Lubricating performance of carbon nanotubes in internal combustion engines – engine test results for CNT enriched oil

The main purpose of this research is to reduce friction losses by adding carbon nanotubes to engine oil. Extremely favorable tribological properties of carbon nanotubes have been extensively studied on the microscopic scale and using tribometers, have not yet been verified in the engine. Enriching oil with nanotubes can lead to significant, exceeding 7 %, reduction in the motoring torque of the engine at low crankshaft rotational speed. The phenomena associated with the dispersion of carbon nanotubes in the engine are stated and discussed. It has been shown that the oil shear during normal operation of the engine can effectively improve the dispersion of nanotubes. At the same time the oil filtration system removes agglomerates of nanotubes very quickly.