Consumables, Fuel and the Economy
By BRETT WINBERG, LubeTrak

In today’s market place, everything is going up in cost, (Housing, Entertainment, Travel, Medical Care, Insurance and Food), but our income and ability to pay for the increases on all these items has put stress and pressure on over 80% for the worlds families and individuals trying to survive in today’s economy.

While the rest of the world is gagging at the thought of paying an average of $3.611 (as of today’s writing) a gallon for regular gasoline, and our dear friends over the pond in the UK paying close to $7.00 per gallon of gasoline, diesel fuel for the first time hit the $4 mark here in the US, with today’s national average of 4.239, causing an increase in cost for the transportation of products to wholesalers and retailers.

The price of diesel has been driven up by demand in Europe and China, where diesel-powered vehicles are predominant, but the US also contributes to the demand by our power generation, trucking, rail and shipping industry, which has made diesel reach a critical stage around the world.

You may be asking yourself, what does this have to do with LubeTalk and Oil Analysis? Great question… let’s see if we can address a few items that may help reduce transportation costs all around the world. Maybe just a couple of these suggestions below may help reduce the cost of getting food and other valuable consumables to all of the world and their families.

Suggestion One:
Oil Analysis - Oil analysis can be a great tool for the transportation industry as well as the manufacturing industry. Becoming Proactive and ‘Green’ in your maintenance practices you will begin to save money in many different areas of your maintenance program.  Your labor, disposal fees, consumption, will all be reduced as your reliability will increase saving money and downtime related issues.

Oil analysis relates to fluid contamination (moisture, heat, particles, glycol, and depletion of the additives) of the lubricant being monitored. Finding out how the lubricant becomes contaminated is also a step, and to eliminate the entry point is a big factor when going to condition based monitoring.

Oil analysis will also suggest if the oils being monitored will be able to be extended for use which in return reduces oil consumption, labor and usage. Extended oil drain intervals mean less oil used and a bottom line savings. Increased efficiencies in your maintenance program means lower overall transportation costs.

Suggestion Two:
Filtration - Better filtration on equipment will allow for extended drain intervals as well as less wear on internal components. Smaller particles become silt which coats metal surfaces, clogs oil flows and causes sticking components. This can result in power losses of 15-20% using more fuel, leading to slower response times from equipment, premature wear and eventual equipment failure.

When an engine or hydraulic system runs clean 100% of the time, engine wear and pump wear is significantly reduced. You can routinely expect more than double the historical or expected life of the equipment. Additional filtration offers a means of cleaning the oil 100% of the time.

A factory full flow filter has too high of flow rate to actually clean the oil. In fact, most factory filters will protect the engine or hydraulic system from large damaging particles up to 25 micron. After 25 micron, the particles are too small to be picked up by the main filter. Better filtration will show a savings both on equipment and on the budget when implementing with your oil analysis program.

Suggestion Three:
Aftermarket Additives - Everywhere you turn, you see additives on the shelves of every automotive and trucking retail store in the world. With so many choices, how do we know which one will work and at the same time not damage the component it will be added too?

The term "additives" encompass all supplemental products including those identified as metal treatments, metal conditioners, or surface modifiers. One particular type being promoted is a chlorine containing additive or "chlorinated additive". A little chlorine can't hurt since it's been used for many years as an additive… right? Wrong…. chlorinated additives are primarily used as extreme pressure additives in fluids and oils for industrial systems where boundary lubrication prevails. Boundary lubrication occurs when you have high loading (and usually high temperatures) between two rubbing surfaces that essentially force out the bulk fluid leaving a thin residual or surface film remaining to provide the needed lubrication.

Although some of the currently marketed chlorinated additives for engine crankcase applications may contain corrosion inhibitors in their formulation, these should be viewed as a merely short-term fix (if that) and something that cannot provide any long-term protection. As the corrosion process isn't generally visible to the operator, it can continue until the cumulative effects induce problems causing engine malfunctions.

Corrosion brought on by chlorinated products within an engine can be a "silent killer". Having seen many great additives on the market that work and contain no chlorine, we recommend that you exercise due diligence. Testing shows extended component life as well as increased mileage when using in a diesel or gasoline application. Always check what aftermarket additive you choose to see if chlorine is present and could become the “silent killer”.

A Word on Fuel Additives. Until recent years diesel fuel was a fairly reliable material. As the demand for middle and light distillates grew; refiners had to change their methods of making these products in order to reduce more of them from each barrel of crude oil. This change was to take heavier oils from the crude and catalytically crack them to produce oil that met the ASTM specifications for a #2 fuel.

There are many fuel additives on the market that say they increase lubricity and help lubricate all the components of the fuel system, but don’t be fooled. Most fuel additives are made up of the same five constituents of diesel fuel, which in the end; really do not change any values of the diesel fuel. We recommend asking for the manufacture testing of the additive and to assure they have tested their product using the ASTM D-6078 or ASTM D6079 standard. This will give you and your equipment the assurance that improved lubricity can be achieved and that your diesel fuel is helping protect the fuel system components.

A good practice for all Fleet Managers would be to test the diesel fuel periodically that you are receiving from your supplier. This will reassure your fuel is of ASTM D975 standards as well as support the manufacturer’s requirements as to the cleanliness and quality of the fuel you are burning in your equipment. Cetane, BTU’s, Lubricity and other key components can assure you are getting the best fuel possible, again lowering overall transportation costs.

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