The ability of a Cleantechnics International, Inc. (CTI) high capacity ultra-fine fluid bypass filtration system to safely extend lube oil and hydraulic fluid service levels was studied. Test results presented show a four- to six-fold increase in filter change intervals and a more than fifteen fold increase in oil change intervals.
Results of installations on Class 8 trucks, heavy duty work trucks and off-road heavy equipment are presented. These results include a review of oil analysis reports from an independent oil analysis laboratory of samples taken during normal service intervals on both control and test vehicles over extended time periods.
In addition to the review of the quality of the oil, calculations reporting long term cost savings and environmental benefits of the bypass filtration system as the result of safely extended drain intervals resulting in reductions in oil change related expenses (replacement oil and filter costs, labor, equipment downtime and waste oil and used filter disposal costs) are cited.
INTRODUCTION
Lube oil and hydraulic oil prices have more than doubled in the last five years. This trend is projected to continue into the foreseeable future as global demand for crude oil continues to escalate. Increased regulatory demands are increasing the costs of doing business in all facets of industry.
These increasing costs continue to erode margins for businesses using commercial or industrial equipment and vehicles. Increasing pressure from consumers and governments are forcing businesses to look for ways to “green” their businesses. Regulatory pressures are not just directed to decreasing emissions but also include the reduction in the overall carbon footprint of the business. Businesses must look for opportunities to cut costs while reducing their carbon footprint and emissions.
It is with these concerns in mind that we investigate superfine filtration as a means of safely extending oil drain intervals, thus lowering operating costs and reducing the environmental impact.
Several previous studies have shown that the combination of a full flow filtration system with a bypass filtration system, that is capable of 5 micron effectiveness, has a positive impact on:
1. Extended engine wear life by two to three times thereby lowering the overall total cost to the engine user. [1]
2. Fuel economy with up to a 5% savings due to lower internal engine friction. [2]
3. Operating cost savings generated are double the costs associated with the bypass filter and are recovered by the engine user. [3]
4. Reducing engine oil solids by 33% resulting in lower engine emissions. [4]
BACKGROUND
The Cleantechnics International, Inc. (CTI) bypass filter safely extends oil change intervals due to its ability to trap and hold up to 8 liters of water as well as up to 6 liters of solid contaminants. In addition, engine life is extended and optimum fuel economy is maintained longer due to its ability to filter out those ultra-fine particles that normally contribute to engine friction and subsequent wear. These substantial improvements over previous filtration systems are inherent to the design and sequential loading capabilities of the CTI bypass filter system shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Cleantechnics Bypass Filter/Housing
The CTI bypass filter system is installed in parallel with the OEM full flow filter via a 3/8” pressure line on the inlet of the filter and the outlet of the filter is directed to the oil sump via a 3/8” drain line. In high pressure applications typically found in hydraulic oil systems a reducing valve is required to limit the pressure to the CTI bypass filter system. This valve is located between the full flow filtration system and the inlet of the CTI bypass filter system.
STUDY PARTICIPANTS – Three study participants installed the filtration systems and an oil analysis program was established to monitor the quality of the oil during the term of the study. Along with the test vehicles an equivalent control vehicle without the CTI bypass filtration system installed was monitored. Due to the ability of the CTI bypass filtration system to safely extend the drain intervals an extended period of time was necessary to complete this study.
At the time of installation an oil drain and full flow filter change was performed. Oil samples were then taken at intervals consistent with previous oil service intervals for the specific equipment. Oil samples were drawn from a bleed valve on the pressure housing. Oil samples were analyzed by WearCheck USA; an internationally recognized independent laboratory with state-of-the-art laboratory testing equipment.
Waccamaw Transport - operates a fleet of 100 class 8 over-the-road tanker trucks operating an average of 120,000 miles annually with engine lube oil service intervals conducted every 20,000 miles of operation.
Fairfax Materials - operates a fleet of 60 pieces of heavy equipment operating an average of 2,000 hours annually with lube oil service intervals conducted every 250 hours.
Waste Industries - operates a fleet of 850 refuse collection trucks with each operating approximately 2,500 hours annually with engine lube oil service intervals every 45 days. In addition, these vehicles have hydraulic oil filter service intervals conducted every 500 hours and hydraulic oil service intervals conducted every 2,000 hours.
Participants were provided with the correct CTI bypass filtration system for their applications, (Table 1). Study participants were selected to represent a broad cross-section of industrial segments which would benefit from this technology. In addition, participants operate in a variety of conditions.
Table 1: CTI bypass filter recommended size and change interval based on application
Filter Size
Industry(Application)
Filter change interval
Oil change interval
CT60M
OTR truck
90,000 miles
360,000 mile
CT60M
Heavy equipment
1,500 hours
7,500 hours
CT60M
Heavy duty truck
1,500 hours
7,500 hours
CT30H
Heavy duty truck
2,500 hours
20,000 hours
Over-the-road (OTR) trucks represent 32% of the filtration market while heavy equipment represents 18% of the filtration market. Therefore, the selection of the participating companies represents more than 50% of the filtration market, (Table 2).
