Study of Lubricating Oil Degradation of CI Engine Fueled with Diesel-Ethanol Blend

The study of lube oil is useful in scheduled maintenance activity, determining the oil replacement time for engines, to increase the engine life and ensure the maximum performance. Investigation of engine oil can reduce maintenance cost and promises higher design efficiency. Experiments were carried out on a mono cylinder compression ignition engine fueled with diesel-ethanol blended, which is operated at a constant rated speed of 1500 rpm for 100 hours. The lube oil samples were subjected to wear metal tests, chemical and physical tests. The quantity of wear metal in the engine oil was observed using the atomic absorption spectrometer. The total base number and total acid number were measured by the titration method according to ASTM code ASTM D6654 and ASTM2896, respectively. The viscosity was determined using the Stab Viscometer, SVM3000, by the ASTM D445 method at 40oC temperature. Iron and copper concertation was increased with an increase in usage time. However, TBN decreased, and TAN increased with the usage time. Viscosity and density decrease with the increase in usage time. The lube oil shows that the engine can be operated for an extended time with the same lube oil since all the measured parameters are within the limit.