Filtration for EPA 2010 engines keeps pace with new engine technology
As the EPA compliant 2010 heavy-duty diesel engines move into fleetoperations, there are a few things to consider regarding theirfiltration needs. Brian Tucker, product manager, engine liquids,Donaldson Co., reminds us that the 2010 EPA-certified engines’operating temperatures are much higher and injector pressures are muchgreater. Beyond that, much remains to be seen. More information will beavailable as new 2010 emission-compliant engines are purchased and puton the road. Many in the industry expect the engines will cost morebecause of the complex systems used to meet the 2010 standard.
Lubricant filtration
Tucker goes on to say, “A lot of 2010 technology is selective catalyticreduction (SCR). These systems have urea tanks, which may require SCRfluid or diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) filtration. This means there maybean additional filter that needs to be changed periodically to keep thesystem running. On the other hand, high EGR systems increase the riskfor engine oils to build up more soot and total acid level––known astotal acid number (TAN). This can be caused by increased exhaust gasthat is reintroduced into the engine’s combustion process. Monitoringengine oil health through periodic oil analysis is always a good idea.”
Paul Bandoly, technical services manager at WIX Filters, says more thanever, fleets will need to make sure they are using the productsrecommended by
filter manufacturers. Products for fuel, coolant and engine systemshave all become very sophisticated. In the old days, it used to bepossible to match them all, but those days are gone. Fleets need tomake sure they are only using products the manufacturers recommend.
As for PM intervals, Bandoly says that there will not be significantchanges. “The oils and the filters have been designed to accommodatewhat we call traditional change intervals,” he says. “What has changedis the need to do fluid analysis. In the past it was best practice todo fluid/oil analysis; today it is strongly recommended. It’s more thanjust a best practice, it’s a survival technique. You need to be awareof the typical things an oil analysis will tell you, like levels ofparticulates, but you also need to be very aware of the TPM and theTAN. Oil analysis is the only way you are going to know that. That’show you can dial in your preventative maintenance intervals.”
Tucker, adds, “ Fuel systems are becoming more complex with higherpressure injection systems. This will require tighter tolerances inthese systems which will require fine fuel filtration. Finer filtrationmeans higher filter efficiency ratings. Higher efficiency ratings meanthe filter will remove smaller contaminants from the fuel. So, forfilters the performance requirement is much higher efficiency withoutsacrificing filter life.”
For lube filtration, oil filters will be expected to go fartherdistances than before. Tucker expects standard preventative maintenanceintervals will be on the increase as longer recommended maintenanceintervals are introduced. These change intervals will be higher thanever before. Check with your OEM for your recommended oil changeintervals.
Steve Merritt, senior director, product engineering at Baldwin Filters,says, “As always, PM intervals and practices recommended by the OE willneed to be followed, and oil analysis should be used to monitor theengine. Fuel filters will likely be more efficient on 2010 engines.”
According to the lubricant filtration experts at SPX, fleets need to beaware that filters manufactured for the filtration of lube oil indiesel engines vary in their ability to remove contaminants. Thecompany notes that its SPX Filtran’s DoubleDuty filter, which combinesa full-flow oil filter with a spiral wound cotton bypass filter, hasbeen tested to remove contaminants down to a level of four microns. Thefilter’s bypass element also has the ability to absorb soot from lubeoils, the company said.
SPX believes that fleets can determine the best filtration for theirneeds through the use of an oil analysis program, which should beprovided by an accredited fluid analysis lab, such as its SPX Filtran’sTechnical Center. Testing should provide wear metal analysis, particlecount, soot, viscosity and TBN/TAN analysis. In addition, fleets shouldmake sure the service provides trending reports by vehicle.
Generally, the same requirements for quality filtration will apply to2010 engines as they have in the past, say filtration experts atCummins Fleetguard. The company points out that several Fleetguardproducts have been developed along with many 2010 engine models toprotect and enhance the various operating systems for optimalperformance and life. Working directly with several enginemanufacturers, the company said it provides innovative products thatare developed and tested in conjunction with the newemissions-certified engines. As emission changes have become morestringent, the new engine technologies have increased the need for highquality filtration.
Oil change intervals for 2010 are variable by engine OEM. Obviously,market pressures for fleets to continuously manage costs will keepinterest high for extending oil/filter change intervals. In order toextend maintenance intervals, it is critical to use filtration productsthat are suited for longer exposure to hot fluids and can manage extracontaminant loading while maintaining long life. According to CumminsFiltration, its products for both normal and extended service intervalsoffer cost effective options for the new engines.
Adding regular fluid testing to the maintenance regimen ensures thatfluid condition issues are detected early to avoid operation downtime. Cummins Filtration offers several fluid testing programs and“do-it-yourself” testing kits.
Coolant filter changes
Donaldson’s Tucker says, for 2010 the industry doesn’t foresee a largeimpact on coolant filtration. Two solutions are available for 2010 SCRwith light EGR and heavy EGR. For OEMs using heavy EGR there is anadditional burden placed on coolant system to cool the exhaust gas inyour engine. The coolant will be seeing increased thermal cycling. Thisadditional cycling can deplete the coolant additives over time. “So intheory, coolant conditions should be checked more frequently to ensurecoolant additive health,” he adds.
Bandoly from WIX says that different coolant filtration will not benecessary, but certainly more attentive maintenance will be required.“Most importantly, you need to know exactly what fluid is in thesystem” he notes. “Coolant has become a very divergent family of fluidswith all different kinds of chemistry. Just like fluids used elsewhere,each type of chemistry is very specific to the job and the environment.Mixing and matching different coolants doesn’t work. With coolant, thebig issue is actually knowing with which one you’re working. Do youhave traditional coolant that will require traditional supplementalcoolant additives? Do you have a new organic acid coolant? Do you havean extended-service traditional blend? What type of chemistry are youdealing with? That’s the key to servicing today’s modern coolants.”
