App Shopper: Oil Change History - Track every vehicle you own and every oil change for life! (Utilities)

App Shopper: Oil Change History - Track every vehicle you own and every oil change for life! (Utilities): "Oil Change History app allows you to add an unlimited amount of vehicles( cars, trucks, motor cylcles, etc) and then add an unlimited amount of records for every oil change you do! We also added a notes field so you can add any notes to your oil change!"

AP: No boom time for Big Oil, but production up again

No boom time for Big Oil, but production up again: "Oil companies have begun to pump more petroleum and bring in more profits as they recover from an otherwise miserable year. None of the world's biggest producers, however, see a quick return to boom times of last year.

America's thirst for fossil fuels dropped considerably during the recession and it hasn't come close to recovering fully. Throughout most of 2009, storage houses have been crammed with oil and gas.

Exxon Mobil Corp. said Thursday that net income slumped 68 percent to $4.73 billion, or 98 cents per share, when compared with the same July-September period in 2008, the most lucrative ever for the oil industry."

IBM study: fuel efficiency, high tech, loom large in trucking’s future

TheTrucker.com - America's Trucking Newspaper: "ATLANTA — IBM today announced the findings of a new global study, which shows that trucks will become more fuel efficient, environmentally sound and safer due to the adoption of new technologies throughout the vehicle.

The use of these innovations will help truck manufacturers differentiate their vehicles, as the study shows that brand names of trucks are becoming less important.

The Global Truck 2020 Study, titled 'Transcending Turbulence,' was developed by IBM Global Business Services' Auto practice and the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV). The study — unveiled here at CALSTART's Hybrid Truck Users Forum National Conference — comprises interviews with 91 executives in 13 countries, representing the entire truck value chain."

Lubrication Rules to Help Your Equipment Run at its Best

Lubrication Rules to Help Your Equipment Run at its Best: "In the midst of the current economic turmoil, it’s not surprising that company boardrooms around the world are operating under the ‘Cash is King’ mantra. Efficiency and productivity are high on their agenda as a result. Now more than ever, plant managers are looking for ways to improve equipment reliability, optimize maintenance and reduce energy consumption. Often they are doing so by challenging the status quo and experimenting with new ideas. Retraining their staff to use effective lubrication techniques is proving to be another approach to obtain needed efficiencies."

Big Truck TV

Technology | Big Truck TV: "Leveraging Technology to Make You Smarter

With carriers conducting hundreds if not thousands of transactions every month, it’s virtually impossible to monitor each and every one for errors. John Marous, President & CEO of CarrierWeb, discusses how the latest management systems help fleet executives make smarter, faster decisions by filtering out the worst cost offenders for immediate attention"

Highway Hag's General Trucking Terms

Trucker Talk "Here we are providing for you — at no additional charge — a handy dictionary of some of the more common trucker terms so you can look up any slang in a post that doesn’t make sense. Or get yourself a big old CB and drive down the highway flowin’ and goin’ with your new best friends the truckers. Just don’t call any of them “good buddy” unless you want to be run off onto the shoulder. Good buddy used to be just a generic term for another trucker. Then it morphed into Good Buddy. As in really good buddies. Buddies with privileges.

Terms will be added as they occur to us."

Cars.com: Interactive Car

Cars.com: Interactive Car

IntelliStick Awarded 'Popular Mechanics Editor's Choice' at SEMA Show 2007

"LAS VEGAS, Oct. 30, 2007 -- IntelliStick(TM) has been awarded 'Popular Mechanics Editor's Choice' by a panel of judges at the prestigious SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. IntelliStick is a patented dipstick replacement sensor technology which monitors and reports the actual condition of automotive engine oil in real time. The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) is an international trade association which consists of a diverse group of automotive manufacturers and aftermarket companies with more than 7,000 corporate members worldwide.

IntelliStick was originally developed by Robert Kauffman in conjunction with the U.S. military for use on the Joint Strike Fighter Jet and the Humvee(R). This innovative product electronically monitors anti-wear conditions in engine oil and continuously scans for water/coolant and fuel intrusions. Data is readily accessible through any Microsoft(R) Windows(R)-based Bluetooth(R)-enabled PDA, cell phone or laptop."

Construction Equipment

Intellistick: Dipstick - 02/01/2008 - Construction Equipment: "The IntelliStick is a patented dipstick replacement designed to monitor and report the condition of automotive engine oil in real time. According to the manufacturer, the IntelliStick system “electronically monitors anti-wear conditions in engine oil and continuously scans for water/coolant and fuel intrusions.” The system’s sensor, says the company, “communicates with any Microsoft Windows-based Bluetooth-enabled PDA, cell phone or laptop.” The product is designed to provide a continuously updated picture of engine-oil condition, and to promote optimum drain intervals. According to the manufacturer, the Intellistick system is based “on a patented type of conductivity test that applies low voltage with slow varying waveforms across two sensor arrays. The system measures changes in the electrochemical current flow caused by additive-package depletion, and by impurities that accumulate over time in the oil. As more additives are depleted, most notably antioxidants and detergents, the oil’s conductivity is compromised, which leads to a corresponding reduction in the IntelliStick sensor reading.”"