Table 2: Study participant’s specific application and number of subjects
Company
Vehicle Type
Application
Study Subjects
Waccamaw Transport
OTR class-8 truck
Fuel delivery to convenience stores
2
Fairfax Materials
Front-end loader
Mining, removal and transportation of aggregates for concrete industry
1
Waste Industries
Refuse collection vehicles
Refuse collection and landfill management
2
The same number of similar control vehicles not employing the CTI bypass filtration system, operating in like environments, was monitored alongside the test vehicles identified in Table 2. This allowed for a direct comparison between the extended oil and filter change interval of the vehicles equipped with the CTI bypass filtration system to that of those not equipped.
FIELD TEST RESULTS – Field tests have been performed on both test and control vehicles to validate the effectiveness of the CTI bypass filtration systems on extended oil and filter change intervals. A summary of the results for each study participant is included to demonstrate the extended oil and filter change interval associated with utilizing the CTI bypass filtration system.
Waccamaw Transport - achieved a mileage on test vehicle #118 in excess of 180k miles without an oil change and in excess of 200k miles on test vehicle W-143. Both of these test vehicles demonstrate the enormous ability of the CTI bypass filtration system to extend oil change intervals, by a factor of 9 and 10 respectively. The data shown in Table 3 for control vehicles #113 and W-145 also represents the limited mileage achieved before the oil was changed due to the lack of having the CTI bypass filtration system installed.
In regards to extended filter change interval, Table 3, the test (#118, W-143) vehicles demonstrated a 300-500% improvement in the filter change interval. It is interesting to note that neither control vehicle (#113, W-145) was able to achieve the required service interval of 20k before having their filters changed.
Table 3: Waccamaw Transport filter/oil change summary
Vehicle #
CTI system
Miles on filter
Oil changed
% interval extended
118
Yes
95,626
No
478
118
Yes
65,286
No
326
113
No
8,403
Yes
113
No
15,814
Yes
113
No
8,000
Yes
W-143
Yes
104,942
No
525
W-145
No
18,475
Yes
Oil analysis results for Waccamaw Transport are included as Appendix A demonstrating the continued viability of the oil.
Fairfax Materials - has a CTI bypass filtration system installed on a front end loader for mining and transporting materials in the concrete industry. This test vehicle has achieved 1648 hours of operation on the same oil, extending the oil change interval by a factor of greater than 6.
Table 4, summarizes the filter change interval for the test vehicle and the filter and oil change interval of the control vehicle. You will note that only one out of the five control vehicle oil samples allowed this company recommended oil and filter change interval. This appears to be an anomaly and is substantiated by the additional data for the control vehicle.
Oil analysis results for Fairfax Materials are included as Appendix B demonstrating the continued viability of the oil.
Waste Industries – has several vehicles participating in this study and all vehicles with the CTI bypass filtration system installed are still utilizing the original lubricating and/or hydraulic oil. Shown in Table 5 is a summary of the extended filter change interval for the vehicles with the CTI system installed.
As shown in the table above, vehicles with the CTI system installed outperform the recommended filter change interval by 581-1097%.
Oil analysis results for Waste Industries are included as Appendix C demonstrating the continued viability of the oil.
Based on the above field test results several additional calculations were performed to demonstrate the environmental and economic impact of the CTI bypass filtration system.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT – Industrial pollution and ever increasing oil consumption threaten our environment daily. These threats are both ecological and economic in nature. The world’s corporations have been reluctant to embrace “green” technologies because they invariably are believed to bring higher material or operating costs that erode profit margins. The participants of this study have embraced these green technologies because they have strong beliefs in being good stewards of the world in which we live.
High capacity, ultra-fine filtration now offers these companies and those waiting to embrace green technologies the opportunity to help our environment while enhancing their bottom line through extended drain intervals. Reductions in waste oil disposal can substantially reduce potential ground water contamination when recognizing that just one quart of spilled waste oil can contaminate more than 250,000 gallons of fresh water. Increasingly stringent federal and state laws concerning the disposal of waste oil and waste oil filters make it imperative that businesses address the environmental impact associated with their operations. One such law can be found in the state of North Carolina where recently enacted legislation requires companies to recycle full flow oil filters, which goes into effect October 1, 2009.
The participant companies have tested the interval extending properties of high capacity ultra-fine filtration and have realized significant environmental benefits in the field:
1 Waccamaw Transport - Prior to this study engine lube oil service intervals were conducted every 20,000 miles. Waccamaw Transport will realize a reduction in waste oil of 6,233 gallons and a reduction of 333 full flow filters disposed of into land fills annually. Over the five year life of the vehicles this translates into a reduction of more than 31,000 gallons of oil and more than 1,500 full flow filters disposed of into land fills annually.
