The lubricant works in four-stroke MAN engines running on either LNG or distillate fuels with a sulphur content of up to 0.10%
Chevron Marine Lubricant’s low-sulphated ash trunk piston engine oil Chevron HDAX 9700 has become the first lubricant to gain time-unrestricted approval for use with MAN Energy Solutions’ four-stroke engines running on either LNG or distillate fuels with a sulphur content of up to 0.10%.
Chevron HDAX 9700 is an SAE 40 engine oil designed to control sulphated ash accumulation in combustion chambers and exhaust systems, while providing sufficient alkalinity to protect against acidic corrosion.
According to Chevron, the approval is the first of its kind and means engines switching between the two fuels can use a single lubricant, rather than having to change lubricants for use with one fuel or the other.
"Other lubricants go through validation testing on engines running either gas or distillate fuels and are granted limited approval for [the second fuel that has not been tested with the lubricant]," Chevron said.
Chevron HDAX 9700 was tested on Luxembourg dredging and offshore operator Jan De Nul Group’s trailing suction hopper dredger and ultra-low emissions vessel Sanderus. The company required an engine oil with very low-sulphated ash formation due to the use of a variety of low-sulphur fuels (below 0.10% sulphur) with selective catalytic reduction and diesel particulate filter (DPF), as part of its strategy to comply with European Stage V limits on nitrous oxides and particulate matter emissions from ships.
“We needed a low-sulphated ash oil because the DPF would not handle high levels of ash deposits," Jan De Nul head of energy Michel Deruyck said. "MAN ES had not approved any low-sulphated ash oils for use with distillate fuels. We had already worked with Chevron for low-sulphated ash oils on three other vessels, so we extended the relationship and ran a validation test for HDAX 9700 on Sanderus.”
MAN granted the approval for the lubricant’s unrestricted use with distillate fuels after 6,500 running hours, making Chevron HDAX 9700 the first low-sulphated ash oil to receive such an approval. Because low-sulphated ash oils are commonly used with gas engines – which are also sensitive to sulphated ash deposits – MAN ES was also able to grant unlimited approval for the lubricant to be used when operating with LNG.
Jan De Nul said it will use the lubricant on other dredgers and jack-up vessels used in windfarm construction.
Chevron said any vessels looking to comply with emission control areas – or port emissions limits – by using either LNG or distillate fuels with aftertreatment will also be able to use Chevron HDAX 9700.
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