9/9/2015

StationaryNaturalGasEngineLubrication

StationaryNaturalGasEngine
Lubrication
RobertScott
Tags:industriallubricants

MachineryLubrication(9/2004)

Naturalgasengines(NGE)arecommonlyusedtopowernaturalgascompressors,standby
electricgenerators,firewaterandirrigationpumpsandareincreasinglybeingusedtopower
primarycogenerationelectricalpowerplants.Themainadvantagesofanaturalgasengineover
adieselenginearethelowerexhaustemissionsofnitrogenoxides(NOx),carbonmonoxide
(CO),particulatesandinsomecases,lowerfuelcosts.
Thesestationarygasenginesareavailableinvariousconfigurationsandsizes.The
characteristicsinclude:
twoorfourstrokedesigns
lessthan100HPtoamaximumof16,000HP(800to1,500HParemostcommon)
oneto20powercylinders
oilsumpcapacitiesof14to6,000liters(300to800liters(80to200U.S.gallons)aremost
common)
enginespeedsrangingfrom300RPMlowspeedunitsto2,000RPMhighspeedunits.Most
operateat800to1,200RPM
pistonboresaslargeas22.5inches(572mm)inthelowspeedunitswithboresof3.5to
9.45inches(89to240mm)commoninhighspeedunits
inletairmaybenaturallyaspiratedorturbocharged(twothirdsofnewenginesare
turbocharged)
stoichiometricorleanburn(arelativetermforanairtofuelratiohigherthan
stoichiometric)toreduceNOxemissions
enginesandcompressorunitsmaybeeitherseparates,thatis,joinedendtoendatthe
crankshaftbyacoupling,orintegrals,inwhichtheengineandcompressorhaveasingle
commoncrankcase
Thefueltypicallyusedintheseenginesissweet,drynaturalgas(salesgas,greaterthan85
percentmethane).Insomecases,inthegasproductionfields,rawsournaturalgascontaining
hydrogensulfide(H2S)(upto8,000ppm),carbondioxide(CO2)andnitrogen(N)isused.There
isalsoanincreaseintheuseofdigestergascollectedfromsewagesystemsandlandfillgasthat
isbeingusedasfuel.Bothofthesearemuchpoorerqualityfuelswithlowermethanecontent
(50percent)andmaycontainasmuchas5percentsiliconbasedcompoundsaswellas
fluorides,chlorides,copper,tin,iron,hydrogensulfideandupto50percentCO2.Fuelswithlow
energycontent,highcorrosivenatureorabrasives(shouldbeprefilteredtolessthan0.5micron)
willaffectengineperformance.
Naturalgasengineoils(NGEO)usedintheseengineshavespecialformulationsthatdifferfrom
dieselandgasolineengineoilformulations.Thisisbecausenaturalgasenginesperformthe
http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Articles/Print/663

1/9

9/9/2015

StationaryNaturalGasEngineLubrication

following:
burncleaner,withnosootcontaminationofthecrankcaseengineoil.Thisrequiresless
detergency/dispersancyandallowstheselubricantstobeformulatedwithlowerashlevels.
burngaseousfuel.Therefore,thereisnofueldilutionandpreventingviscosityincreaseof
theoilismorecritical.
burnhotter(165Cto235C/300Fto400Fhigherexhausttemperature)thandiesel.
Therefore,oxidationandnitrationoftheoilareincreasedasisvalvewear.
operateatconstantspeed.Therefore,theengineismorepronetoretainingdepositsand
plugfouling.
NGEOsdonothaveAmericanPetroleumInstitute(API)minimumperformancedesignationsas
arecommonwithdieselandgasolineengineoils(forexample,CI4,SL).Mostequipment
manufacturersspecifyoilsbythecharacteristicsoftheoil.Someequipmentmanufacturersrefer
toolderAPICCorCDdieselengineoildesignationstotrytoestablishaminimum
performancelevel,buttheuseofdieselengineoilperformancespecificationstoclassifynatural
gasengineoilsisquestionedbymanypeople.Severalenginemanufacturershavedeveloped
theirownnaturalgasenginetests,butforthemostpart,performanceisstillmeasuredbyfield
performance.DresserRandandWaukeshacogenerationapplicationshavetheonlytwopublished
approvallistsforbrandsofoils.TherehasbeendiscussionaboutdevelopingAPINGEO
performancedesignationssincethelate1980s,butonlylimitedprogresshasbeenmade.
Therefore,atthistime,theuserofnaturalgasengineoilsmustrelyontheintegrityofhisoil
suppliertoprovideagoodquality,truenaturalgasengineoilandnotarebrandofadiesel
engineoil.

