20 Minutes With Leonard Badal

Rachel Fowler, Associate Editor | TLT 20 Minutes January 2016

This global brand manager for Chevron Lubricants discusses the challenges in implementing PC-11.
 
LEONARD BADAL - The Quick File
Leonard Badal has worked more than 25 years in the lubricants business in sales, product line, training and solutions focus. He has worked for Chevron Lubricants for more than 14 years. Leonard is Chevron’s global commercial sector manager overseeing the Delo® brand and product line strategy for heavy engine oils, coolants, greases and automotive gear oils within Chevron’s family of lubricant brands. Leonard and his team launched the current Delo Let’s Go Further campaign to highlight Delo’s premium family of products’ performance to allow customers to drive their business and equipment farther.

He has developed and led Chevron lubricants HDMO and driveline strategy into low viscosity leadership with the launch of several key fuel efficient products. Leonard also is the project manager responsible for Chevron’s Delo PC-11 product launch in the North American, European, Africa and Middle East and Asia-Pacific markets for the future.

Leonard is a member of STLE and SMRP and holds professional certifications, including Certified Maintenance Reliability Professional, Certified Lubrication Specialist™, Certified Oil Monitoring Analyst™, Machinery Lubricant Technician and Machinery Lubricant Analyst.

He also has written more than 50 articles for various publications in relation to reliability, coolants, greases and heavy duty engine oils. Recent articles include Breaking the Myths and Superstitions about Total Base Number and Coming Changes for Customers with PC-11.

He received a bachelor’s of science degree in engineering management from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a master’s degree in business administration–finance from Rice University in Houston, Texas.


Leonard Badal
TLT: How did you get started in the lubricants industry?
Badal: I started in the lubricants industry in 1990 after serving as an infantry officer in the 82nd Airborne Division. I started with Exxon Specialty Products as a territory manager in Long Beach, Calif., focusing on lubricant, process oil, chemical and wax sales at the time. I really enjoyed my time in sales since it really allowed me to see a wide range of commercial, industrial and process operations and understand the key drivers around maintenance, reliability and productivity for these respective industries.

TLT: What have been some of your roles over the years?
Badal: The great thing about a lubricants career is the wide range of job opportunities available that have provided a lot of learning and opportunities. My roles have included sales, sales management, distributor recruitment and acquisition, distributor senior management and operations, global account management, training, solution service program development and sales, global marketing and now global brand management.

TLT: What is your current role?
Badal: I am currently Chevron’s commercial brand manager responsible for the Delo® brand globally. My role focuses on developing the strategic vision, industry trends, product pathways and channel growth plans for Delo in the global markets we operate.

TLT: PC-11 is right around the corner. How will this affect the industry?
Badal: It is important to first understand what is happening in the industry today. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have implemented regulations designed to reduce the level of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and mandated fuel economy improvements for on-highway medium and heavy duty vehicles. The first of these standards are being phased between 2014-2017.

The new regulations impose different fuel-efficiency targets based on the size and weight of the vehicles. Vehicles impacted include combination tractor and trailers, pick-up trucks, buses, vans and vocational service vehicles.

To address the fuel economy requirements, the Engine Manufacturers Association (EMA) requested that the American Petroleum Institute (API) develop a new commercial engine oil performance category for improved fuel economy. Besides addressing fuel economy and GHG emissions, the EMA wants PC-11 to bring improvements in oil oxidation and oil aeration over the current API CJ-4 in order to improve engine durability. During its development phase, the new category is currently called Proposed Category 11 (PC-11) and is unique from other heavy duty engine oil changes due to the fact that two different API categories will be licensed as part of this new development. One will be API CK-4 for oils that are backward compatible with previous categories such as API CJ-4 and will service all new and older existing engines. 

