Are your fuel costs heavy duty?

Where does the fuel go?

Fuel is a leading operating expense for individual owner/ operators and fleets. Approximately half of the energy produced from fuel is lost as heat; a further 15% is lost as friction, leaving only about 35% of the energy for hauling. Although friction cannot be completely eliminated, there are ways to reduce friction and increase fuel economy. Within an engine, there are two types of friction: viscous friction and contact friction. Viscous friction is related to the thickness of the oil and includes the energy losses related to pumping and moving engine parts through the oil. Contact friction is a result of metal-to-metal contact which can be due to inadequate lubrication. A high degree of friction can lead to both engine wear and a reduction in fuel economy. The aim of this guide is to supply you with information to help you choose a balanced formulation that will provide engine protection with better fuel economy.

How does friction affect fuel economy?

Friction is always present. However, there are times when friction has a greater impact on fuel economy and engine wear. Low temperature operation is one of those times. During cold engine start-up and stop-and-go driving your oil will be the most viscous. This can lead to a high degree of viscous friction and as a result, it can reduce fuel economy. Another instance when friction has a large effect on fuel economy is when engine components rub against one another. This can occur during engine start-up if the oil is too viscous to be pumped or at high temperatures if the oil is not thick enough to keep engine components separated. Figure B shows the relationship between lubricant viscosity and friction. It illustrates that there is an optimal viscosity which minimizes overall engine friction by balancing contact and viscous friction Figure B: Engine Friction Curve

Figure A: Fuel Energy Breakdown

Are your fuel costs heavy duty?

Can viscosity be controlled? How much savings can I capture?
With regards to how your lubricant can impact fuel economy, the single most important parameter is viscosity control. Having the optimum viscosity at each operating condition will minimize overall engine friction and reduce fuel consumption. For low temperature and stop-and-go operation there is the potential for up to 5% fuel savings. A multigrade lubricant with a low W grade could provide improved savings. For example, using a 5W-XX compared to a 15W-XX would provide a better chance at capturing the potential fuel savings. For normal operation, once the engine is warmed up, there is the potential for up to 2% fuel savings. A multigrade lubricant with a lower, hightemperature viscosity grade could provide improved savings. For example, using a XW-30 compared to a XW-40 would provide a better chance of capturing the potential fuel savings. Additionally, these two modes of fuel savings could be combined by using a SAE 5W-30 for even greater potential benefit. Also, viscosity can increase over time because of lubricant break-down and contamination. Soot particles, contaminants, and by-products of oil break-down can lead to oil thickening. This can lead to reduced fuel economy and compromise wear protection. A lubricant must be specifically designed to resist thermal, oxidative, and soot induced thickening. If an oil can maintain its original viscosity, there is potential for fuel savings of up to 5% over the course of an oil drain interval. Viscosity retention may have the largest influence on total fuel savings because it plays a role across all operating conditions. Although fuel economy is a major concern, it is also important to choose a lubricant that can provide excellent engine protection. Mobil Delvac 1 LE 5W-30 has been formulated to achieve optimised performance as demonstrated by it's 5W-30 viscosity grade designation and extended drain approvals. Testing source: EMRE Figure C: Multigrade engine oils show less viscosity change over temperature range The challenge is to formulate a lubricant that will maintain the desired viscosity over a wide temperature range and over the course of the drain interval. There are many different viscosity grades available and the optimal grade is going to be different depending on the specific engine and operating conditions. However, in choosing a lubricant capable of maintaining an optimal viscosity over a wide temperature range, high viscosity index (VI) is a key parameter. VI is a measure of how the viscosity changes with temperature. The viscosity of a high VI lubricant will not change as much as the viscosity of a low VI lubricant when the temperature changes. This means that at low temperatures the lubricant will be less viscous, leading to better fuel economy relative to a low VI lubricant. At high temperatures, the lubricant will be more viscous giving a greater film thickness compared to a low VI lubricant. This could allow the use of a lower viscosity lubricant to enhance fuel economy while maintaining engine protection. Figure C compares how viscosity changes with temperature for a multigrade (high VI) and a monograde (low VI) engine oil.

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