Figure1.V12Waukeshaengine
NGEOsaregenerallyavailableintwoviscositygrades,anSAE30(SocietyofAutomotive
Engineers)andanSAE40,althoughhistoricallymost30weightoilswereblendedatthe
borderlinebetweena30anda40grade.Themonograde40weightoilsarethemostcommon.
MultigradeNGEOsareavailableina15W40grade.Thesearereceivingsomeacceptanceinthe
marketwherefrequentlowtemperaturestartupsareusedorwheresumpheatersare
unavailableorunreliable.Multigradeswillprovidebetterlowtemperaturestartingcapabilities
andmayofferreducedoilconsumption(loweremissions)andimprovedfueleconomy.However,
http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Articles/Print/663

2/9

9/9/2015

StationaryNaturalGasEngineLubrication

theymaybepronetoincreasednitration(degradation)oftheoilandmaynotberecommended
foruseinthegovernorbytheoriginalequipmentmanufacturer(OEM).

Ash
Mostequipmentmanufacturersspecifyengineoilbasedonitsashcontentandviscositygrade.
Theashistheportionofthelubricantthatisleftbehindasadepositaftercompleteburningof
theoil.Itiswhitishgrayandcomesfromthemetallicdetergents(calciumandbarium)and
antiwear(zinc)additives.TheashcontentofNGEOsisavailableinfourgenerallevels:ashless
(lessthan0.1percentsulphatedash),lowash(0.2to0.6percent),mediumash(0.7to1.2
percent)andhighash(greaterthan2.0percent).Theashdirectlyprovidesvalveprotectionin
fourstrokeengines.Thedetergentadditives(whicharebases)neutralizeacids.Therefore,the
oilwiththelowestashcontentthatwillprovidethenecessaryvalveprotectionandacid
neutralizationisdesired.Theuseofhigherashoilsmaycausemoredepositstoaccumulatein
theengine.Toomuchashdepositmaybecausedbyusinganoilwithtoohighofanashcontent,
overlubricationormanyothermechanicalfactors.Thismayresultinreducedheattransfer,
preignitionand/ordetonation,ringstickingorbreaking,plugfoulingandvalveburning.

Figure2.Valve
gutteringor
torching

Figure3.Valve
withseverely
recessed(worn)
sealingface

Fourstrokeenginestypicallyrequireeitheralowormediumashoiltoprovidethesacrificial
protectivelayerofashontheexhaustvalvesandseatstopreventvalverecession.Older
Waukeshafourstrokeenginesaretheonlyenginesthatrequirehighashoilsduetothehigh
valveanglesthatwereused.Higherashoils,withhigherbasenumbersarealsousedto
neutralizehighlycorrosivefuels.Twostrokeenginesdonothaveintakeorexhaustvalvesand
generallyrequireanashlessorverylowashoiltominimizeexhaustportblockage.Thesetwo
strokeenginestypicallyhavelargeborecylindersandhaveoilinjectionportsfeedingoildirectly
intoeachcylinder.Themostuniversaloilisalowashoil,makingitthebestchoiceinasituation
wheremultipletypesofenginesaresuppliedfromonelubeoiltank.
Exhaustvalverecessionandtorching(guttering)aremajorissueswithengineoperators.Valve
recessionisthepoundingofthevalvebackintothecylinderheadbytherepeatedclosingaction
ofthevalve(Figure3).Thevalve,aswellastheinsertseatinthehead,isdamaged.Itcanbe
causedbylubricantrelatedfactorssuchasinsufficientashleveloftheoiland/orinsufficientoil
feeddownthevalvestem,andashcomposition.Nonlubricantrelatedvalverecessioncanbe
causedbymanymechanicalandoperationalfactors.Gutteringandtorchingvalves(cuttingofa
channelacrossthevalveface)canresultfrombothlubricant(toomuchash)andnonlubricant
factors,aswellasfromvalverecessionitself(Figure2).Thisisacomplicatedprocessasthese
http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Articles/Print/663