The other will be API FA-4, which will represent improvements in fuel economy over API CK-4 SAE XW-30 oils (see Figure 1). The “F” in the nomenclature represents fuel economy and the “A” represents the first in a series of new fuel economy standards in the future. To obtain this improved fuel economy performance, it is necessary to lower the high temperature high shear (HTHS) viscosity of the engine oil. The HTHS is representative of the viscosity providing hydrodynamic lubrication between the engine bearings and crankshaft when the engine is operating in severe service. By lowering HTHS and maintaining appropriate lubrication film, it is possible to improve engine fuel efficiency and help lower carbon emissions (see Figure 2).


Figure 1. API FA-4 will represent improvements in fuel economy over API CK-4 SAE XW-30 oils.


Figure 2. By lowering HTHS and maintaining appropriate lubrication film, it is possible to improve engine fuel efficiency and help lower carbon emissions.

PC-11 will affect the industry by offering lower viscosity diesel engine oils for use with on-road trucks to achieve better fuel efficiency while maintaining higher viscosity grades for off-road diesel equipment. We expect to see this split grow larger over time as on-road vehicle engine oils potentially get even lighter in viscosity grade beyond 2020.

TLT: What challenges do you see with the implementation of PC-11?
Badal: The biggest challenge will be for end-users to understand the split category change and how this will apply to equipment they operate. For on-road end-users, it will mean understanding how both API quality level and viscosity grade best works for them in achieving their goals for equipment reliability and performance, while also helping them achieve appropriate cost savings targets through fuel economy improvements, extended drain performance or both. Additionally the rate at which they plan to cycle out older equipment with newer trucks is important in their decision review regarding use of the API FA-4 products (more fuel efficient) versus the continued use of API CK-4 backward compatible viscosity grades. It will be important for on-road end-users to gain appropriate knowledge and work with their respective suppliers to understand their options for best fit into their fleet.

With API CK-4 products, off-road users can take advantage of improved oil oxidation performance, improved piston deposit control and new generation wear components that can help increase engine life and allow for potentially increased oil drain performance. One clear item, though, for off-road users is that they will not be able to use API FA-4 products due to OEM recommendations against use of these products in off-road equipment operations along with potential mix of older and newer equipment found in these off-road operations.

TLT: How do you see the market accepting two different oils?
Badal: I would expect the adoption rates to be different for the two categories of oils. API CK-4 should have relatively fast (within 18 months) and wide acceptance due to improved performance versus API CJ-4 oils today at relatively modest cost/price impacts to the marketplace for both on- and off-road customers.

However, API FA-4 oils will have much slower adoption rates into the overall market. The first place where API FA-4 oils will be adopted is with on-road truck OEMs, but even these will take time to adopt fully into their full line of vehicles as factory fill. Once the OEMs have adopted and started to factory fill the new oil, then you may see early adopters like super large fleets or customers that have very new trucks start to utilize the product to maximize fuel economy performance over time. As part of this adoption, there will be potential for expanded channel distribution of API FA-4 oils through truck stops and OE dealers as new customers request the top off or ability to do oil changes using these newer grade products.

Over time, the API FA-4 category will continue to grow as on-road diesel engine builders start to focus on use of these oils going forward with their new models and also the need to meet continued stringent carbon emission regulations.

TLT: Where do you feel the industry will go from here?
Badal: The industry is going to focus on ways to improve diesel engine efficiency and help ends-users reduce costs and improve reliability, productivity and performance. Engine oils will continue to help support this effort as new engine designs are developed that can take full advantage of low engine oil viscosity formulations and performance. We expect that will see the continued development of low viscosity (low HTHS) diesel engine oil products for use with on-road vehicles while off-road vehicles will focus on ways to improve engine design around improving oxidation performance, extended oil drains and improving engine durability. In the future, the continued split between on- and off-road diesel engine oil categories will get wide enough that oil categories may be specific to either on- or off-road diesel engines due to continuing on-road diesel engine design evolution and regulation impacts.

TLT: What changes are there in the oil specifications from CJ-4?
Badal: The API CJ-4 oil category has been very successful since its introduction in October 2006, but according to EMA, new engines require enhanced oil oxidation and aeration control. Consequently seven of the tests in API CJ-4 will be carried over to PC-11 and two new tests will be added: Volvo T-13 for oil oxidation control and Caterpillar Oil Aeration Test (see Figure 3).


