We perform lacquer formation experiments with various combinations of marine fuel oils and lubricant oils. We also investigate the influences of base number (BN) in lubricant oil and sulfur content in fuel oil.
A dissolution test with 10% dilute sulfuric acid and pull-off force test are accomplished to distinguish whether the residual layers are lacquering or not. The lacquering layers are dissolved by dilute sulfuric acid and have a strong pull-off force. Moreover, the calcium content detected in the residual layers is compared by energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). More calcium is detected in the lacquer layers than in other residual layers.
Distillate fuels containing low sulfur levels are more prone to lacquering when mixed with lubricant oil with a high BN. On the other hand, residual fuels with a high sulfur content do not form lacquer. We investigate the effect of mixture volume ratio. The mixture with higher fuel oil content is more prone to generate lacquer. These experiments indicate that a lubricant with an appropriate BN should be used to prevent lacquer forming on the surfaces such as cylinder liners depending on the sulfur content of fuel oil.