How Additives Work: The Power Of Shell Rotella® Engine Oil Explained
Oil additives play a crucial role in helping keep an engine clean and protected. That’s why Shell adds no fewer than seven additives to our Shell Rotella® motor oils – and helps your engine work hard.
By Dan Arcy, Global OEM Technical Manager, Shell Lubricants
When API CK-4 and FA-4 were developed, one of the requirements was that lower viscosity FA-4 oils had to meet the same level of engine protection as CK-4 oils.
While both deliver improved oxidation resistance and aeration control compared to the previous generation API CJ-4 oils, FA-4 oils offer the added benefit of increased fuel economy in engines designed for their use.
An important element in meeting or exceeding the standard requirements of both oils is the additive package. It represents 15 to 25 percent of a gallon of oil, with the balance being high-quality base oil. This is higher than the additive levels in passenger-car motor oils designed for gasoline engines.
The role of additives
Additive packages play a crucial role in helping keep an engine clean and protected from varnish and sludge. They also give protection from wear, heat and acids.
Key additives perform multiple vital functions, including:
1) Antioxidants
Engine oils react with oxygen in the air to form organic acids. Oxidation can cause an increase in oil viscosity, formation of sludge and varnish, corrosion of metallic parts, and foaming. Antioxidants help slow down this oxidation process – the main cause of lubricant degradation in service.
2) Anti-wear additives
Anti-wear additives prevent direct metal-to-metal contact between the engine parts as they lay down a protective, sacrificial film. Using anti-wear additives results in longer engine-life. Why? They reduce wear in the engine. Image shows what happens when there is wear control (left) vs no wear control (right).
3) Dispersants
Dispersants keep the foreign particles in oil suspended – so they don’t stick together and form a sludge build-up in the engine.
4) Detergents
Detergents neutralize the build-up of acids, which in turn helps maximize oil-drain intervals. They’re consumed over the life of the oil.
5) Pour-point depressants
The pour point is the lowest temperature at which an oil may flow. Wax crystals that form in mineral oils at low temperatures reduce an oil’s fluidity. Pour-point depressants inhibit wax crystals from forming, allowing the oil to flow at low temperatures on engine start-up.
6) Viscosity-index improvers
Engine oil viscosity decreases at high temperature (i.e. the oil ‘thins out’), which causes a decrease in the ability of the oil to lubricate properly. Viscosity index improvers keep the viscosity at acceptable levels, which provide a stable oil film even at increased temperatures.
7) Anti-foaming agents
Agitation and aeration of engine oil may result in formation of air bubbles or foaming in the oil. This is particularly a concern in off-highway engines that operate on varied and uneven terrain. Foaming enhances oil oxidation and decreases its lubrication effect and can cause oil starvation. Anti-foaming agents help stop this happening.
A high-quality additive package can help diesel engine oils enhance fuel economy, prevent deposits, and maintain proper flow and viscosity in hot and cold temperatures.
This is important with the increased use of SAE 10W-30, SAE 5W-40, SAE 5W-30 viscosity grades. And even SAE 0W-40 in extreme cold.
Shell Lubricants also tests all its diesel engine oils in harsh on- and off-road conditions to prove their durability and has accumulated hundreds of millions of miles of testing of API CK-4 and FA-4 oils.
Shell Rotella® - Introducing Triple Protection Plus Technology
Introducing Triple Protection Plus Technology - Video Transcript
Duration: 02:41
Description: Video detailing the benefits of Triple Protection Plus
[Background music plays]
Bright, uplifting music.
[Animation Sequence]
Triple Protection Plus Logo appears
[Text displays]
TRIPLE
PROTECTION
PLUS
[Narrator]
Introducing Triple Protection Plus technology.
[Animation Sequence]
Animated truck driving on a highway as multiple weather patterns change, from heat to rain to snow
[Narrator]
At Shell, we know just how tough the roads can be. Harsh weather and long driving hours can have an impact on your engine’s performance.
[Animation Sequence]
Zoom into the truck to reveal it’s engine
[Text displays]
HEAVY DUTY
DIESEL ENGINE
[Narrator]
Today’s heavy-duty diesel engines need exceptional engine oils to keep them running at maximum efficiency.
[Animation Sequence]
Pistons in the engine are highlighted while the remaining parts of the engine disappear.
[Narrator]
That’s why Shell scientists have developed Shell Rotella synthetic oils with Triple Protection Plus technology.
