Engine Lubricant Adjustment for Sustainable Fuel Dilution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Advanced sustainable fuels cause increased fuel dilution in engine lubricants, leading to reduced lubricating ability, increased oil volatility, and engine component wear, necessitating frequent oil replacement and potential damage.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize fuel distillation datasets to calculate optimized adjustment temperatures for engine operating conditions, adjusting radiator cooling and blowby rates to mitigate fuel dilution by optimizing lubricant composition parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If advanced sustainable fuels are used in internal combustion engines, then carbon dioxide emissions are reduced, but fuel dilution in engine lubricant increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the chemical composition parameters of the lubricant by incorporating specific antioxidants (amines and phenols) in optimized concentrations to counteract the effects of advanced sustainable fuels. This parameter change allows the lubricant to maintain stability despite exposure to fuels with different molecular weight distributions and combustion byproducts.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite lubricant formulation combining hydrocarbon base stock with multiple additive packages including antioxidants, detergents, and dispersants. This composite structure provides synergistic protection against fuel dilution while maintaining compatibility with advanced sustainable fuels, resolving the contradiction between emission reduction and lubricant stability.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If fuel dilution in engine lubricant increases, then carbon dioxide emissions are reduced, but lubricating ability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adjusts the viscosity and chemical composition parameters of the lubricant through selective additive packaging. The antioxidants (0.01-5 wt% amines and 0.01-5 wt% phenols) modify the lubricant's resistance to fuel dilution effects, maintaining film strength and lubricating ability even when exposed to advanced sustainable fuels that would otherwise cause performance degradation.
Solution Approach 2:
The lubricant formulation includes detergents and dispersants that actively respond to fuel dilution conditions by maintaining engine cleanliness and preventing deposit formation. This feedback mechanism ensures continuous protection of lubricating ability despite varying fuel dilution levels caused by advanced sustainable fuel operation.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If fuel dilution in engine lubricant increases, then carbon dioxide emissions are reduced, but oil volatility increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the volatility parameters of the lubricant through antioxidant selection and concentration optimization. The aminic and phenolic antioxidants form protective films that reduce oil vapor pressure and volatility, counteracting the thinning effect of fuel dilution and preventing excessive oil vaporization at engine operating temperatures.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If fuel dilution in engine lubricant increases, then carbon dioxide emissions are reduced, but deposit and wear of engine components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs a composite additive package including detergents, dispersants, and antioxidants that work synergistically to prevent deposit formation and reduce wear. The detergents keep engine surfaces clean, dispersants suspend contaminants, and antioxidants prevent oxidative degradation, collectively counteracting the harmful effects of fuel dilution from advanced sustainable fuels.
Solution Approach 2:
The lubricant formulation includes active ingredients that continuously monitor and respond to fuel dilution conditions. The detergents and dispersants adjust their protective functions based on the presence of fuel contaminants, maintaining engine component protection despite varying levels of fuel exposure during advanced sustainable fuel operation.
Data Source
AI summary
Fuel dilution of a lubricant in an engine may be reduced through adjustment methods. Example fuel dilution adjustment methods may include: storing a first fuel distillation dataset for a lubricant composition operating with a first fuel, a second fuel distillation dataset for the lubricant composition operating with a second fuel; calculating a first temperature factor for the first fuel at a reference temperature; calculating an optimized adjustment temperature; and adjusting an operational fuel dilution of the lubricant composition in an internal combustion engine based on the optimized adjustment temperature. Example lubricant compositions may maintain total deposits less than 10 mg from TEOST MHT4 (ASTM D7097) in the presence of a depositor compound, wherein the depositor compound comprises about 0.01 wt % to about 15 wt % diethyl benzene or about 0.01 wt % to about 15 wt % mesitylene.