Assessment of the Impact of Lubricating Oil Contamination by Biodiesel on Trunk Piston Engine Reliability

Leszek Chybowski (), Przemysław Kowalak () and Piotr Dąbrowski
Additional contact information
Leszek Chybowski: Department of Machine Construction and Materials, Faculty of Marine Engineering, Maritime University of Szczecin, ul. Willowa 2, 71-650 Szczecin, Poland
Przemysław Kowalak: Department of Marine Power Plants, Faculty of Marine Engineering, Maritime University of Szczecin, ul. Willowa, 71-650 Szczecin, Poland
Piotr Dąbrowski: Independent Researcher, 71-650 Szczecin, Poland

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 13, 1-30

Abstract: The rheological, ignition, and tribological properties of lubricating oils diluted with biodiesel were analyzed. The flash point t FP , calculated cetane index CCI , density ρ , coefficient of the temperature density change ε , kinematic viscosity ν , dynamic viscosity η , viscosity index VI , and lubricity during a High-Frequency Reciprocating Rig (HFFR) test ( x , y , WSD , and WS 1.4 ) and lubricating conditions during an HFFR test (oil film resistance FILM and friction coefficient μ ) were determined. The test was performed for the oil mixtures of the lubricating oil of the SAE 30 and SAE 40 viscosity grades, which were diluted with the biodiesel blend (D93B7—diesel oil with 7% v / v fatty acid methyl esters, FAME) at concentrations of diesel oil in the mixture equal to 0% (pure lubricating oil), 1%, 2%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 50%, and 75% m/m, respectively. The experiment confirmed the existence of clear relationships between the increase in the dilution of lubricating oil with tested biodiesel blend and t FP , ρ , ε , ν , η , and VI , and the deterioration of lubrication conditions. It is recommended to take remedial action even in the case of low diesel oil concentration (<5% m/m) in the lubricating oil due to t FP , ν , and η changes. Simultaneously, the tests showed no significant effect on the lubricity and the CCI . The critical contamination of oil with fuel in the range of 2–5% by weight, as indicated in the literature, still allowed for a certain “safety margin” regarding these parameters. However, when the concentration of diesel fuel in the lubricating oil exceeded 5–8% m/m, the deterioration of the lubrication was expressed by a decrease in FILM and an increase in μ was observed; hence, such a contamination should be considered excessive. When the concentration of diesel fuel exceeds 10% by weight, there is a serious risk of engine damage during operation.

Keywords: crankcase explosion; lubricating oil properties; oil dilution with distillation fuel; high-frequency reciprocating rig; HFFR; mechanical wear; anti-wear properties; lubricity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/13/5056/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/13/5056/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:13:p:5056-:d:1183027

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().