Evaluation of the Role of Lubricant Additives in Emission Control

In the last several decades, emission regulations have become a significant driving force for vehicle technologies, from powertrain design to emission control. These technologies will experience continuous improvement and may require a paradigm shift to address more stringent emission regulations. As essential components of powertrain systems, fuel and lubricant additives have uniquely enabled powertrain performance and durability. This review focuses on the complex interactions between the fluids and the emissions control system. Investigations into the impact of fuel aromatic content on both primary and secondary emissions are discussed. This work provides the methodologies and context to evaluate the studies into the interactions between fluids and the emission system components. Research on lubricants interactions with particulate filters shows that the lubricant, when formulated appropriately, does not substantively degrade particulate filter performance. In fact, it was found that the lubricant additives can have positive impact on carbonaceous accumulation in the filter and improve particulate emissions. This work provides an overview and context for assessing the role of lubricant additives in the performance of the complete emission system. Understanding the full impact of the fluids, lubricant and fuel, and the powertrain hardware provides the foundation to design additives to deliver optimized performance for the vehicle with advanced emission control systems.