The ATIEL Industry Liaison Committee (ILC) engages with key automotive industry stakeholders on existing and emerging technical issues and trends impacting engine design and use, and their potential effects on lubricant performance and formulation. Its focus is to support the development of specifications that lead to fit–for–purpose lubricants and ensure their timely availability.
The ILC actively engages in technical discussions with automotive manufacturers, represented by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), as well as with other lubricant-related industry groups such as additive manufacturers, represented by the Additive Technical Committee (ATC).
The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) represents the interests of major European car, truck and bus manufacturers. They set performance specifications for engine lubricants through its European Oil Sequences. ACEA performance specifications are increasingly adopted outside Europe.
With the support of ATC, the ILC formulates ATIEL’s response to the evolving ACEA sequences. Discussion are held within ACEA extended heavy-duty working group and ACEA light-duty working group every quarter.
The ILC also has direct contact with individual OEMs or other automotive groups, including component manufacturers, on specific technical topics.
In addition, ATIEL is a member of the European Coordinated Council for the development of performance test for fuels, lubricants and other fluids (CEC ). The latter is an Industry-based organisation which develops Test Methods for the performance
testing of Automotive Engine Oil, Fuels & Transmission Fluids (using gasoline & diesel engines).
CEC lubricant test methods (engine, rig and laboratory) are one of the pillars of EELQMS. Stakeholders in CEC are: ACEA, ATIEL, ATC & CONCAWE*. ASTM International also develops North American engine and laboratory tests and standards, some of which are included in the ACEA Oil Sequences.
ACEA sequences
Since their introduction in 1996 the ACEA Oil Sequences have been updated periodically to ensure that engine oils are able to meet the ever-changing requirements of the latest engine technologies. For the first time since the Sequences were first released, ACEA 2021 has separated the Light and Heavy Duty Sequences to allow a more flexible approach to updating the specifications.
ACEA Sequences 2021 for Light Duty Engine
ACEA 2021 updates the Light-Duty Sequences to replace old engine tests that have reached the end of life, to allow a continuation of the engine oil development process for vehicles already in market. The new tests run on more up to date engine hardware but allow oil marketers to continue to supply oils with proven field performance. The two new Categories published in ACEA 2021 introduce several new performance parameters and give oil marketers an opportunity to demonstrate the performance of their lubricants in the most modern vehicle technology.
ACEA Sequences 2022 for Heavy Duty Engines
New oil categories and new engine test hardware are adopted. ACEA E6-2016 and E9-2016 have been replaced by ACEA E8-2022 and ACEA E11-2022. ACEA E7 and ACEA E4 will remain, however new engine test hardware is adopted and test limits for existing tests have been revised.
ACEA Sequences 2021 Light Duty Engines and ACEA Sequences 2022 for Heavy Duty Engines-changes to categories
ACEA Sequences for Light Duty Engines
The two new Categories, C6 and A7/B7, for the first time introduce LSPI, timing chain wear and diesel turbocharger performance limits into the ACEA Sequences, and C6 includes a new fuel economy test.
ACEA Sequences for Heavy Duty Engines
For ACEA E7-2022, the Cat 1N has been adopted to replace the OM 501LA and for ACEA E11, the Cat C13 replaces the OM 501LA. The new OM 471 test is too severe for ACEA E7 oils, and for ACEA E11, alignment with API CK-4 was intended which explains the adoption of the Cat C13 for ACEA E11-2022. Grandfathering of OM 501LA data to demonstrate ACEA E4-2022, E7-2022 and E11-2022 piston cleanliness performance is allowed by ACEA.
Other significant changes are a severity increase for the CEC L-104 Biofuel piston cleanliness test for ACEA E8-2022 & E11-2022 and for the Mack T-12 engine wear test, limits for ACEA E8-2022 are now set to the higher ACEA E11-2022 limits. With the new adoptions and limit settings, the 2022 ACEA HD sequences are now more aligned with respectively MB 228.51 (ACEA E8-2022), API CI-4 (ACEA E7-2022) and API CK-4 (ACEA E11-2022).
ACEA Sequences 2021 for Light-Duty Engines and ACEA Sequences 2022 for heavy Duty Engines-Changes to Test
Light Duty Engines
The addition of tests from both API (the LSPI and chain wear test) and JASO (the new fuel economy test for C6) helps to increase the global applicability of the ACEA Sequences, as well as giving oil developers the confidence of running test programs in well-established engine tests.
Heavy Duty Engines
The most significant change is the adoption of Daimler’s new OM471 engine test hardware, which replaces the OM 501LA to assess piston cleanliness for ACEA E8-2022 and ACEA E4-2022. This OM 471 adoption entails a significant performance severity increase to cover the needs for extended oil drain intervals. The new OM 471 engine tests sets a new industry standard in terms of engine test severity and test duration of one month. This increased piston cleanliness performance is needed to cope with the significantly higher operating temperatures of the latest Euro VI HD engines using SCR systems, driven by Euro VI NOx emission legislation in combination with extended oil drain intervals.
ATIEL members have considerable expertise and field experience that can support and inform discussions around the effects of engine design changes on lubricant performance under actual service conditions.
The ILC’s involvement in the early stages of technical developments enables ATIEL to provide useful input to the design of new specifications. This proactive approach is also important for providing the lubricants industry with the necessary lead time to develop and reformulate lubricants that will be required to meet new evolutions of the ACEA specifications. It is in the best interests of all automotive industry stakeholders, and particularly consumers, that when new specifications are introduced the appropriate lubricants are widely available across the market.
