Prodrive to slash the cost of additive testing

Citation

(2003), "Prodrive to slash the cost of additive testing", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 55 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ilt.2003.01855dab.004

Prodrive to slash the cost of additive testing

Prodrive to slash the cost of additive testing

Keywords: Fuels, Lubricants, Additives, Testing

Prodrive's fuels and lubricants test operations is developing a revolutionary new screener test that can slash the cost of additive testing (Plate 4).

Any new additive has to undergo a substantial testing before it is marketed, which often runs into hundreds of thousands of pounds. But if the additive fails to meet the stringent criteria, then all that money is wasted. Prodrive's screener test is much quicker – and therefore much less expensive – and although it does not produce exact results, it gives an excellent indication of the final result of a certification test.

Plate 4 Prodrive

Additive manufacturers can use Prodrive's screener test as a preliminary analysis to provide confidence that the additive will pass the more stringent (and expensive) certification tests. If the new additive fails, then manufacturers need not waste time and money putting it through the real test. If, however, the additive in question does pass the screener test, then a manufacturer can submit the additive for the full certification test with a confidence that it will pass it successfully.

The screener test is about four times quicker than a certification test, making it especially useful for testing new technologies where the results are usually difficult to predict.

Having recently moved to the company's main site in Milton Keynes, Prodrive's Test Technology division has also appointed Mark Hawthorne as fuel and lubricants business area manager, so one of Hawthorne's first jobs will be to work with partners for the screener test development programme.

Hawthorne says: "It is incredibly important to get the 'recipe' absolutely right first time, otherwise additive and fuel suppliers alike can end up highly embarrassed. A good example is the case around 10 years ago when one of the major oil companies had to quickly withdraw a new blend of unleaded petrol because it was causing engine failures".

"Fuel and lubricant testing is an increasingly important area for Prodrive", continues Hawthorne. "This move will allow us to both work more closely with the other test technology teams at Prodrive and benefit from the extensive test facilities already available at our Tanners Drive site in Milton Keynes". "By moving to Milton Keynes, we now have all our test facilities and expertise under one roof and so we can offer customers a rapid turnaround too."

Prodrive is an active member of the Coordinating European Council for the development of performance tests for transportation fuels, lubricants and other fluids (CEC). As the UK's only independent fuels and lubricants tester, the company works with representatives from engine, oil and additive manufacturers to develop and enhance test methods for the evaluation of fuel, lubricant and additive technologies.

In addition. Prodrive is playing a major role in bringing together all the fuels and lubricants testing bodies from around the world including the CEC, Japan's OACIS, and ACEA in the USA. It is expected that by 2004, all bodies will test fuels and lubricants to the same global standard.

"The facilities available to us ensure we can produce both high quality and extremely repeatable results", concludes Hawthorne. "In some tests, as little as 5 mg of deposits are collected from the intake valves of an engine after 60 h of running. We can quickly and accurately analyse this for our clients, allowing them to assess and modify their products as necessary."

In 1998, engine manufacturers throughout the world collaborated to produce a Worldwide Fuels Charter, with the intention of minimising variations in fuels. As a direct result of the Charter, there has been a move away from regional testing as companies develop the first worldwide test methods, which can take up to 2 years to develop. The introduction of the first worldwide test in 2003 will greatly enhance the broad range of standard and bespoke test types offered by Prodrive to clients.

For more information contact: Ben Sayer, Corporate Marketing Manager at Prodrive.

Tel: +44(0)1295754320; E-mail: bsayer@prodrive.com