FleetOwner Magazine

IntelliStick, dipstick replacement sensor system: "ntelliStick has released its first product, a dipstick replacement sensor system that allows fleet operators to remotely monitor their truck’s engine oil in real time. According to the company, the IntelliStick gauges oil condition by measuring additive condition and oxidation or acid build-up while scanning for water, coolant or fuel intrusions.

The IntelliStick won the Editor’s Choice Award from Popular Mechanics magazine in 2007. Professor Robert Kauffman of the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) developed the system in conjunction with the U.S. military. According to the company, the sensor communicates with any Bluetooth-enabled PDA, cell phone or laptop.

'Rather than changing oil on best-guess mileage and time intervals, or relying on off-site, untimely laboratory analysis, the IntelliStick sensor directly measures the actual, real-time condition of engine oil to know the absolute best time for a change,' said Kauffman. 'This is the first time that operators can get a continually updated, laboratory-grade picture of the actual state of their engine oil.'"

Popular Mechanics

Select University Technologies IntelliStick - Best of SEMA 2007 - Popular Mechanics: "HOW IT WORKS /// This digital dipstick can analyze the condition of motor oil by sensing additive depletion, coolant, fuel intrusion and contaminate build-up. It sends the wear characteristics profile from the sensor directly to your PDA or laptop. The Intellistick system can be adapted to virtually any engine type.

WHY IT MATTERS /// Finally, owners can find out exactly when the oil needs to be changed. Plus it’s been proven by the US military in fleets of Humvees. Oh, and best of all you never need to get your hands dirty to find out the condition of your oil."

The importance of recycling used motor oil

The importance of recycling used motor oil: "In today's world, automobiles are an important and necessary part of everyday life. Most automobiles require motor oil and other fluids like transmission and brake fluid to run properly. To keep a vehicle running well, an owner should change the vehicle's motor oil and fluids regularly as defined by the manufacturer. With regular maintenance comes a responsibility to know how and where to properly recycle used motor oil and associated vehicle fluids within your local community.

Nationally there are more than 12,000 community-based oil recycling locations provided by either your local government or private businesses such as auto parts stores or service stations. According to the American Petroleum Institute (API), over 600 million gallons of motor oil is purchased each year. Over half of this amount (345 million gallons) is purchased by the 'do-it-yourself' vehicle owner (DIYers) - those that change their own oil."

Green motor oil shipping to stores

A "green," petroleum-free brand of motor oil is due to appear on store shelves soon.

Green Earth Technologies said it's shipping its line of green motor oils to national retailers starting within the next month. Waste fats from cattle instead of fossil fuels are the key ingredients.

"We turn that into liquid form and use nanotechnology to have it perform in lubricant format," explained company CEO Jeff Marshall.
Diverting fat from french fries into motor oil.

Because the slaughter of each cow leaves behind 200 pounds of waste tallow, the company is making use of a renewable resource, he said.

"We're doing something to help because there's no longer a use for french fries and cooking products that use trans fats."

The company bills its 10W30 and 10W40 G-Oil for cars, as well as motor oils for boats, lawnmowers, and weed whackers, as biodegradable and nontoxic.

"You could spill motor oil over the back of boat--it doesn't harm the environment," Marshall said.

In 2-cycle engines, the smokeless oil reduces hydrocarbons by 32 percent, cuts the emissions of carbon monoxide by 48 percent, and of nitrous oxide by 80 percent, according to Green Earth Technologies.

The company also makes cleaning products for cars, boats, and homes. The entire line costs the same as traditional, toxic products, Marshall said. The recyclable packaging uses soy inks and biodegradable paper.

Green Earth Technologies' skunk works are developing 50 more products, including additives Marshall said he hopes could be used in airplane biofuels, which are being tested by Virgin Atlantic Airways.

With headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Green Earth Technologies has 250 employees and is traded on the pink sheets. In January it raised $2.1 million from Founders Technology and eight angel investors.

Marshall, who has worked in venture capital for three decades, said he's working with the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the American Petroleum Institute to develop a green label for a wide range of consumer chemical products.

"We'd like to create the standard for what is green, very analogous to how we created 802.11 and TCP/IP standards," he said.

Another clean tech start-up eyeing the market for eco-friendly car products is SOMS Technologies, which claims its engine oil filter could end the era of the 3,000-mile oil change.

Nano Chemical Systems Holdings announced last April that its NanOil, made from palm oils, would become commercially available. However, this writer couldn't find signs that NanOil is available or reach the company.

Some environmentalists object to the harvesting of palm oil particularly in Indonesia, which is clearing virgin rainforests for farming.

What's That Stuff? Motor Oil

Do you know where your car's dipstick is? If the answer is yes, do you recall when you last looked at it?

