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Improvement of engine fuel efficiency through the use of low friction engine oils is a major task in engine lubrication research. This friction reduction can be achieved by improving the rheological characteristics and elastohydrodynamic (EHD) properties of engine oils, and by controlling boundary chemical interactions between oil-based additives and lubricated components in the engine. In order to achieve minimal frictional power loss under all lubrication regimes, engine tribological systems must be designed to effectively use advanced lubricant technology, material and surface modifications. This paper presents results of cooperative research addressing opportunities for minimizing friction through extension of hydrodynamic lubrication regime in lubricated components using various formulation approaches. A set of experimental oils has been evaluated using laboratory test rigs that simulate hydrodynamic, EHD, mixed and boundary lubrication.

The wax crystals that precipitate from diesel fuels in cold weather have always created problems for drivers and distributors. Left untreated, they form relatively large flat plates which rapidly gel the fuel and block lines. Treated with conventional additives, they flow freely and form wax cakes, often permeable, on diesel vehicle main filters and thus a delicate balance exists between running freely and blocking the filters. Chemical and engineering research has lead to the creation of an additive system which modifies the sizes and shapes of these wax crystals down to micron sizes and enables them to pass through such filters. This creates an opportunity for trouble free operation at very low temperatures in fuels which it was previously impossible. Passage of the wax crystals through the filters can provide a vehicle operability level of up to 30°C below the initial crystallisation temperature.