Oiling the wheels of EU emissions policy

Published Thursday 3rd February 2011

Attempts to make greener engine oils could jeopardize our chances of meeting targets for CO2 emissions and fuel economy – that all-important ‘miles per gallon’ figure.

A research project headed by the University of Leeds is set to ensure that both can be achieved, news that should please commuters and environmentalists alike.

Today's engine oils rely on chemical additives to protect against wear and reduce friction, helping extend the life of moving parts and minimize fuel consumption. Many of these additives poison catalytic converters, prompting a hunt for 'greener' lubricants. However, maintaining performance without these key ingredients is a major challenge.

But the oil itself is only one part of the equation, according to engineers at the University of Leeds.  They are instead advocating a more holistic approach that looks at the lubricant and the surfaces it coats at the same time, not separately. All reactions between the oil and any parts it touches - the interface - will be taken into account during the design of a whole new lubrication system.

"This concept of 'interface design' is central," said Professor Anne Neville, who is coordinating the 2020 Interface project. "In the past, work in this area has focussed either on the relatively good design of the lubricant or the development of functional coatings - not the relationship between the two."

"While relatively good progress has been made, if we are going to meet these EU targets, we now need a major improvement in efficiency. We believe that our approach is the best way to achieve that.  By designing the interface, rather than the separate components, we can be sure to get the properties we want in terms of engine efficiency," she said.

In this new project, co-ordinated by the University of Leeds, a team of European Universities and companies will investigate how the use of advanced diamond-like carbon (DLC) surfaces can help optimise engine performance. Team members will study how binding between the lubricant and  DLC surfaces can be controlled by altering the design of the surface.  The 'interface' - the distance between the moving parts of an engine - is just 20 nanometres thick, so skills in nano-engineering will be required.

The researchers will also draw on the latest lubricant additive technology using, as far as possible, formulations that do not contain any sulphur or phosphorus - chemical additives that may be further restricted in future.  The work will be applicable to petrol and diesel engines, for both domestic and commercial vehicles.

The €6 million project is due to run for three years, with €3.5 million contributed from the European Union.  Eight partners from across Europe are taking part including Volvo, R&D centre of the bearing manufacturer SKF, lubricant additive specialists The Lubrizol Corporation and DLC surfaces manufacturer Sulzer.  Academic partners are Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal;  University of Ljubljana, Slovenia;  University of Groningen, Holland.

For further information:
Paula Gould, University of Leeds press office: tl 0113 343 8059, e p.a.gould@leeds.ac.uk

Notes to editors:
The project is called 2020 Interface: Tailoring of tribological interfaces for clean and energy-efficient gasoline and diesel powertrains.

The partners are: University of Leeds, UK; Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal; University of Ljubljana, Slovenia; University of Groningen, The Netherlands; Jozef Stefan Institute, Slovenia; Sulzer DLC Coatings NV, Belgium; Lubrizol, UK; Volvo Technology Corporation, Sweden; SKF, The Netherlands.

Professor Anne Neville is Chair of Tribology and Surface Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering, University of Leeds.  She is Director of the Institute of Engineering Thermofluids, Surfaces and Interfaces and Director of Research for the School of Mechanical Engineering.