3/9

9/9/2015

StationaryNaturalGasEngineLubrication

factorsareintertwinedwitheachother,whichmakestheprocessoffindingtherootcauseofa
valvefailuredifficult.

Figure4.ValvedeckfromaCaterpillar
3512TALEnaturalgasengineshowing
verylowtoabsentvarnishand
sludgeusingSentronLD5000(PetroCanada).

Nitration
OxidationandnitrationoftheoilarebothmechanismswhichdegradeNGEOs.Nitrationisa
degradationoftheoilwhichoccursduetothereactionoftheoilwithgaseousNOxcreatedduring
combustion.Itisdiscussedherebecauseunlikeoxidation,nitrationissomewhatuniqueto
naturalgasengineoils,especiallystoichiometricengines,duetothecombustionconditions
withintheseengines.

Figure5.CylinderheadfromaCaterpillar3512TALE
naturalgasengineshowingverylowdeposits
after8,824hours(PetroCanada).
Tounderstandnitration,twoprocessesneedtobeconsidered.First,theformationofNOxand
http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Articles/Print/663

4/9

9/9/2015

StationaryNaturalGasEngineLubrication

second,thereactionofNOxwiththeoil(nitration).
NOxformationisrelatedtotheairtofuelratio,peakcombustiontemperaturesandengineRPM
aswellasenginesparktiming,load,ambientairconditionsandaftercooling.
TheseNOxgasesmayleavethecombustionchamberwiththeexhaustorreactwiththeoilfilm
onthecylinderwallorwiththeoilinthecrankcasesumptoformvariouscomplexliquid
nitrationproducts.Thereactionsintheoilthatcausenitrationaredifferentfromthoseoccurring
intheoxidationprocessandarenotasthoroughlyunderstood.

Figure6.Connectingrod
bearingshowsverylow
wear(PetroCanada).
Nitrationoftheoilisaffectedby:
TheexhaustgasscavengingefficiencyBetterexhaustgasscavenging(removalof
exhaustgasesfromthecombustionchamber),aswouldoccurinturbochargedunits,
reducestheinteractionofNOxwiththeoilandreducesnitration.
ThecylinderwalltemperatureThereactionbetweenNOxandtheoil,whichcauses
nitrationoftheoil,occurspartiallyonthethinlayerofoilonthecylinderwall.Theliquid
nitrationproducts,whichformintheoil,areapparentlydestroyedatcylinderwall
temperaturesabove150C(300F),thereforelowercylinderwalltemperaturesareneeded
foroiltonitrate.Theselowertemperaturesaremorecommoninlowerspeedandnaturally
aspiratedfourstrokeengines.
PistonringefficiencyReducedblowbywouldreduceNOxcontactwiththeoilinthesump.
CrankcaseventilationBettercrankcaseventilationwouldhavethesamepositiveeffectas
improvedscavengingbyreducingthecontactbetweenNOxandtheoil.
TheoilsumptemperatureNitrationoftheoilfromNOxintheblowbygasesthatenter
thesumpisincreasedatloweroilsumptemperatures,below80C(175F)(andincreasing
assumptemperaturesapproach70C(160F).Thisisdifferentfromoxidation,which
becomessignificantatoiltemperaturesabove90C(190F)andincreaseswith
temperature.
ThebaseoiltypeCertainbaseoiltypesseemmoresusceptibletonitrationthanothers.
Baseoilswithsaturatedhydrocarbonstructures,suchasPAOsyntheticsandhydrotreated
paraffinicoils,seemtobelesspronetonitration.Lowerviscositybaseoilsandviscosity
indeximproveradditives,usedinsomemultigradeoils,maybemorepronetonitration.
Iftheoilisexposedtoseverenitrationconditions,thenitrationproductsintheoilwillcause:
theviscositytoincrease
http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Articles/Print/663