[Animation Sequence]
Pistons slow down
Shell Rotella Logo appears
Triple Protection Plus logo appears
Zoom into piston to reveal a yellow background and text appears
[Text overlay]
“SYNTHETIC
BASE OIL
TECHNOLOGY”
[Narrator]
This unique formulation combines Synthetic Base Oil Technology
[Animation Sequence]
Text fades away
Bubbles appear on a yellow background
Text appears
[Text overlay]
“ADAPTIVE ADDITIVE
TECHNOLOGY”
[Narrator]
and our Adaptive Additive technology
[Animation Sequence]
Pull out to reveal engine, text animates next to the engage
[Text overlay]
“OUTSTANDING
ENGINE
PROTECTION”
[Animation Sequence]
Text fades into the background as more text appears from foreground
[Narrator]
to provide outstanding engine protection that helps to lower total cost of ownership.
[Text overlay]
“HELPS TO LOWER
TOTAL COST OF
OWNERSHIP”
“DISCLAIMER: COMPARED TO INDUSTRY STANDARD 15W-40 OILS, EXACT BENEFITS AND/OR SAVINGS MAY VARY DEPENDING ON FOR EXAMPLE, VEHICLE TYPE, THE APPLICATION, THE OPERATING CONDITIONS, THE CURRENT PRODUCTS BEING USED, THE CONDITION OF THE EQUIPMENT AND THE MAINTENANCE PRACTICES.”
[Narrator]
Let us have a look into the formulation of Triple Protection Plus technology.
[Animation Sequence]
Engine outline appears and the text overlay appears to create an equation
“SYNTHETIC
BASE OIL
TECHNOLOGY’
PLUS SIGN
“ADAPTIVE
ADDITIVE
TECHNOLOGY”
EQUAL SIGN
TRIPLE
PROTECTION
PLUS”
[Narrator]
Triple Protection Plus technology helps deliver engine protection with reduced viscosity engine oils.
[Animation Sequence]
DNA-ilke strands appear using oil
[Text overlay]
“REDUCED
VISCOSITY
ENGINE OILS”
[Animation Sequence]
Animated of a diesel engine operating with pistons firing appears, we zoom around the engine following the piston activity
[Narrator]
By utilizing reduced viscosity oils, less energy is required to pump the oil around the engine, resulting in increased fuel efficiency, lower operating costs and reduced CO2 emissions.
[Text overlay]
“INCREASED
FUEL EFFICIENCY
LOWERING
OPERATIONS COSTS
REDUCING
CO2 EMISSIONS”
[Narrator]
Adaptive Additive technology, on the other hand, adapts physically and chemically when required to provide protection.
[Text overlay]
“ADAPTIVE
ADDITIVE
TECHNOLOGY
ADAPTS
PHYSICALLY &
CHEMICALLY”
[Narrator]
This is how Triple Protection Plus technology works.
[Animation Sequence]
Zoom into engine and pistons
[Text overlay]
“WEAR CONTROL” is in the upper left hand corner
[Animation Sequence]
Zoom into animation with plates separated by a layer of oil.
[Text overlay]
“NO WEAR CONTROL” is in the upper right hand corner
[Animation Sequence]
The screen is split and on the right half reveals grinding parts without a layer of oil and the tension and wear created
[Animation Sequence]
Zoom out and reveal the pistons working
[Text overlay]
“ACID CONTROL” appears in upper left hand corner
[Narrator]
Anti-wear chemistry provides extra protection against friction in high-stress areas, extending your engine’s lifespan.
[Narrator]
During the combustion process, acids are produced which can end up in the engine oil.
[Animation Sequence]
Zoom into an animation of acid cels. Performance additives, colored as red cells, go into the acid cell and diffuse it.
[Narrator]
Performance additives neutralize these acids and prevent them from reaching vital engine parts.
[Animation Sequence]
Zoom out to the engine parts
“ACID CONTROL” appears in upper left hand corner, with a picture of clean parts below
“NO ACID CONTROL” appears up upper right hand corner with a image of parts that are worn and dirty
[Narrator]
By preventing metal corrosion, unplanned downtime can be minimized.
[Animation Sequence]
Zoom out to the engine working, and move under it to reveal a shiny gold box-like object.
Zoom into the box
“SLUDGE CONTROL” appears in upper left hand corner with animation of cell activity in proper sludge control.