Figure 3. Seven of the tests in API CJ-4 will be carried over to PC-11 and two new tests will be added.

The Volvo T-13 test is focused only on improved oil oxidation control and utilizes a 2010 Volvo 13 liter engine under severe operating conditions (see Figure 4). The oil gallery temperature is controlled at 130 C for 360 hours. All the test conditions are shown in Table 1. Passing oils will have to maintain viscosity control and IR oxidation limits. The improvements in oxidation control have many benefits including longer oil drains, piston deposit control and subsequent oil consumption benefits.


Figure 4. The Volvo T-13 test is focused on improved oil oxidation control for next generation diesel engines. (Photo courtesy of Southwest Research Institute.)

Table 1. Volvo T-13 Operating Conditions


The Volvo T-13 is a critically important test as engine manufacturers have advanced fuel injection timing to maximize fuel economy. This increases combustion temperatures and forms higher NOx levels in the cylinder. NOx is then lowered by the use of selective catalytic reduction (SCR). Due to the advanced timing, there is significantly less soot generation. As there is less soot to remove by the diesel particulate filter (DPF), there will be fewer regenerations, which will save on fuel. New diesel engines with DPF-SCR using API FA-4 SAE XW-30 oils will provide the highest level of fuel economy.

The Caterpillar Oil Aeration Test focuses on improved oil aeration control. Oil aeration can have detrimental effects on bearing life as it reduces load capability and can cause bearing cavitation. This test uses a Caterpillar C13 engine (see Figure 5) for 50 hours at a no-load condition at 1800 rpm. The aeration is measured by using a micro-motion system from which the oil density is measured and the aeration is calculated. A total of nine engine tests and six bench tests are included in PC-11 to ensure engine durability and reliability.


Figure 5. The Caterpillar C13 engine test stand. It is utilized for the new oil aeration control test as part of the PC-11 Qualification Program. (Photo courtesy of Southwest Research Institute.)

The chemical box for fresh oil is the same in API CJ-4 and PC-11, and these chemical maximum limits are to ensure compatibility with SCR and DPFs (see Table 2). Limiting the oil sulfated ash maximizes the DPF’s cleaning interval. Due to oil consumption, over 90% of the DPF ash is derived from the inorganic lubricant additives. These components are calcium and magnesium detergents, zinc dithiophosphates and metal containing inhibitors that do not regenerate in the DPF.

Table 2. API CJ-4 and PC-11 Chemical Box for Fresh Oil


Reducing phosphorus from the maximum allowed limit by using more advanced wear inhibitors allows increases in the detergents for longer oil drains and should improve DPF-SCR compatibility.

New on-highway diesel engines, which need to meet the fuel economy standard, will most likely use API FA-4 oils that will provide the highest level of fuel economy. The API CK-4 SAE XW-30 and XW-40 oils will be an improvement over API CJ-4 due to better oxidation and aeration control. In contrast, the off-highway vehicles do not have fuel economy standards and are likely to recommend the API CK-4 oils because of their extreme loads, dirty environments and frequent cyclic of operation. Nevertheless, these operations will still have fuel economy improvements as they trend from SAE 15W-40 to SAE 10W-30.

The introduction of API CK-4 and API FA-4 oil categories is scheduled for Dec. 1, 2016, since there is a need in the marketplace for an oil to service the new 2017 trucks, which have to meet current and upcoming fuel economy standards as well as maintain engine durability.

Chevron Lubricants has been developing a full range of Delo (1) 400 PC-11 premium heavy duty engine oils that provide excellent engine protection, fuel economy performance and capability for increased oil drain extension while helping to minimize total cost of operation. Please visit www.ChevronDeloPC-11.com for more information.

1. Delo is a registered trademark of Chevron Intellectual Property LLC.

You can reach Leonard Badal at ljba@chevron.com.