5/9

9/9/2015

StationaryNaturalGasEngineLubrication

theacidityoftheoiltoincrease
theinsolublestoincrease.Thisincludesvarnishinhotareasoftheengine,andsludgein
coolerareasoftheenginewhichmayleadtoringstickingandfilterplugging,respectively.
Nitrationisaconcernprimarilyinolder,lowerspeed,naturallyaspirated,fourstroke
stoichiometricenginesoperatingwithcooloilsumptemperatures.Twostrokeengines,generally
donothaveaproblemwithnitrationduetothesignificantamountofoilthatisremovedfrom
thecrankcaseandfedtothecombustioncylinderoilinjectionsystemwhichscavengesmost
nitrationproductsouttheexhaustports.Also,freshmakeupoiltothecrankcaseisincreased.

Figure7.Oilpanshowsverylowtoabsent
varnishandsludge(PetroCanada).
Nitrationiscontrolledbyregulatingtheoperationalfactorsmentionedabove.Fromanoil
formulatingperspective,nitrationcanbecontrolledonlybythenitrationresistantcomponents
selectedforuseintheoil.Therearenoadditivesknownatthistimethatcanbeaddedtoanoil
toinhibitthenitrationprocess.
Oilchangefrequenciesordrainintervalsarerecommendedbyeachenginemanufacturerandare
typicallyintherangeof750to1,500hours.Theuseofpoorerqualityfuels,asmentionedabove,
plusmanyothermechanicalfactors(forexample,coolantleaks,poorfiltration,highloads)can
significantlyreducethesedrainintervals.Theycanalsobeextended,butrequiregood
maintenanceandoperationalpractices,andoilmonitoringthroughusedoilanalysis.Additional
oiltesting,suchasFouriertransforminfraredspectroscopy(FTIR)tomonitoroxidationand
nitration,basenumber(BN)tomonitordetergencyadditivedepletionfromacidsneutralizingthe
reservealkalinity,andacidnumber(AN)tomonitorthebuildupoforganicacidsthatformshould
beusedtomonitortheoilwhenextendingdrainintervals.

http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Articles/Print/663

6/9

9/9/2015

StationaryNaturalGasEngineLubrication

Figure8.Pistonundercrownshows
extremelylowvarnishdeposits
(PetroCanada).
Standardspectrographicanalysisisstillrequiredtomonitorwearmetals,andthestandardtests
forviscosity,water,glycol,etc.shouldbeperformedaswell.Sometwostrokeenginesrarely,if
ever,requireanoilchangebecauseoilistakenfromtheenginesumpandinjectedintothe
combustionchambersforlubricationandthehighrateofmakeupoilrequiredinthesump
virtuallychangesouttheoilonaregularbasis.Filtrationontheseunitsisthereforeimportant.
Overextendedoildrainscancauseheaddamage,varnishandsludging,ringwearandsticking,
linerwear,highermaintenancecostsandshorterfilterlife.

Figure9.Pistonringzonefroma
Caterpillar3512TALEnaturalgasengine
after8,843hoursshowsextremelylow
carbondeposits.Oilchangeoutswere
doneataninitial2,200hourintervalandthen
at3,000hourintervals(PetroCanada).

http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Articles/Print/663

7/9

9/9/2015

StationaryNaturalGasEngineLubrication

Figure10.Pistonlinershowsverylowpolishing
(PetroCanada).