Split screen appears animates over right to left
“NO SLUDGE CONTROL” appears in the upper left-hand corner
Screen revealing an animation of cell activity with poor sludge control.
DISCLAIMER READS:
“SHELL ROTELLA T5 MAINTAINS OIL VISCOSITY OVER THE OEM RECOMMENDED DRAIN INTERVAL. SHELL ROTELLA T5 DISPLAYED CLEANLINESS AND WEAR PROTECTION IN A 500,000 MIL TRIAL WITH A MAJOR ENGINE MANUFACTURER. ALWAYS FOLLOW THE OEM’S RECOMMENDED OIL DRAIN INTERVAL.”
[Narrator]
Additives target carbon particles to prevent sludge formation which helps extend oil drain intervals.
[Animation Sequence]
Zoom out to renewal gold box and engie
Pan up and zoom into pistons
“PISTON DEPOSIT CONTROL” appears in upper left hand corner
[Narrator]
Detergent molecules prevent build-up of deposits around the piston crown, resulting in a cleaner, more efficient engine and reduced maintenance costs.
[Animation Sequence]
Animation transitions to a vertical view of oil traveling and cleaning up piston deposits and protecting the pistons from future deposits.
An oil cell is highlighted by a red circle and text “DETERGENT PARTICLE” appear next to it
DISCLAIMER READS:
“COMPARED TO INDUSTRY STANDARD 15W-40 OILS. EXACT BENEFITS AND/OR SAVINGS MAY VARY, DEPENDING ON, FOR EXAMPLE, VEHICLE TYPE, THE APPLICATION, THE OPERATING CONDITIONS, THE CURRENT PRODUCTS BEING USED, THE CONDITION OF THE EQUIPMENT, AND THE MAINTENANCE PRACTICES.
[Animation Sequence]
Zoom out to grey background with animated triple protection plus logo.
[Text overlay]
“TRIPLE
PROTECTION
PLUS”
[Narrator]
Triple Protection Plus technology was designed to provide enhanced engine protection,
[Text overlay]
ENHANCED ENGINE PROTECTION
[Narrator]
long oil life,
[Text overlay]
LONG OIL LIFE
[Narrator]
reduced fuel and maintenance costs,
[Text overlay]
REDUCED FUEL & MAINTENANCE COSTS
Disclaimer: “DEMONSTRATED ON THE ROAD TESTING MEDIUM DUTY TRUCKS WITH ROTELLA T6 5W30 SAVINGS OF UP TO 1.6% ON 10W-30 VISCOSITY GRADE ONLY. HIGHWAY CYCLES, COMPARED TO SHELL ROTELLA(R) T TRIPLE PROTECTION(R) 15W-40. COMPARED TO INDUSTRY STANDARD 15W-40 OILS, EXACT BENEFITS AND/OR SAVINGS MAY VARY, DEPENDING ON, FOR EXAMPLE, VEHICLE TYPE, THE APPLICATION, THE OPERATION CONDITIONS, THE CURRENT PRODUCTS BEING USED, THE CONDITION OF THE EQUIPMENT AND THE MAINTENANCE PRACTICES.
[Narrator]
all temperature protection
[Text overlay]
ALL TEMPERATURE PROTECTION
[Narrator]
resulting in lower total cost of ownership.
[Text overlay]
LOWER TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP
[Narrator]
Shell Rotella
[Animation Sequence]
T5 10W-30 and T6 5W-40 bottle appear
[Narrator]
with Triple Protection Plus technology,
[Animation Sequence]
Shell Rotella logo appears
‘THE ENGINE OIL THAT WORKS AS HARD AS YOU.” Appears next to the logo
[Narrator]
the engine oil that works as hard as you.
[Animated sequence]
“www.rotella.com
Copy below Shell pecten on a white background.
[Shell mnemonic]
The Role of Additives in Diesel Engine Oil
The Roundup by Shell Rotella - The Role of Additives in Diesel Engine Oil - Video Transcript
Duration: 01:46
Description: Video about the role additives play in heavy duty engine oil., featuring Dan ARcy.
[Background music plays]
Bright, uplifting music.
[Animation sequence]
“The
Roundup
QUESTIONS – COMMENTARY – NEWS
by
Shell
ROTELLA”
Copy with a pecten next to “Shell Rotella” copy.
[Dan Arcy]
Dan Arcy is standing, filmed from the waist up in front of a Barcelona photo background featuring La Sagrada Familia. He is wearing a blue polo with a Shell pecten.