2 Fairfax Materials - Prior to this study engine lube oil service intervals were conducted every 250 hours. Fairfax Materials will realize a reduction in waste oil of 5,104 gallons and a reduction of 320 full flow filters disposed of into land fills annually. Over the eight year life of the equipment this translates into a reduction of more than 40,000 gallons of oil and more than 2,500 full flow filters disposed of into land fills annually.
3 Waste Industries - Prior to this study hydraulic oil filter service intervals were conducted every 500 hours and hydraulic oil service intervals conducted every 2,000 hours; lube oil service intervals were conducted every 45 days. Waste Industries will realize a reduction in waste oil of 102,907 gallons and a reduction of 6,800 full flow filters disposed of into land fills annually. Over the eight year life of the equipment this translates into a reduction of more than 815,000 gallons of oil and more than 54,000 full flow filters disposed of into land fills annually.
ECONOMIC IMPACT – Field Cost savings generated through extended oil drain intervals are substantial. In addition to the “hard” dollars generated from oil maintenance cost savings there are “soft” dollars that include increased engine life, lower fuel costs due to maintaining optimized fuel efficiency longer, reduction in disposal costs of waste oil and waste filters, reduced equipment maintenance costs and operator downtime.
Waccamaw Transport will realize cost savings of more than $300,000 by extending lube oil drain intervals on their fleet over the seven year life of the vehicles. Fairfax Materials will realize cost savings of almost $500,000 by extending lube oil drain intervals on their fleet over the ten year life of the equipment. Waste Industries will realize cost savings of almost $7,000,000 by extending both lube oil and hydraulic oil intervals over the eight year life of their equipment.
CONCLUSION
This study shows that high capacity, ultra-fine bypass filtration represented by the CTI filtration system when used in conjunction with regular full flow filters safely maintains the quality of both lube oils and hydraulic oils over extended drain intervals. Sulfation, nitration, oxidation, viscosity and TBN are not negatively impacted when virtually all contamination is removed from the oil. Metal analysis shows no significant increase over the extended drain intervals suggesting no significant wear to engine parts as the result of extended drain intervals.
These safely extended drain intervals in turn provide significant environmental and economic incentive for fleets to employ this technology. Previous bypass filtration studies show that finer filtration provides economic incentives of reduced friction resulting in extended engine life and lower fuel costs due to maintaining optimum fuel efficiency longer. The reduction in oil contamination has been shown to also reduce the amount of solid particulate emissions. These attributes combined with the safely extended drain intervals provided by ultra-fine, high capacity bypass filtration allows businesses with the opportunity to employ a rare combination of sound environmental management in concert with sound cost management.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors wish to thank Waccamaw Transport, Fairfax Materials and Waste Industries for their support and participation in this study.
REFERENCES
1. J. L. Butler, J. P. Stewart, and R. E. Teasley,” Lube Oil Filtration Effect on Diesel Engine Wear” Cummins Engine Co., Inc., National Combined Fuels and Lubricants, Powerplant and Truck Meetings, St. Louis, Mo., October 26-29, 1971
2. William M. Needelman, Puliyur V. Madhavan, “Review of Lubricant Contamination and Diesel Engine Wear”, Scientific and Laboratory Services Department, Pall Corporation, Glen Cove, New York, Truck and Bus Meeting and Exposition, Indianapolis, Indiana, November 7-10, 1988
3. Lin Jin - Xiu, Chongqing, Zhou Jun, Ji Yong - Zhao and Chen Jian - Jie, “The Influence of Varied Filter Systems on Engine Wear and Lube Oil Service Life”, Seventh International Pacific Conference and Exposition on Automotive Engineering, Phoenix, Arizona, November 15-19, 1993
4. Vincent D. Pellegrin, Alvin Lowi, Jr., Alvin Lowin and Associates, “Correlation of Smoke Levels with Engine-Lubricating-Oil Solids in Metropolitan Transit Buses”, Truck and Bus Meeting and Exposition, Dearborn, MI, November 16-19, 1987
CONTACTS
Bruce R. Thomas, President/CEO Cleantechnics International, Inc. 311 Amhurst Avenue High Point, NC 27260 United States 877-855-6702 (toll free) 336-884-9000 (office/fax) 336-848-1710 (c) www.ctifilters.com
Mr. Terry Gilbert, Lecturer Undergraduate Laboratory Director Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Campus Box 7910 / 1223 Broughton Hall North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC 27695-7910 voice: (919) 513-0315 fax: (919) 515-7968 e-mail: terry_gilbert@ncsu.eduAPPENDIX
ADDITIONAL SOURCES WearCheck Test Methods Appendix:
• ASTM D5185 ICP Spectroscopy for 22 wear, additive and contamination elements reported in ppm
• ASTM D4377 Karl Fischer Water Determination reported in either % or ppm
