Engineering news
Castrol has discovered an engine-lubrication technology design that makes it easy to change the oil in a vehicle in as little as 90 seconds.
The technology, dubbed Nexcel oil cell, is a unit containing both engine oil and filter and allows oil to be changed more than 13 times faster than a conventional oil change of 20 minutes. The cell is designed to replace the conventional system found in a car today.
Oil cells are collected after use, avoiding wastage of used oil. This oil can then be re-refined back into high quality lubricants. Nexcel technology could save more than 200,000 road tankers of virgin oil from being produced every year if fitted in every car today.
The company believes the technology 'paves the way' for a new generation of precision-engineered engine oils delivering further engine performance and CO2 benefits.
As well savings in CO2, other benefits of the technology will also be seen in workshops, allowing them to offer more flexible and convenient service options to customers.
Paul Waterman, Castrol chief executive officer, said: “We believe this is the biggest leap forward in oil change technology in the history of the combustion engine."
The Nexcel system has been tested on a range of engines from very small city cars to high-powered racing engines. It functioned smoothly even under severe braking of up to 1.8G, the equivalent of a vehicle travelling at 100km/h stopping dead in 1.6 seconds. Additionally, the system oil flow has been tested up to 600 litres a minute –10 to 20 times greater than seen in a conventional passenger car engine.
Nexcel must be integrated into vehicle engines at the design stage and will be making its debut in the track-only Aston Martin Vulcan supercar. Road cars fitted with Nexcel are expected to go into production within five years.
Richard Parry-Jones, automotive industry leader and chairman of the Nexcel advisory board said: “Nexcel offers a solution to a problem that is increasing on the radar scope of manufacturers.”
Aston Martin CEO Dr Andy Palmer said: “We believe that the Aston Martin Vulcan sets a whole new standard in the ultra-high luxury supercar class, just as the Nexcel technology sets a whole new standard in engine lubrication. It therefore made perfect sense for us to bring these two innovations in engineering together, and showcase their capabilities.”