INVESTIGATION OF THE ROLE OF LUBRICATING OIL ON PARTICULATE MATTER EMISSIONS FROM VEHICLES
CRC Project No. AVFL-14
Leaders: D. R. Lawson
C. H. Schleyer
Scope and Objective
This project is evaluating eight types of vehicles using conventional and advanced lubricants. The evaluation focuses on PM emissions for each vehicle/lubricant combination. The evaluations are being conducted at cold operating conditions (30°F) and at normal operating conditions (72°F) on two lubricant formulations. The impact of ethanol at a 10% blend level is being studied in LD vehicles, and the impact of biodiesel at a 20% blend level is being studied in the medium-duty (MD) vehicles.
Vehicles included in the study are defined as follows:
- Normal-emitting gasoline vehicle – LD vehicle using a model year of 2002 or newer gasoline-powered vehicle with fewer than 75,000 miles.
- High-emitting gasoline vehicle – LD, gasoline-powered vehicle with known PM emissions rate of greater than 200 mg/mile over the Unified Driving Cycle and whose emissions are consistently high with high lubrication oil consumption, and/or has visible smoke related to lubrication oil.
- Normal-emitting diesel vehicle – HD vehicle with a diesel engine displacement of at least 7.2 liters and a minimum rated torque of 660 ft-lbs. Engine model year 2002 or newer with fewer than 270,000 miles. No PM control technology (filter, trap, oxidation catalyst).
- High-emitting diesel vehicle – HD vehicle with a diesel engine displacement of at least 7.2 liters and a minimum rated torque of 660 ft-lbs. Engine/vehicle model year 1996 or older and known to emit high levels of PM. High lubrication oil consumption, and/or visible smoke related to lubrication oil.
- Normal-emitting natural gas vehicle – modern CNG- or LNG-fueled transit bus or school bus of model year 2002 or newer with fewer than 270,000 miles. Displacement of at least 7.6 liters and a minimum rated torque of 660 ft-lbs.
- High-emitting natural gas vehicle – high-mileage CNG- or LNG-fueled transit bus or school bus, known to emit measurable levels of PM. High lubrication oil consumption, and/or visible smoke related to lubrication oil.
- Normal-emitting MD diesel vehicle – a MD pickup truck with a diesel engine. Model year 2002 or newer with fewer than 30,000-75,000 miles on the odometer.
- High-emitting MD diesel vehicle – a heavy-duty pickup truck with a diesel engine. Model year 1996 or older and known to emit high levels of PM, has high lubrication oil consumption, and/or visible smoke related to lubrication oil.
This project is also known as the Collaborative Lubricating Oil Study on Emissions (CLOSE) Project, and includes the participation of co-sponsors: DOE/NREL, SCAQMD, and CARB.
The American Chemistry Council (ACC) joined the project after its inception, providing technical expertise and test lubricants, including the used oils from other ongoing ACC programs.
A kick-off meeting was held in San Antonio in May 2007; project data review meetings are held periodically where the status and scope are reviewed. In 2008, CRC and other sponsors expanded the study to include some repeat testing, in the interest of better separating fuel and lubricant effects from testing variances.
The selection of the high-emitting light-duty vehicle was approved, after review of the data from an additional investigation of the oil consumption rate and potential consumption mechanisms, funded directly by Lubrizol.
The project is ongoing and expected to continue through 2008, with reporting in 2009.
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