WHAT IS SULFATED ASH IN ENGINE OILS

The term sulfated ash relates to the amount of metallic elements in engine
oils, which are mostly derived from the engine oil's detergent and antiwear
additive chemistry. These additive packages contain multiple components
based on metals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, etc. Because a 100
percent seal between the piston rings can never be achieved, a certain
amount of engine oil will enter the combustion burn.

As the engine oil enters the combustion chamber and burns, its residue
forms an ash-like material. This ash-like material contributes to deposits in
the crown land above the piston ring as well as to deposits in the ring
grooves. These deposits can lead to rubbing wear on the cylinder liner and
cause the piston rings to not operate freely. Ultimately, as the cylinder liner-
to-ring interface is compromised high oil consumption can occur.4 In
addition to these deposits, inorganic compounds from the lubricating oil's
additives can become oxidized during combustion and generate metal
oxide particles. These particles can be carried downstream with the
exhaust and collect on the diesel particulate filter. These ash particles
cannot be removed by filter regeneration because they are not
combustible. As the ash particles accumulate, they result in filter blockage
that increases back pressure to the engine, increasing fuel consumption
and decreasing power. Ash particle buildup also necessitates more
frequent cleaning of the particulate filters by mechanical means such as
compressed air or water-pulse methods.

An engine oil's sulfated ash content also directly relates to an engine oil's
acid neutralization capabilities (BN), because most of an engine oil's BN
comes from the metal-containing detergent additives. Generally, the higher
an engine oil's BN, the higher its ash content and the greater its ability to
prevent acidic corrosion in the engine. Fortunately, with the mandated use
of ultra low sulfur diesel fuel in on-highway applications, corrosion from fuel
sulfur will require less of a need for BN control and thus a lower ash
content.