(SAN RAMON, Calif.) — Chevron Marine Lubricants has released the second in a series of new whitepapers focusing on innovations and developments impacting the fast-changing shipping industry.
This latest whitepaper focuses on the 2020 global sulfur cap and the role of cylinder oil lubricants, which explores the impact of ships burning fuels with differing sulfur contents to heavy sulfur fuel oil cylinder oil use. The paper also offers advice from Chevron Marine Lubricants experts on how to manage the transition between cylinder oils pre- and post-2020.
As the global shipping industry prepares for the arrival of the global sulfur cap in January 2020, the operation of ships in a multi-fuel future is a fast-approaching reality. Lubricants are essential to the smooth operation and service life of propulsion machinery, but their optimal use is highly dependent on fuel sulfur content. A diversified marine fuel mix demands tailoring lubricant selection to fuel sulfur content to ensure compatibility with fuels bunkered across a fleet.
With an entry-into-force date of Jan. 1, 2020, stricter fuel sulfur content restrictions imposed on the global fleet has put the industry on the verge of what will be the most significant period of change in the past decades. Under the new rules, ships must burn fuels with a sulfur content of no more than 0.5 percent or a maximum equivalent emission output. This is a significant drop from the current limit of 3.5 percent which has been in effect since Jan. 1, 2012.
Lubrication is the lifeblood of an engine, the dominant function of cylinder oil being to protect the engine from acidic corrosion. Regardless of the compliance route chosen, bunkering low sulfur fuel alternatives versus installation of scrubbers on board, cylinder oil lubricant use will be impacted due to its synergetic relationship with the sulfur content in fuel.
Chevron's new full range of Taro Ultra cylinder lubricants, from the low 25 BN Taro Ultra 25 to the 140 BN Taro Ultra 140, provide solutions for the complex operating requirements of today and tomorrow.
Alongside the use of Chevron's Taro Ultra cylinder lubricants, Chevron's DOT.FAST service is used to optimize engine lubrication and manage feedrates. DOT.FAST provides both onboard and onshore analysis of drip oil giving an accurate measurement of total iron wear, including corrosive wear.
Click here to download the whitepaper.
