Boosting fuel economy with Texaco Delo 600 ADF
Lubricant provider Chevron has outlined how its Texaco Delo 600 ADF product can deliver fuel economy benefits for fleets, as well as extended diesel particulate filter (DPF) life.
“As DPFs become clogged with ash, fuel economy performance degrades due to the increased backpressure on the engine and an increase in the frequency of the DPF cleaning process known as regeneration,” explained Shawn Whitacre, Chevron senior staff engineer, engine oil product development.
“The DPF collects up to 98 per cent of particulate matter emissions in the form of ash and soot. A regeneration cycle combusts the majority of the soot from the DPF.
“The ash is incombustible material derived from metallic lubricant additives, meaning over time the DPF clogs up and equipment and fleet owners are forced to take units out of service to restore the DPF function, incurring maintenance costs, and lost productivity.
“If too much soot and ash build-up, the large amount of heat produced upon regeneration can result in DPF damage. DPF clogging increases engine back pressure, and regeneration cycles, resulting in higher fuel consumption.”
Shawn addressed the question of whether, with lower levels of additive and no phosphorus, wear control performance would be compromised.
“By rebalancing the additive system and introducing new, lower ash containing components we’ve developed a product that actually provides standout wear protection,” he explained.
“We’ve seen this in the industry standard wear tests that are part of the ACEA and API standards, in OEM testing, and also in field testing in actual in-use fleets.”
Texaco Delo 600 ADF is said to help equipment retain its fuel economy performance throughout its life.
“In our testing, using Delo 600 ADF demonstrated an average three per cent improvement in fuel economy retention compared to a conventional one per cent ash heavy-duty motor oil. For many of our customers, fuel is their number one operational cost – so that saving really adds up,” said Shawn (pictured, right).
“We have run a number of tests that include laboratory bench tests, engine tests as well as field trials. Field trials have always been a critical component of our proof of performance for Delo products and Delo 600 ADF is no exception.
“We have conducted field trials in both on-highway and off-highway equipment to prove Delo 600 ADF can extend the life of a DPF by up to 2.5x compared to a one per cent ash oil.”
The product incorporates Omnimax Technology, said to help protect both the engine and the engine aftertreatment system.
Discussing which fleets might consider Delo 600 ADF as a transition or upgrade from their current Texaco Delo heavy-duty engine oil, Shawn said: “Anyone looking for a premium, heavy-duty diesel engine oil that meets the latest industry standard requirements, including ACEA E6 and API CK-4 and major OEM specifications should consider this product.
“However, those that have equipment that have DPFs would get the most benefit. They should consider transitioning or upgrading from their current heavy-duty engine oil to help optimise protection of both their engine and engine aftertreatment system and in particular extend the life of their DPF by up to 2.5 times and improve fuel economy by up to three per cent.”
Older equipment retrofitted with a DPF would still see the benefits of DPF life extension as well as fuel economy retention, Shawn added.
He also highlighted the emission reductions benefits of the product.
“Any time you burn less fuel, you emit less carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are coming under increased scrutiny in global emission standards,” he concluded.
