The selection of marine lubricants is becoming ever more complex.
Owners and operators choosing marine lubricants are being forced to consider ever greater technical complexities including new engine designs and layout as well as different running conditions, according to Total Lubmarine.
Speciality, not commodity Image:Total Lubmarine |
According to Total's Serge Dal Farra, writing in The Motorship Magazine, influences such as LNG and fuel sulphur levels are just part of the picture that is making cylinder oil choice more difficult that simply selecting a high or low BN level.
Total flagged up the issue of LNG or distillate fuel use in ships as an issue for marine lubes producers early last year, while both Total and Castrol launched new lube technology at the end of 2013 aimed at combatting the perennial problem of cold corrosion.
However, according to Dal Farra, new engine layouts, low load operation and substandard fuel quality are also factors influencing lube development and choice. Instead of being a commodity, lubricants are becoming a specialist tool in the operators' toolkit for enhancing performance and reducing wear and maintenance.
The increase in slow steaming and the latest IMO sulphur limits - due to come into force from 2015 - add further complication for both lubes manufacturers and their customers. Further, these policies are not just applying to large ships but are also filtering down to medium-sized vessels such as ferries and cruise liners, which generally use four-stroke engines. The result is lubes technologies being adapted from the automotive and civil engineering sectors.