Authors

M. Frauscher, C. Besser, A. Agocs, U. Cihak-Bayr, AC2T research GmbH, Wiener Neustadt; A. Zunghammer, S. Kirchhamer, G. Leonardelli, Miba Gleitlager Austria GmbH, Laakirchen; S. Zaderer, J. Laubach, INNIO Jenbacher GmbH, Jenbach

Year

2026

Print Info

Production/Publication ÖVK

Summary

The increasing interest in ammonia as a carbon-free fuel for large marine and stationary engines poses new challenges for engine oil performance and material compatibility. This work presents an integrated experimental approach based on three pillars: artificial oil ageing, tribological performance evaluation, and material compatibility testing. Artificial ageing was performed in a custom-built device allowing controlled thermal stressing under defined gaseous contaminations and regular oil analysis. Results proved that ammonia-aged oils exhibited pronounced deposit formation and reduced load-carrying capacity despite favourable conventional oil parameters.
Tribological investigations using SRV® tribometers demonstrated significantly increased friction and wear under ammonia atmospheres. Subsequent X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements revealed altered and thinner tribofilms. Moreover, block-on-ring tribometer experiments with different bearing materials proved that tribological performance under impact of oils aged with and without ammonia strongly depended on the respective material, with lead-free bronze alloys showing enhanced robustness.
Complementary material compatibility tests confirmed increased metal release, particularly copper and lead, for ammonia-aged oils.
Overall, the results underline the limitations of conventional oil condition parameters and highlight the need for adapted monitoring strategies and optimized material selection for ammonia-fuelled engine applications.

ISBN

978-3-9504969-5-6

DOI

https://doi.org/10.62626/41sp-nxj4 Copy link

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