Scientists on quest for friction-free motor oil

Researchers from BP are using molecular science in their labs to make the perfect oil mix to reduce engine friction as well as increase efficiency.

According to the organization, friction caused by various metal-to-metal contact points is a major problem with regard to car engines; costing the uk economy an estimated 24 billion dollars pounds ($36. 2 million US) each year through dropped efficiency and damage via wear-and-tear. The only barrier between high-force contacts of motor surfaces is a thin coating of lubricant, but they are arriving under increasing pressure through modern engines.

At BP's facility in Berkshire, to the west of London, scientists and also engineers are working to create lubes that operate inside the most recent motor engines, while enhancing the performance and effectiveness of vehicles already available on the market.

"Engine oil is like blood of the engine. It variations every part of the engine, they have many jobs to do and it has to maintain that engine running effectively by keeping things clean, maintaining metal surfaces apart along with reducing friction, " described development technologist, Simon Gurney, at BP's Technology Center.

The pressure inside contemporary engines also increases the requirement for effective fuels and moisturizers. The Bugatti Veyron supercar, for example , had an engine stress of 18 bar with regards to launched in 2005. These days a standard Ford Fiesta may run a similar pressure.

Gurney said the increasing braking system mean effective pressure -- the pressure within an powerplant - has put larger demands on an oil's overall performance.

"In an engine it's filled with metal parts; the oil's primary job is to maintain those metal parts aside from one another. So it has to be truly strong under these ruthless environments. Now, an engine perhaps 20 years ago was possibly making 10 bar associated with pressure, today; 20 pub. So engine pressures possess doubled, " he stated.

Using a state-of-the-art scanning electron microscope, the scientists in BP can see the damage brought on by friction and fuel break down forming deposits on motors at a nano-level. It's their own job to experiment with hundreds of thousands regarding oil compounds that could decrease this effect, according to maieutic expert Tom Lynch.

"Our task is to find that hook in a haystack that makes which big difference in an improvement from the performance of our oil. And thus we strive, using these top end analytical pieces of equipment to be able to determine what each molecule does and its role is in our own lubricant. And we try and melody these molecules to be the greatest at that job, " Lynch told Reuters, adding which they use a mass spectrometer to check molecular formulas 24-hours-a-day from temperatures of up to 6000 levels Celsius.

Once they've set up a viable formula, the natural oils are transferred to the BP Blend Shop to be created on a larger scale which could eventually be replicated all over the world.

"The demands of modern machines and modern hardware imply that the complexity of our products is increasing. We have to test out various different materials in addition to determine the best blending techniques so they can be replicated internationally, " said Christopher Rolfe, team leader for mixing operations.

"Once the formula has been sent over through the laboratory, we would then get that formulation and exercise how to blend it. The actual blending methods here obtain replicated globally, so the knowledge of the hardware and the applications that takes place in the lab, is then transferred into real world applications in the blend store here, " he additional.

The team concedes that business moves toward more mixed engines may present brand new challenges. But BP according to the potential for greater efficiency as well as CO2 reduction is substantial. It's their aim to concoct oil and lubricants that will assist today's engines be because environmentally friendly as possible; with the battle with friction a key factor in attaining this goal.

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