Enovert: 907 operating hours on the same engine oil, against approx. 200 normally

Landfill gas carries silicon and other abrasive substances into the engine oil. The silicon level is therefore the figure that normally decides the oil change, and on a CAT 3516 that means a change roughly every 200 hours.

Together with POLARIS Laboratories, the manufacturer of Delta Xero investigated whether the silicon figure actually reflects the wear-causing contamination. Micropatch analyses showed that it does not: a large share of the silicon is so fine that it does not cause wear, while the coarse particles can be removed by filtration.

With a Powertrain unit fitted, a CAT 3516 at Enovert ran 907 hours on the same oil, and the oil was assessed as fit for further use. Over the same period the water content fell from 407 to 59 ppm. On two engines, silicon uptake per operating hour fell by 30 and 27 %.

According to the manufacturer’s figures, the number of oil changes at the plant falls from approx. 48 to 7 per year. That figure is the manufacturer’s own; the other figures come from laboratory analyses in the manufacturer’s material.