Chevron's Lubricating Oil Enables Fuel Flexibility in Marine Engines

November 14, 2023

Chevron Marine Products said Tuesday that four-stroke engine operators could benefit from its new lubricating oil's versatility.

HDAX 9700 was created to provide a solution for engines that run on multiple liquid and gaseous fuels and applications that require a low-sulfated ash lubricant, Chevron said.

Wartsila 34 dual fuel engine test cylinder - Credit: Chevron Marine Fuels
Wartsila 34 dual fuel engine test cylinder - Credit: Chevron Marine Fuels

According to the company, the HDAX 9700t is also suitable for dual-fuel marine engines, as HDAX 9700 has successfully completed more than 20.000 hours of testing on a Wärtsilä dual-fuel power plant.

“HDAX 9700 brings many benefits for operators of four-stroke engines. We worked to develop an optimized engine oil that could be used with multiple fuels without the need to specifically match one oil to one fuel, be it diesel, natural gas, LNG, compressed natural gas (CNG) or biofuel,” said Luc Verbeeke, Senior Staff Engineer of Chevron Marine Products.

Luc Verbeeke - Senior Staff Engineer of Chevron Marine ProductsIn its new white paper - HDAX 9700: Enabling the future of fuel flexibility, Chevron outlines how HDAX 9700 is recommended for dual fuel, medium-speed, four-stroke cycle, trunk piston engines which alternate between burning natural gas, with diesel pilot fuel ignition, and up to 100 percent low-sulfur fuels (<1000ppm sulphur).

Per Chevron, the oil enables vessel operators to switch from gas to low-sulfur diesel and biofuels, without the need to change lubricant. With HDAX 9700, ship operators can benefit from fuel flexibility in their four-stroke, medium speed engines, Chevron claims.

According to Chevron, HDAX 9700 has become the first lubricant to gain time-unrestricted approval for use with MAN Energy Solutions’ four-stroke engines running on either LNG or distillate fuels (with a sulphur content of up to 0.10%).

It has field service experience and is recommended for engines in vessels operating in several marine applications, such as coastal and inland marine. It is also well-suited for other commercial sectors such as railroad and power generation. These high output engines may be turbocharged and equipped with exhaust catalyst systems.

Verbeeke added: “HDAX 9700 offers advantages and options for four-stroke engine operators using a variety of fuels."


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