Concrete Products

MAY 2012

Concrete Products covers the issues that attract producers of ready mixed and manufactured concrete focusing on equipment and material technology, market development and management topics.

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FEATURE TRUCKS & COMPONENTS OIL CHANGE: NEW HEAVY-DUTY DIESEL LUBE SPEC DUE IN 2016 When it comes to diesel technology, noth- ings stands still for long. Engine manufac- turers have been busy for most of the past decade, for example, planning, designing and testing new engine platforms and sys- tems capable of meeting ever-tighter regu- latory standards for lower emissions as well as customer demands for higher reliability, economy and power. The pace has been a bit slower lately for diesel engine lubrication oils, however. The current top-level performance category for heavy-duty diesel engine oils, known as CJ- 4, went commercial more than five years ago. Over that period, diesel technology has continued to evolve, driven by design im- provements that include increases in engine power density, combustion pressures, fuel injection pressures, oil temperatures, and expanded use of wear-resistant materials in engine components, to name just a few. The last seven heavy-duty oil categories to be developed—API CE, CF-4, CH-4, CL-4, CL-4 Plus and CJ-4—were developed about three years apart starting in the late 1980s, a pace that serves to highlight the lag be- tween introduction of CJ-4 and the likeli- hood that when a new heavy-duty oil category is finally brought to commercial status in the future, CJ-4 will probably have been in effect for at least a decade. Citing concerns about the changes in en- gine technology, the age of the current cat- egory—certain engine tests for CJ-4 oils are becoming obsolete, for example—and the ability of CJ-4 oils to protect late-model engines, the Engine Manufacturers Associ- ation in June 2011 sent a formal request to the American Petroleum Institute (API) for development of a new performance cate- gory for HD oils, and API subsequently gave the green light to the project, which calls for the new category (PC-11) to be ready for commercial release in January 2016. Earlier this year, Shell Lubricants staged a briefing in Park City, Utah, to explain some of the major issues related to devel- opment of the new HD oil category. The principal objectives of PC-11, according to Shell experts, are to provide higher oil per- formance in several areas, including: • Oxidation stability • Aeration protection • Shear resistance • Compatibility with biodiesel blends • Scuffing and adhesive-wear prevention. However, any new oil category also must be capable of meeting other demands, such as better overall fuel economy and decreased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—both of which generally require lower-viscosity oils. And, PC-11 oils also must be backward-com- patible with CJ-4 performance standards, which were designed to apply to engines meeting emissions-compliance standards in effect from 2007. Shell believes that it's entirely possible for lower-viscosity oils to provide adequate en- gine protection. It cites tests of its Rotella T5 10W-30 oil versus CJ-4 15W-40 oils that have shown equal or better engine wear pro- tection results from the lighter oil over the heavier product. "Thin [lower viscosity] oil is the oil of the future," said Dan Arcy, global OEM technical manager for Shell. Even so, oil suppliers and engine builders are concerned that a single PC-11 product may not have the ability to provide satis- factory protection over the wide range of engine applications it will encounter. Thus it's likely, explained Arcy, that the new cat- egory will be split into two subcategories: one that preserves historical heavy-duty oil criteria and one that provides fuel effi- ciency benefits while maintaining durabil- ity. This will require engine-oil suppliers to develop two separate product lines to meet category performance specifications. At this time, noted Arcy, the actual per- formance targets are still not entirely clear and defined, and that it will be a "definite challenge" to have these targets defined and validated in time to meet the PC-11 re- lease timetable. Work on defining the new category began in December 2011, con- ducted by a development team comprising three representatives each from API, EMA and the Truck Manufacturers Association and the American Chemistry Council. Shell also used the briefing to call atten- 32 | MAY 2012 tion to its Rotella heavy-duty diesel engine lubrication limited warranty program, which was announced in mid-2011 and is free with the purchase and installation of Rotella T6 full synthetic, Rotella T5 syn- thetic blend or Rotella Triple Protection heavy duty engine oils. The warranty cov- ers certain HD diesel engine parts for up to 10 years or 500,000 miles. The warranty covers Class 2c–Class 8 trucks with heavy-duty diesel engines used in on-road applications with a gross vehic- ular weight of 80,000 lb. or less. Other con- ditions apply, and further details can be obtained by visiting www.rotella.com. Also in mid-2011, Shell rolled out a re- designed portfolio of transmission fluids, gearbox oils, mobile hydraulic oils, gear and axle oils, and greases for on- and off-high- way vehicles and equipment. The simplified product lineup, according to the company, is designed to make selecting the proper level of protection easier. Shell Donax and Shell Dentax products were consolidated under the Shell Spirax brand of gear oils, axle oils and transmis- sion fluids. All grease products are now under the Shell Gadus brand. Shell Retinax, Shell Rhodina, Shell Albida and Shell Alva- nia are among the products now in the Shell Gadus portfolio. The redesigned portfolio, which is in ef- fect globally, features new packaging labels and product guides to aid choice, using new names, color coding and visual icons to in- dicate individual performance benefits. — Prepared by Russ Carter, Mining Media WWW.CONCRETEPRODUCTS.COM

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