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The specific goal of this project was to determine if there is a difference in the lube oil degradation rates in a heavy-duty diesel engine equipped with an EGR system, as compared to the same configuration of the engine, but minus the EGR system. A secondary goal was to develop FTIR analysis of used lube oil as a sensitive technique for rapid evaluation of the degradation properties of lubricants. The test engine selected for this work was a Caterpillar 3176 engine. Two engine configurations were used, a standard 1994 design and a 1994 configuration with EGR designed to meet the 2004 emissions standards. The most significant changes in the lubricant occurred during the first 50-100 hours of operation. The results clearly demonstrated that the use of EGR has a significant impact on the degradation of the engine lubricant.

Previous studies examined the effect of low levels of silicate (∼<75ppm Si) on hot aluminum corrosion protection. The corrosion protection provided by different coolant technologies was evaluated at different silicate levels. The results indicated that small amounts of silicate have a negative effect on the corrosion protection of aluminum. This work will examine these results and evaluate the effectiveness of different laboratory tests for determining coolant “compatibility.” Results will be examined from several bench and fleet tests showing the effect of coolant mixing on the corrosion rates in various environments. The bench test results will include laboratory glassware and dynamic tests that have been used historically to evaluate coolant compatibility. Differences between the test methods will also be evaluated to determine the relevance of each test procedure in light of the fleet observations.