Chevron lubricant approved for MAN four-stroke engines using gas or distillate fuels
15 January 2022
Chevron Marine Lubricant announced that their low sulfated ash trunk piston engine oil Chevron HDAX 9700 has received time-unrestricted approval for use with MAN Energy Solutions’ four-stroke engines running on either LNG or distillate fuels with a sulfur content of up to 0.10%.
The approval offers simplicity for operators switching between the two fuels, meaning that they can use just one lubricant, rather than having to change lubricants after a fixed period operating on one fuel or the other. Chevron HDAX 9700 is the first low sulfated ash oil to receive such an approval, the company said. Other lubricants go through validation testing on engines running either gas or distillate fuels and are granted limited approval for the other fuel.
Chevron HDAX 9700 was tested on the ultra-low emission dredging vessel Sanderus, operated by Luxembourg-based Jan De Nul Group. The company required an engine oil with very low sulfated ash formation due to the use of a variety of low sulfur fuels with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and diesel particulate filter (DPF) aftertreatment, as part of its strategy to comply with EU Stage V limits for NOx and PM emissions from ships.
Michel Deruyck of Jan De Nul explained: “We needed a low sulfated ash oil because the DPF would not handle high levels of ash deposits. But MAN ES had not approved any low sulfated ash oils for use with distillate fuels. We had already worked with Chevron for low sulfated ash oils on three other vessels, so we extended the relationship and ran a validation test for HDAX 9700 on Sanderus.”
Chevron HDAX 9700 is an SAE 40 engine oil that is designed to control sulfated ash accumulation in combustion chambers and exhaust system, while providing sufficient alkalinity to protect against acidic corrosion. The approval for unrestricted use with distillate fuels was granted after 6,500 running hours. Because low sulfated ash oils are commonly used with gas engines—which are also sensitive to sulfated ash deposits—MAN ES was also able to grant unlimited approval for the lubricant to be used when operating with LNG.
Source: Chevron