Degradation of Quality and Contaminants in Lubricants of Diesel Engine Fueled By B100 of Train Power Generator in Long-Term Operation

The use of biodiesel as an alternative fuel to replace diesel has a positive impact on reducing environmental damage, but, on the other hand, has an impact on decreasing engine performance in the long-term operation, one of which is the degradation of lubricant quality. This degradation of lubricant quality can be characterized by a decrease in the value of kinematic viscosity and total base number (TBN) and the presence of contaminants in the lubricant. This study aims to determine the impact of using biodiesel B100 on the quality of lubricants on train power generator diesel engines. The diesel engine used in this research is water cooled type with an engine capacity of 16.4 liters. The engine is directly connected to an electric generator monitored by DeepSea and works at a constant speed of 1500 rpm for a total of 218 operation hours of research. The lubricant samples are taken in the range of 0 (fresh lubricant), 82, 164, and 218 hours. The average kinematic viscosity values at 40°C and 100°C during 218 hours of operation are equal to 85.26 cSt and 12.705 cSt, respectively. Moreover, the TBN values decrease throughout the operation time. The contaminant laboratory test results show an increase in iron (Fe), copper (Cu), and lead (Pb) content accompanied by a decrease in magnesium (Mg) and zinc (Zn) content with increasing operation time. Laboratory tests for other contaminants in the form of Na and Si also show an increase in an insignificant amount and tended to be constant during the experimental.