[Title]
DAN ARCY
GLOBAL OEM TECHNOLOGY MANAGER
SHELL LUBRICANTS
[Dan Arcy]
While the primary composition of an engine oil is base oil,
[Animation sequence]
Blue background sweeps across screen with a yellow HDDEO bottle
Screen swipes half way with a grey background and the following text appears:
‘- CONVENTIONAL’
‘- SYNTHETIC’
‘- SYNTHETIC BLEND’
[Dan Arcy voiceover]
whether that's conventional base oil, synthetic or a synthetic blend,
[Animation sequence]
Red background swipes across with a yellow engine shape vibrating.
“ADDITIVES PROTECT
ENINGES AGAINST:”
animates next to the engine. the following text animates up from the bottom, text stacks as it pushes up the engine animation.
“WEAR”
“DEPOSITS”
“AERATION”
“OXIDATION”
[Dan Arcy voiceover]
oil additives, in fact, play a crucial role in protecting engines, especially against wear, deposits, aeration and oxidation.
[Animation sequence]
Green background with yellow vibrating engine icon swipes the screen as the following text appears next to the engine:
“FA-4 OILS =
SAME PROTECTION AS
API CK-4 OILS”
[Dan Arcy voiceover]
Lower viscosity FA-4 oils had to meet the same level of engine protection as API CK-4 oils.
[Dan Arcy]
An important element in meeting or exceeding the standard requirements of both oils
[Animation sequence]
Blue background appear with illustrated yellow HDDEO bottle with a light grey liquid filling ¼ of the bottle. Text appears next to the bottle:
“ADDITIVE
PACKAGE
= 15-25%”
[Dan Arcy voiceover]
is the additive package, which can represent anywhere from 15 to 25% of a gallon of oil,
[Animation sequence]
Background swipes away to reveal aN illustrated yellow HDDEO bottle with a grey liquid inside covering ¾ off the bottle. Text appears next to the bottle:
“REMAINING =
HIGH QUALITY
BASE OIL”
[Dan Arcy voiceover]
the remaining portion being a high quality base oil.
[Animation sequence]
Red background swipes across with a yellow engine shape vibrating.
“ADDITIVES PROTECT
ENINGES AGAINST:”
animates next to the engine. the following text animates up from the bottom, text stacks as it pushes up the engine animation.
“VARNISH”
“SLUDGE”
“HEAT”
“ACIDS”
[Dan Arcy voiceover]
Additive packages also protect from varnish and sludge, heat, acids that are generated in the engine.
[Video footage]
Wide shots of a white light commercial vehicle driving down a road in the middle of a green field and down a highway
[Dan Arcy voiceover]
There are many additives that contribute to engine oil performance, each playing a very vital function.
[Text displays]
“ANTIOXIDANTS”
“ANTI WEAR AGENTS”
“DISPERSANTS”
“POUR POINT DEPRESSANTS”
“VISCOSITY INDEX IMPROVERS”
“ANTIFOAM AGENTS”
[Dan Arcy voiceover]
antioxidants, antiwear agents, dispersants, detergents, pour point depressants, and viscosity index improvers, as well as antifoam agents.
[Video footage]
Dan Arcy pours Shell Rotella engine oil into an engine.
Camera pans across the top of an engine
Camera cuts to a highway with trucks driving at sunset
Cuts to top-down look at a forested highway in the snow
[Dan Arcy voiceover]
A high quality additive package can help diesel engine oil to enhance fuel economy, prevent deposits, and maintain proper flow and viscosity in both hot and cold temperatures.
[Video footage]
The following four bottles animate in from the left-hand side of the screen
SAE T6 5W-30
SAE T5 10W-30
SAE T6 5W-40
SAE T6 0W-40
[Dan Arcy voiceover]
This is important with the increased use of SAE 5W-30, 10W-30, 5W-40, and even SAE 0W-40 for extreme cold.
[Video footage]
Footage of snowy congested highway appears
Cut to a truck driving down a forested highway in warm conditions
[Dan Arcy voiceover]
At Shell Lubricants, we test all of our diesel engine oils in harsh on and off highway conditions
[Dan Arcy]
to perfect our additive packages and prove their durability.
[Shell music fades out]
[Animated sequence]
“SHELL
ROTELLA”
Copy next to Shell pecten.
[Shell mnemonic]
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