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Crounse Corporation's single-screw towboat, the M/V Sue Chappell, completed the first operational experience of a synthetic marine lubricant in the U.S. Mobil's Synthetic Oil Increases Boat's Oil Drain Interval To 5,000 Hours M/V Sue Chappell Enjoys 90 Percent Less Waste Oil, More Time Between Overhauls Laden with coal, Crounse Corp.'s M/V Sue Chappell's barges traverse the Ohio River and its branches. With an eye on the bottom line and a vision for the future, Crounse Corp., of Paducah, Ky., confronted the issue of waste oil disposal by taking a proactive approach to engine mainte- nance. With help from Mobil Oil, the towboat company found a synthetic solution to the prob- lem of rising costs: an environmental lubricant with a chlorine content level well below the most stringent regulations in effect today—Mobilgard SHC 120. For the M/V Sue Chappell, the product didn't just cut waste oil disposal costs. Mobilgard SHC 120 significantly extended the vessel's oil drain intervals and reduced its annual waste oil disposal volume 90 percent. It also substantially m w st * j * | * i J After 8,000 hours, the M/V Sue Chapell's airbox (left) and cylinders (right) remained remarkably clean due to synthetic Mobilgard SHC 120. The piston ports on the airbox are completely clear of deposits. The cylinder's honing cross-hatch marks are visible throughout, including the ring reversal area. reduced the towboat's generator engine wear rates and decreased its oil consumption by as much as 75 percent. Before Crounse Corp. switched to a synthetic marine lubricant, the company's single-screw river towboat, the M/V Sue Chappell, changed generator engine oil every 500 hours and dis- posed of 112 gallons of conventional waste oil annually. This amount is reportedly not uncom- mon for vessels using Detroit Diesel 6-71 engines. With routine 500-hour oil and filter changes, this engine type normally generates in excess of 100 gallons of waste oil per year. In an effort to safely extend the oil drain intervals and decrease the waste oil, Crounse Corp., Detroit Diesel and Mobil Oil Corp. began an 8,000-hour (equivalent to one full-year of operation) evaluation of Mobilgard SHC 120 in the towboat's generator engine. When continuously operating, the De- troit Diesel 71 series engines typically consume up to a gallon of mineral oil daily. With synthetic Mobilgard SHC 120, the towboat's chief engineer found that the engine consistently used only one quart of oil each day, nearly a 75 percent reduc- tion in oil consumption. Throughout the 8,000-hour test, Crounse, De- troit Diesel and Mobil monitored the condition of the oil and the engine's oil consumption, cleanli- ness and wear rates. Every 250 hours, oil sam- ples were taken from the generator engine and analyzed at Mobil Oil's Technical Service Labo- ratory in Princeton, N.J. An oil drain performed after 5,100 hours of con- tinuous operation reportedly showed conclusive evidence that the Mobilgard SHC 120 had lubricated the engine 10 times longer than mineral oil. Crounse and Mobil changed the lubricant a second time, after 8,000 hours, when the engine was torn down for inspec- tion. Reportedly the Detroit Diesel 6- 71's cleanliness was exceptional, with the piston rings and cylinder liners showing approximately half the nor- mal wear rates. "We were impressed with the re- sults achieved with Mobilgard SHC 120," said Roy Sullivan, port engi- neer for the Paducah division of Crounse. "Our extended oil intervals did not increase engine wear. In fact, it is better than what we normally see on these engines." As a result, the approach to save waste oil also is saving the operator money. Although the initial cost of Mobilgard SHC 120 is more than min- eral oil, the company has found the direct benefits—extended drain inter- vals, reduced waste oil disposal, and reduced consumption—have resulted in substantial savings; savings which will be mag- nified as the industry's costs of waste oil dispos- al escalate. Mobilgard SHC 120 was specifically developed by Mobil Oil to address the perfor- mance needs of distillate-fueled, high reliabili- ty, high power concentration diesel engines. The lubricant is already proving its value in European workboats, the manufacturer claims. Mobilgard SHC 120's special synthetic base stocks and additive technology reportedly allow it to function like a true SAE 40 lubricant. At the same time, it flows at low temperatures like an SAE 15W product, sans the use of viscosity index improvers. For more information, Circle 17 on Reader Service Card The M/V Sue Chappell generator's waste oil disposal dropped from 112 to 11 gallons annually. 46 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