In bygone days, people took time to regularly check the level of motor oil in their car and faithfully changed the oil and filter every 3,000 miles. But now, with new engine designs that require less maintenance, improved motor oils, and ubiquitous 15-minute oil-change garages, many people have dropped the routine of popping the hood to check the oil or to change it themselves.

Why motor oil? The viscous fluid spurts out of strategically located holes in the engine or splashes off moving parts to form a thin film on the metal surfaces. The primary role of motor oil is to reduce friction and prevent corrosion. But oil also serves to dissipate heat and to hold in suspension the micrometer-sized by-products of engine wear (metallic particles), combustion (soot), and oil degradation products.

But what is motor oil? Simply put, it's about 90% paraffinic (heavy) hydrocarbon base stock distilled from crude oil, with the remainder constituting the "additives package," notes Dennis L. Bachelder of the American Petroleum Institute (API). The lengths of the hydrocarbon chains vary depending on the desired properties of the oil, but base stocks generally contain an assortment of linear and branched compounds in the C₁₆ to C₅₀ range.

Base stocks are divided into five groups, Bachelder notes. Groups I-III are basic crude oil fractions, with little extra refining done to Group I and some cracking done for Group III. Groups IV and V are called "synthetic" oils because they have been subjected to several synthetic refinery processes. Group IV is made up exclusively of poly(α-olefin)s, while Group V is a catchall group that includes polyol esters and polyalkylene glycols, he says.

Specifications and certifications are important when it comes to motor oil, and an array of national and international organizations set standards and perform evaluations. API's ratings include evolving oil performance specifications for gasoline engines (currently denoted as SM) and diesel engines (currently CI-4).

The grades of oil are based on viscosity standards set by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Oil grades are based on a viscosity range at a standard temperature; the higher the viscosity, the higher the SAE grade number. These numbers, which range from 0 to 50 or higher, are referred to as the "weight" of motor oil.

The oil's cold-weather weight is indicated by the letter "W," meaning "winter," as in 10W, which is gauged by the oil's viscosity at 0 °F. The warm-weather weight is based on the viscosity measured at 210 °F. Oils used to be sold mostly as single-grade products, and still are for some special uses, such as extreme weather conditions or for racing cars. But the viscosity range of single-grade oils is too limited for general use. That's where multigrade oils come in.

High-molecular-weight polymers (viscosity index improvers) such as poly(methyl methacrylate) and ethylene-propylene copolymer are added to a low-viscosity oil base stock to create multigrade oils that work through thick and thin. At cold temperatures, the rubberlike polymer molecules exist as balled-up coils and don't thicken the oil significantly, Bachelder says. But at warmer temperatures, they expand to more linear random coils to prevent oil from thinning out too much. Thus, common multigrade monikers-indicated by two grade numbers-are 5W-30 for colder climates (falling below 0 °F), 10W-30 for intermediate climates (down to 0 °F), and 20W-50 for warmer climates (down to 32 °F).

Now to the additives. One major class of motor oil additives is metal phenoxides, such as RC₆H₄ONa, where R is an alkyl chain. These compounds play several roles, including acting as bases to neutralize acids that form from sulfur compounds in the oil and to prevent hydrocarbon oxidation, which can lead to sludge formation. The phenoxides and their sulfate and carboxylate analogs also serve as detergents to help solubilize or suspend soot and to carry particulates to the oil filter to be removed from the oil stream.

Another key additive class is antiwear agents, such as zinc dialkyldithiophosphates, Zn[S₂P(OR)₂]₂, where R is a linear or branched alkyl group. These compounds form a micrometer-thick, cross-linked barrier layer on metal surfaces under high pressure to protect against scuffing. The zinc compounds and various amines, such as diphenylamine, also serve as corrosion inhibitors and antioxidants.

As with other types of consumer products, the plethora of motor oil additives for sale at your local auto parts store vary from maybe being useful to being snake oil. One can assume that if an additive were useful, it would already be in the oil, or it would carry an endorsement from an oil company.

Finally, the burning question about motor oil: How often should it be changed? Conventional wisdom has held that the oil should be changed about every 3,000 miles. This notion has been ingrained into people's heads for decades, in part as a marketing ploy by oil companies. The 3,000-mile interval made sense when engines used single-grade nondetergent oils. But with the latest oils and car designs, it's no longer necessary to change oil that often under normal driving conditions.

"You can change your oil every 3,000 miles if you're really particular, but we recommend changing it every 5,000 miles," commented Tom and Ray Magliozzi, the erudite grease-monkey hosts of the popular National Public Radio program "Car Talk," on a show last year. "If you change it more often, you are just wasting your money and creating a disposal problem," they noted. They are considering revising their recommendation to 7,500 miles. Synthetic oils, because of their better properties, need to be changed less often, at intervals up to 25,000 miles or more. In the end, the best advice on the type of oil to use and the frequency of oil changes is to follow the manufacturer's recommendation in your car owner's manual.

Chemical & Engineering News

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