Lubricants News and Updates

There have been a lot of questions regarding Marine vessel lubricants and the VGP regulations on them, so we thought it would be a good idea to lay out some of the fundamentals on the topic. The VGP regulations on vessels requires that vessel operators replace conventional lubricants with environmentally friendly options whenever possible. 

The concern isn't so much spills as normal amounts of lubricants lost in vessel operation, such as from stern tubes. A 2011 study by the European Commission DG Joint Research Centre actually found that routine operational lubricant discharge created more pollution in the Mediterranean Sea than accidental spills did. That's pretty significant!

By using more environmentally friendly products, operators can minimize damage to the environment while still meeting lubrication needs. 

Key issues are if a product is biodegradeable - either readily or inherently, whether its toxic to the aquatic environment, and how much bioaccumulation compounds in the product cause (how much it will build up in living tissue over time). For example, conventional petroleum based lubricants have the potential to bioaccumulate, don't biodegrade well, and can be highly toxic to the aquatic environment. In contrast, PAG, synthetic ester, and vegetable oil based Environmentally friendly lubricants biodegrade readily, have low toxicity to the aquatic environment, and do not bioaccumulate. So in that context, it makes a lot of sense to switch as much vessel lubrication as possible away from conventional lubes. 

In future posts we'll get more in depth on what different products meet VGP requirements, as well as what different parts of the regulation mean to different businesses and vessel types.

According to farmfutures.com in their weekly review, Urea prices on the international market spiked this week, up over $120 per ton.  Futures were trending lower for the spring and summer months though, on hope that international supply issues could relieve some of the demand pressures  - hopefully that leads to a pull back in pricing over the next couple months, but time will tell. As you know, ammonia pricing also impacts DEF pricing, and the good news is those prices eased some this past week or stayed relatively stable anyways, depending on the individual market. (you can read more about the specifics on the Urea & ammonia market movements here: http://farmfutures.com/story-weekly-fertilizer-review-0-30765 )

Since DEF is 32.5% urea, price swings on the market impact the price of DEF. Urea is also used in agriculture for nitrogen-release fertilizer, so usually we see spikes in demand (and price) along with agricultural schedules. This recent spike appears to be more supply related.

Diesel Engines have sure come a long way from the noisy, clunky, smelly, black smoke pumping trucks we used to see. Today's diesel engines are quiet and clean, and in the case of 2010 model year and later vehicles - they even have emissions ratings better than many of their gasoline counterparts. How did that happen?

The first step was the big one - the switch to Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel dropped the sulfur content from up to 500 parts per million to a max of 15 parts per million, which improved pollution levels like crazy and got rid of the black exhaust. 

The other major shift came as a result of the EPA's 2010 policy on reducing the NOx levels in emissions to almost zero. This was accomplished with the implementation of SCR technology and the use of Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) - DEF is injected into the exhaust stream and neutralizes NOx into Nitrogen and Water Vapor.  

Image Credit (and a great source) - http://www.factsaboutscr.com/scr/engine-control-standards.aspx 

If you want to learn more about SCR specifics and how DEF works to eliminate NOx emissions, You can find out everything (and probably more) that you ever wanted to know in this new product information video from Peak at the following link: 

http://www.peakhd.com/product-lines/bluedef/about/ 

We talk a great deal around here about proactive solutions - ideas and programs that, with a little time and capital ultimately save us time, money, and maybe most importantly - save us from the headaches of unanticipated problems. A major proactive plan that's been awesome for ourselves and several of our customers is Oil Analysis. 

What if you could get an analysis emailed to you every time you PM'ed your fleet  - whether that was tractors, heavy construction equipment, or a specialty machine?

What if that analysis could tell you your equipment may have a slow coolant leak, or your system showed a little corrosion? 

With that kind of heads up, you could proactively schedule down time for that equipment to be repaired without dealing with the chaos from equipment failure. 

What if on top of that, your report let you maximize oil drain intervals?

With that info, you could schedule your maintenance out more easily, and save on your overall lubricant spend in many cases. 

CITGO has a calculator on their site you can calculate what oil analysis may save your business based on mileage, fleet size, etc - you can try that calculator out here: http://www.hdlubes.com/Calculator/ 

(CITGO offers this analysis to Dennis K Burke customers for FREE on qualified engine oils, so you can try it no risk and see if it adds value to your bottom line..... Dont use engine oil? No problem - Dennis K Burke offers an analysis program for Industrial & Specialty Equipment as well )

You can read more about Oil Analysis benefits in general (especially for industrial equipment) on the WearCheck USA site here: http://www.wearcheck.com/ 

The peace of mind from knowing your fleet is running at maximum efficiency, and your mechanics have a heads up of small engine issues before they result in catastrophic failures and downtime alone is worth it. 

If you would like more info on Oil Analysis in general, or how DKB can help you get started, fill out the contact form on the right or call us anytime.