Filtration
ThefilterstypicallyprovidedwithanaturalgasenginebytheOEMhavehistoricallybeenlarge
depthsockfilterscontainingcellulose.Centrifugalfilters,installedonasidestreamofthe
circulatingoil,arenowbeingusedinconjunctionwiththecanisterfilterandaregaining
significantacceptance.Inadequatefiltrationwillcausevarnishandsludgebuildup,wear,
shortenedoillifeandringsticking.

Catalysts
Catalystsystemscanreduceemissionsevenfurtherandgenerallyfallintothreecategories:
nonselectivecatalyticreduction(NSCR)systemsarethemostcommonandareusedon
stoichiometricengines,selectivecatalystreduction(SCR)systemswhichareusedonlowerair
tofuelratioleanburnengines,andoxidationcatalystsystemswhichareusedonleanburn
enginestoreducehydrocarbonandcarbonmonoxideemissions.Withmostcatalystsystems,
catalystelementpoisoningbyphosphorouscompounds(zincantiwear,ZDDP)andashisa
concernandisrelateddirectlytothelubeoilused.Forthisreason,thespecificmanufacturerof
thecatalystmayhavelimitsonthesecompounds,suchas300ppmphosphorousmaximum,as
wellasoilconsumption.

CoolingSystems
Coolingsystemshaveadirectimpactontheengineoperatingtemperatureandthustheengine
oil.Systemsneedtobemonitoredandmaintained.Thewaterneedstobeofabetterquality
thanconventionaldrinkingwaterbecauseminerals(calciumandmagnesium)inthewater,as
measuredbywaterhardness,arelesssolubleinhighertemperaturewaterandwilldepositon
thehottestpartsoftheengine(cylinderhead,etc.)andformaninsulatinglayer.Many
mechanicalfailures(valvesticking)whichareinitiallyattributedtotheoil,havetheirrootcause
relatedtotheglycolcoolingsystem.

Cogeneration
Cogenerationusuallyreferstogeneratingenergyfromboththepoweratthecrankshaftandheat
recoveryfromtheremainderoftheengine.Cogenerationisbecomingmorecommonfor
electricalpowergeneration.Ageneratorispoweredoffofthecrankshaftandheatfromthe
http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Articles/Print/663

8/9

9/9/2015

StationaryNaturalGasEngineLubrication

exhaust,aglycolcoolingsystemandtheoilcoolerareusedtocreatesteamorheatanother
process.Overallenergyefficiencyisincreasedfrom33percenttoapproximately85percent.The
additionaldemandsplacedontheenginecreatehigheroperatingtemperatureswhichplace
higherdemandsontheengineoilandmaycontributetovalverecessionandengineliner
scuffing.

Summary
Naturalgasengineoilshavechangedsignificantlyinthepast15yearsfromatimewhendiesel
engineoilswereoftenused.Theemphasisonemissionsandtheintroductionofleanburn
engines,catalyticexhaustsystems,higherspeedsandmoreturbocharginghavechangedthe
compositionoftheoilsrequired.Itisrecommendedtousethebestfuelavailable,buyyouroil
fromareputablesupplier,operatetheengineaccordingtotheenginemanufacturerguidelines,
filtertheoilaswellaspossible,maintainthecoolantandimplementaproperlydesignedusedoil
analysisprogram.
RelatedReading
1. Rose,M.GasEngineOilsAQuestionofBalance.MachineryLubrication,MarchApril
2003.
2. Scott,R.ReciprocatingNaturalGasCompressors.MachineryLubrication,November
December2003.
EditorsNote
ThisarticleoriginallyappearedintheSTLEAlbertaSection,BasicHandbookofLubrication,
SecondEdition,2003.

http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Articles/Print/663

9/9