Cummins Fleetguard experts agree. While they do not anticipate changesin cooling system maintenance requirements, they that noted thatimproper cooling system maintenance accounts for over 40% of all enginerepair costs. It is important to choose a fully formulatedantifreeze/coolant that meets TM CRP 329 or RP330 specifications. Thecompany offers several options under its Fleetguard brand. The newglycerin formula uses non-toxic glycerin derived from renewable sources(in lieu of traditional ethylene glycol or propylene glycol) toeffectively extend service intervals and provide ultimate protection ina greener product.
The company goes on to recommend the installation of a high qualitychemical or non-chemical coolant filter matched to oil drain intervalsor the appropriate dose of liquid supplemental coolant additives likeFleetguard DCA4 or Fleetcool SCA. Coolant testing should be done atleast twice annually or when major coolant loss occurs.
Baldwin’s Merritt agrees, “It is expected 2010 engines will runslightly warmer so monitoring the coolant systems will be necessary.”
Filter technology
It is always important for fleets to protect their engines with highquality filtration, says Cummins Filtration, which works closely withthe OEM. The company notes that there are differences in filtrationchoices for modern diesel engines. For example, with the addition ofglobal clean air standards, more contamination is introduced into thelube system due to the combustion process, engine wear and spentadditives. This situation makes high quality lube filtration moreimportant than ever. Organic contamination like sludge and soot cancause increased oil viscosity that has negative effects on the engine,including reduced start-up flow, lack of lubrication to components,engine wear and increased fuel consumption.
To remove this harmful sludge, Cummins Filtration recommends the use ofbypass filtration. The need for additional lubricity in newer dieselengines also requires high quality fuel filtration systems. Lack ofadequate fuel lubricity reduces friction and wear in fuel pumps thatcan adversely affect fuel injection equipment life.
Today’s engines have prescription filtration says Bandoly. “That’s aterm WIX has used for a long time. The products made for today’sengines are specifically designed for those engines. They areengineered to deal with temperatures, fuels and by-products that areput in the oil after combustion. Today you are seeing a lot moresophisticated filter media and designs in filtration that areengineered for specific engines. Rarely on today’s modern engines willyou end up with an old technology product being recommended for a newtechnology engine. The media is more sophisticated, the robustness ofthe materials is different and it goes back to prescriptionfiltration––filters that are designed to meet the exact needs ofspecific engines.”
Baldwin’s Merritt agrees, “Fuel filtration efficiencies on 2010 engineswill increase. Make sure the filters used on 2010 engines meet the OEspecifications.”
SPX states that there are always going to be filters that do a superiorjob compared to others. In today’s engines it is extremely important tocontrol the build up of soot in the engine because of the exhaustmanagement systems.
Work with suppliers
Baldwin’s Merritt says, “Fleets can work with their filtrationsuppliers to ensure the filters they are buying meet OE specifications.”
According to Bandoly with WIX, “Fleets should sit down with the filtermanufacturer at the start of every year when they get in new equipment.They need to make sure to consult the most up-to-date catalog to ensurethat they are using the most current recommendations for all products.A dedicated sales force in the field can sit down and go through afleet’s inventory to help fleets identify what products they are usingon what equipment and validate that those products are the rightfilters as currently recommended. It should be noted thatrecommendations for part numbers are upgraded all the time, filters aresuperseded and changed on a regular basis, so fleets should make surethat at least annually they are consulting with their filtermanufacturers to make sure they are using the correct filters.”
Next, fleets need to inform their filter representatives about the oilanalysis and other types of service information they are using to maketheir decisions. This will give filter manufacturers the informationthey need to help fleets make those critical filtration decisions.
Become a partner with all your suppliers to understand their productsand find the ones that meet your needs. For example, look for asupplier that meets your company’s expectations for PM intervallength. There isn’t one best solution for a particular fleet. Rather,there is one that is best for each operation.
Donaldson’s Tucker agrees, “Know your filter supplier. Make sure theyunderstand the OEM specifications, make sure they meet them. This isespecially true as we move forward based on the changes in engineoperating pressures and temperatures that we’ve discussed. Fleets willneed higher efficiency and longer life than in the past.
Other considerations
Baldwin’s Merritt believes that filter manufacturers will need toverify that filter components, such as gaskets, are compatible withincreased engine temperatures.
Cummins Fleetguard notes that failure to protect the engine’s vitalair, coolant, fuel and lube systems with quality filtration could havelong-term damaging effects, with decreased operating uptime andexpensive engine repair. The company says it uses a total systemapproach to engine care by providing all the essential filtration andcoolant products that fully protect the modern diesel engine.Investment in quality filtration saves money in the long run throughenhanced performance and longer engine life.
Bandoly of WIX notes that, “Cleanliness of fluids, specifically fuel,is a concern. Today, we’re dealing with ultra-low sulfur diesels andwe’re dealing with more introductions of biodiesel blends into thesesystems. We’re also dealing with new coolants. So, knowledge of yourfluids and how to keep those fluids clean before they go into thesystem, and analysis of those fluids, is a must now.”
Regarding filtration, keeping the filters clean prior to installationgoes a long way toward keeping the system clean. As far as other issuesrelated to filtration, use the most current recommendations from thefilter manufacturer, receive updated filter recommendations at leastonce a year, do fluid analysis, and be completely aware of what typesof fluids are in your engines.
SPX states that fleets need to pay close attention to the life of thefilter as well as its ability to provide quality filtration. Thecompany said its SPX Filtran’s DoubleDuty filters have been proven infield testing to have as much as 25% of their filtering capacityavailable even after being installed on over-the-road vehicles after100,000 miles.
