Castrol has launched a new modular oil and filter technology called Nexcel, which promises to change the way automotive engines are built and serviced. The system replaces the traditional manual drain/fill/oil filter well change process with a polymer cartridge containing both the engines entire supply of lubricating oil and filter.
By swapping out the modules, the oil and filter is replaced, while the used cartridge is recycled and the used oil captured for re-refining into new product.The system promises faster assembly for automakers, and a dramatically faster oil change time for motorists, typically 90 seconds compared to 20 minutes for a conventional oil change.
According to Castrol, the system offers manufacturers and motorists three primary benefits in performance, servicing and sustainability:
- Nexcel delivers a reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions on modern engines. Moreover the technology paves the way for a new generation of precision-engineered engine oils delivering further engine performance & CO2 benefits.
- Nexcel makes the oil change super quick and clean for workshops, allowing them to offer more flexible and convenient service options to customers.
- Oil cells are collected after use, avoiding wastage of used oil. This oil can then be re-refined back into high quality lubricants. If Nexcel were fitted onto every car in the world today, it would save more than 200,000 road tankers of virgin oil from being produced, every year.
The Nexcel system has been tested on a range of engines from very small city cars to cutting-edge high-powered racing engines in the most extreme of conditions.
It functioned smoothly even under severe braking of up to 1.8G, the equivalent of a vehicle travelling at 100km/h stopping dead in 1.6 seconds.
Additionally, the system oil flow has been tested up to 600 litres a minute –10 to 20 times greater than seen in a conventional passenger car engine.
The system will be fitted as standard in the new Aston Martin Vulcan track-only supercar. Road cars fitted with Nexcel are expected to go into production within five years.
Testing and installing Nexcel on a low volume car like the Vulcan allowed the oil cell's development to be accelerated, meaning it will be ready for mass market production much sooner. Castrol is currently in discussions with several other vehicle manufacturers.
For more information, visit www.castrol.com.