecules are those that improve the boundary lubrication
performance. !ence, a careful balance must be struck. The use of anti#oxidants make a slightly better
balance although there usefulness is limited.
Tin based whitemetal is susceptible to hardening as an oxide layers from on the surface.
These tin oxides are a grey#black in appearance and are extremely hard. There formation
reduces the bearing clearance as the oxide layer is thicker than the original white metal material from
which it formed. The oxide has a lower coefficient of friction than the original white metal but it will cause
problems if it brakes up as fragments will become embedded edge on in the white metal and can score
the pin.
Contamination
Water
Water from,
1. bilge's
2. Jackets
3. Sea via coolers
4. leaky seals or washing in purifiers
. Condensation
Problems caused by water contamination,
Water leads to corrosion especially if there is sulphur present due to fuel contamination
forms emulsions which are not capable of withstanding high loads
removes water soluble additives when centrifuged out
leads to possible bacterial attack
Fuel
ay be heavy residual or light diesel$gas oil and can be sourced to faulty to cylinder combustion or faulty
seals on fuel p$ps.
Problems
Increases viscosity for hfo, reduces viscosity for D..
reduces flashpoint
Introduces impurities such as sulphur
dilutes lub oil when in large !uantities
Solid impurities
i.e. carbon from the cylinder combustion process, particularly of importance with trunk piston engines but
also for crosshead engines with inefficient diaphragm. The carbon can lead to restrictions and blockages of
oil ways causing bearing failure. %traight mineral oils hold &' carbon in suspension, dispersant oils hold
about ('.
Bacterial attack
)ertain bacteria will attack oil but water must be present. The bacteria may exist in a dormant state in the
oil but water is required if they are to reproduce.. The bacteria digest the oil causing breakdown
emulsions to be formed, acidity increases, dead bacteria block filters and corrosive films form on working
surfaces.
In summary their must be three essential conditions for microbiological growth;
There must be a source of carbon" present in the oil
There must be some bacteria or fungal spores present"these are almost universally present in
the atmosphere
There must be free water present
Two other factors which encourage the growth are a slight acidity in the water *p! ( or +, and a slightly
raised temperature *-. to /.
o
), which can lead to rapid growth.
0iocide additives are available but they are not always compatible with other desired additives
and can lead to large organic blockages if treated in the machinery. The best solution is to avoid the
presence of water. 1f mild attack takes place the oil may be heated in the renovating tank to above 2.
o
)
for -/hrs before being returned to the sump via the centrifugal separator. 3or a severe attack the only
solution is complete replacement of the charge followed by sterilisation of the system. 1t may be noted
that on replenishment the bacteria may be present in a dormant state in the new charge.
Test results of crankcase oils
#iscosity#1ncreases due to thermal degradation or hfo contamination, reduces with diesel oil
contamination, corrective action needed if it increases by -(' from new oil.
Water content#)orrective action required at &'
Insoluble $ediments#basically the result of wear and oxidation, corrective action at &' by weight
%sh#a measure of incombustibles in the oil sample, corrective action at ..&4' by weight
T%&#Total acid number consists of the strong acids *mainly sulphuric acid, formed in the combustion
process and weak acids resulting form oxidation of the lub oil.
$%&#%trong acid number, the oil should be renewed if any is detected
T'&#Total base number indicates the alkaline reserve particulary important for trunk piston engines
(losed flash point#highlightd fuel contamination, corrective action if reduces by 4.
o
) from new
Cylinder lub oil
The type of cyl l.o. required will depend upon the cylinder conditions and the engine design e.g crosshead
or trunk piston. !owever, the property requirements are basically the same but will vary in degree
depending upon the fuel and operating conditions.
&ormal properties re!uired are;
a. ade!uate viscosity at working temperature so that the oil spreads over the liner surface to
provide a tough film which resists the scrapper action of the piston rings
b. the oil must provide an effective seal between the rings and liner
c. only a soft deposit must be formed when the oil burns
d. alkalintiy level )total base number or T'&* must match the acidity of the oil being burnt
e. detergent and dispersant properties are re!uired in order to hold deposits in suspension and
thus keep surfaces clean
Addities
All oils for all purposes can be designed to give particular properties through the careful use of additives to
the base mineral oil stock.
(ommon additives are;
%ntio+idants"these are used in all oils to reduce the rate at which o+idation occurs and are
especially useful were the lub oil cools the piston
,+treme pressure agents these are compounds of phosphorus, $ulphur or (hlorine which
increase the strength of the oil film under conditions of high temperature or pressure.
,Dispersants or detergents"found in trunk piston engine oils and cyl l.o. these keep surfaces
clean by holding deposits in suspension.
#iscosity inde+ improvers" these prevent e+cessive changes in viscosity with change in
temperature
ther additives can be defined by name such as anti"wear, anti"corrosion, anti"bacteria, anti"
foaming etc.
5hen running in, the cylinder lube oil in"ector pumps may be filled with a a straight mineral
oil without anti#wear properties# typically the crankcase oil# once this small reserve of oil is exhauted,
running in carries on with normal cylinder lube oil. The flow of oil is increased to carry away metallic
particles.
!roblems caused by stuffing bo" leakage oil entering crankcase
6ow speed engines are particularly at risk from crankcase lubricant contamination caused by cylinder oil
drainage past the piston rod gland and combustion products. This can lead to severe damage of engine
crankcase components and reduction of life of oil which is normally expected to last the lifetime.
There has been a general increase in the viscosity and 0ase number of crankcase oils over recent years
particularly for engines built since the early &27.8s. 1ncreased alkalinity, viscosity and insolubles, fuel
derived elements such as vanadium and oil additive derived elements such as calcium, suggest that the
contamination is from the cylinder oil drainage.
9eterioration of the crankcase oil has led to the expensive necessity of replacing up to (.' of the sump,
this is particularly of concern as it is often only a temporary measure.
-our causes are put forward,
1. !ew crankcase oil conta"inated with new cylinder oil#unlikely
2. Cylinder oil drainings being recycled and returned to the su"p#very likely as it is a co""on
practice to purify oil leaking through the gland$ tests done on this purified oil found high
a"ounts of insolubles
3. %eakage past rod gland# very likely$ high pressure scavenge air can blow cylinder oil and dirt
past the top scrapper ring and sealing rings into the piston rod drain tank$ and even possibly
directly into the su"p. & proble" that worsens with age and wear.
4. leakage of e'haust valve lubrication syste"#unlikely
3rom above the suggestion is the most likely cause for contamination is leakage past the
piston rod. 1t is seen that maintenance of the stuffing box is of the utmost importance. Tell tales and
drainage lines should be proved free and use of oil drained from the uppermost drain should not be
allowed even after purification due to the high level of contamination which can destroy the properties of
the oil in the sump
I know of a case where due to the increased viscosity of the oil a 50% charge of hydraulic oil was
added to the sump of a very large slow speed engine under advice from the manufacturer