Chevron Products Co. has introduced its new Delo 600 ADF engine oil with Omnimax technology. The new oil cuts down on ash buildup by 60%, leading to increased life for the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) and reduced maintenance costs, the company says.
According to Kamala Krishna, manager of process research in downstream technology and services for Chevron, the idea for this product came about back in 2003 when an OEM asked whether it is possible to reduce or change the metal additives that lead to the ash that builds up in the DPF–a common source of maintenance headaches for fleets.
Chevron began working on answering this question and, many years later, the result is 600 ADF. They began by looking for ways to reduce metallic material in the oil, which ends up turning into ash and clogging the DPF. 90% of the overall ash present in the DPF comes from the lubricant. 600 ADF drops the amount of ash in the oil from 1% and 0.4%–a 60% decrease.
Chevron worked with the truck OEMs on this product to make sure that it was up to par; and according to Keith Shaw, global manager of OEM technical services and approvals for Chevron, the OEMs have independently spent about $5 million testing this product in their own engines.
According to Shawn Whitacre, senior staff engineer for Chevron, there are three main benefits of this new engine oil for the end-user.
1. Aftertreatment protection
“By reducing the amount of metallic components in the engine oil by 60%, and replacing them with high-performance additives that don’t contribute to the clogging of the diesel particulate filter over time, we can offer a significant extension in the time between those maintenance events,” Whitacre says.
Pushing the interval out, he notes, reduces maintenance costs and the costs of having the DPF off the road and in the shop.
2. Drain interval extension
Whitacre notes that oxidation performance is “probably the most significant” factor for OEMs when setting the length of time/mileage between oil changes. He says that 600 ADF’s improved performance in this category allows the oil to stand up to the high temperature operation that is prevalent in today’s engine, which means fleets can feel more comfortable extending their oil drain intervals (and reducing maintenance costs as a result).
3. Fuel economy retention
“As those lube oil constituents accumulate in the DPF, they steal space away from the function of the device that would otherwise be available to accumulate burn off the particulate matter emissions,” Whitacre explains. “This increases the frequency of regeneration events, which typically consume a lot of fuel themselves. It also creates a back pressure which reduces the efficiency of the engine. All of this has a negative impact on the fuel efficiency of the engine.”
According to Whitacre, Chevron’s testing and research shows that the improved aging performance of this oil delivers a 3% fuel economy retention advantage.
Delo 600 ADF will be available on Dec. 2 in 15W-40 and 10W-30 varieties.
