BP Ti
This technology journey began several years ago in a laboratory in New Jersey, US. "We're always looking at different chemistries or components that may allow us to enhance performance attributes of our lubricants," says Mario Esposito, Castrol's team leader for polymer development and passenger car oils, at the Wayne Technology Center.
"We formulate our lubricants around individual, proprietary ingredients, creating a ‘hand crafted' differentiated offer, and with Castrol EDGE, we aimed to develop a performance additive that made the lubricant stronger."
"We test parameters such as impact on engine wear, sludge build-up and piston cleanliness. Some tests can take several weeks to run - the longest was a 900-hour engine test. These are extreme by nature, creating conditions that will never be seen in a car on the road."
Tests also followed with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and other research facilities. "We worked with a Scottish university to independently test the additive under very high pressure," says senior technologist, Gareth Dowd. "This confirmed that adding the titanium improved fluid strength by changing its physical behaviour."
Castrol's team of chemists built that molecule from scratch, as polymer research manager, Richard Sauer explains: "We were assessing a range of transition elements, trying to identify which one would bring value to a finished oil. We needed to assess the advantages of each element, looking at factors such as engine deposits and wear control.