Elf lubricants - smoothing the way to a cleaner environment

Citation

(1998), "Elf lubricants - smoothing the way to a cleaner environment", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 50 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ilt.1998.01850ead.002

Elf lubricants - smoothing the way to a cleaner environment

Elf lubricants ­ smoothing the way to a cleaner environment

Keywords: Elf, Lubricants

As environment issues continue to top the agenda in Europe and in the USA, manufacturers are developing engines of the future ­ their own clean machines. On the diesel front, heavy duty engines present a particular challenge to engine oil manufacturers and Elf Oil UK Ltd has responded with the introduction of a brand new oil ­ Tecnic 3500.

Instigated largely by Elf's technical relationship with the UK arm of US-based diesel engine manufacturers Cummins, Tecnic 3500 is believed to be the first oil in Europe ­ and perhaps the world ­ to meet the requirements of the new Cummins engine specification and to pass the Cummins' developed CH-4 M11 High Soot test.

The background to this test lies in the problems created by modifying diesel engines in order to meet the Euro II standards for exhaust emission. In simple terms, the aim is that the familiar black smoke from diesel engine heavy-goods vehicles should eventually become a thing of the past.

Keeping the exhaust clean, however, means dirtier oil as the soot particles are kept inside the engine and are taken into suspension. This is problematic as adding soot to oil is like adding flour to gravy ­ thickening the base liquid to the extent that if too much is added a sludge can form.

Even more worrying is the fact that soot in large quantities is abrasive resembling a grinding paste which wears the engine in critical areas. These factors make the engine less efficient, leading to more pollution thereby defeating the original objective.

Frustrated by the time being taken for an appropriate API (American Petroleum Institute) or ACEA (Association of European Automobile Manufacturers) specification to come through to the industry, Cummins decided to issue their own requirements and established the CH-4 M11 High Soot test. This criterion, along with ACEA E3, is the only acceptable classification required for M11 and N14 engines.

After much laboratory and bench testing to get the chemistry right, Tecnic 3500 was taken to the USA for independent testing by the Texas-based Southwest Research laboratories and was deemed to have met the four test criteria set down by the CH-4 M11 High Soot test. This result, combined with Tecnic 3500's broad base of API and ACEA credentials, makes it a truly universal oil which can be used in HGVs, buses, vans, cars and contractors plant fitted with diesel engines, turbocharged or not.

According to Brain Print, Lubricants Technical services manager for Elf Oil UK, "We are delighted to have developed this versatile product which is suitable for virtually all petrol and diesel engines. The unique formulation of Tecnic 3500 protects low emission engines from wear and sludge, however, all engines will benefit from this new chemistry.

"We have found that Elf and Cummins customers such as ERF trucks, a UK-based company that fits Cummins engines to 90 per cent of its trucks, are equally pleased that a compatible high quality mineral-based engine oil, which also meets the latest European and American specifications, has been developed".

Tecnic 3500

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  European Specifications: ACEA E3/B3/A3.

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  American Specifications: API CG-4/SJ.

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  Cummins: API CH-4 M11 CES ­ 20,072.

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  Mercedes Benz: 228.3/229.1.

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  MAN: 271.

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  Volvo: VDS2.

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  Mack: EO-L.

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  VW: 501.01/505.00 (11.92).