Low-Ash Engine Oil R&D · CNG · LNG · Biogas

CNG & Gas-Engine Oil
Formulation.

Gas engines need a different oil, not a re-labelled diesel oil. We formulate low-ash CNG, LNG and biogas engine oils that control nitration, hold TBN and protect the valve train — built to your engine, your base oil and the OEM category, with the formula and IP transferred to you.

Low-ash
Sulfated Ash Controlled (D874)
CNG · LNG
+ Biogas / Cogeneration
API · OEM
Gas-Engine Category Targeted
100%
IP Transfer Under NDA
Why Gas-Engine Oil Is Different

A cleaner fuel —
a harder oil problem.

Natural gas burns cleaner and drier than diesel, but hotter — and with almost no liquid fuel washing the bore. That changes the formulation problem entirely.

The oil has to resist nitration and oxidation at sustained high combustion temperature, retain TBN without laying down ash on valves and spark plugs, and protect against valve-seat recession in a dry combustion environment. Run a standard diesel or petrol oil in a CNG, LNG or biogas engine and it typically fails on valve-train wear and ash-related deposits long before its viscosity gives out. This is why a gas-engine oil is specified by its sulfated-ash level, not just its SAE grade.

What It Must Achieve

The targets a gas-engine
oil is judged on.

These are the public performance targets — the figures below are standard industry reference ranges, not a recipe.

Sulfated ash (ASTM D874)
Graded by duty — low <0.6%, medium 0.6–1.0%, high >1.0% — balanced against valve-seat protection.
Nitration / oxidation
Controlled by FTIR over service life; the dominant degradation mode in gas engines.
TBN retention
Acid neutralisation held without excess ash (ASTM D2896).
Anti-wear / phosphorus
Valve-train protection within a tight P budget — typically ZDDP ≤ ~1000 ppm P.
Specification
API CF / SL-derived low-ash chemistry plus the relevant OEM gas-engine category (automotive fleet or stationary).
The Chemistry — In Public Terms

The trade-off is ash
versus protection.

Detergent is what neutralises combustion acids and holds TBN — but metallic detergent is also the main source of the ash that fouls valves and plugs. A gas-engine additive system therefore balances a reduced, carefully chosen detergent system against ashless dispersants and a strong antioxidant / anti-nitration set, with anti-wear delivered inside a tight phosphorus limit. The published art — for example the natural-gas engine-oil additive system in WO2003048277A1 — sets out these component classes and the low-SAPS balance.

Composition follows standard structure: base oil 65–95% + VI improver 0–30% + DI package 5–15% (public reference). What the patent landscape does not give is the exact detergent/dispersant/antioxidant balance and treat rates that make your engine pass on your base oil at a competitive cost — and that is precisely the work.

Public chemistry, proprietary recipe. Everything above is public reference data and patent art — shown so you can judge our depth. The exact formulation, treat rates and full BOM are developed to your engine and base oil and shared only under NDA, with the IP transferred to you.
How We Prove It

Validated on the
methods that matter.

Every candidate is benchmarked against your reference and validated on the relevant ASTM suite — D445 viscosity, D874 sulfated ash, D2896 TBN, D5185 elemental, FTIR nitration/oxidation and four-ball wear — with OEM field / fleet-trial support where the category requires it.

What You Receive

Your formula —
not a patent's.

We convert the public art into a manufacturable, cost-optimised, globally sourced gas-engine oil that passes your target category — and hand it over as your asset.

The exact low-ash formulation, tuned to your base oil and target engine
Full BOM, manufacturing SOP and blending process
ASTM / OEM test data proving it meets the category
Complete IP transfer under NDA — no royalty, no lock-in
Frequently Asked

CNG & gas-engine oil —
questions.

Why can't I just use a normal diesel or petrol engine oil in a CNG engine?

Gaseous fuel burns cleaner but hotter and drier, with little liquid fuel to wash the cylinder. A standard engine oil typically fails on nitration, accelerated oxidation and valve-seat recession, and its higher metallic-detergent (ash) content can foul valves and spark plugs. Gas-engine oil is built around controlled sulfated ash and strong nitration/oxidation resistance.

What is "low-ash" or "low-SAPS" gas-engine oil?

It refers to the sulfated-ash level (ASTM D874) and the sulfated-ash / phosphorus / sulfur balance. Gas engines are graded low-, medium- or high-ash by duty; too much ash causes valve and plug deposits, too little reduces valve-seat protection — so the detergent system is deliberately balanced for the engine.

Do you give us the full formula?

Yes — under NDA, with full IP transfer. This page shows the public chemistry, the standards and the patent landscape so you can judge our depth; the exact detergent/dispersant/antioxidant balance and treat rates that make a given engine pass are the deliverable, developed to your engine and base oil and handed over as your asset.

Which gas engines do you formulate for?

CNG, LNG and biogas — automotive transport fleets (Euro VI / BS-VI CNG buses, three-wheelers and cars) and stationary gensets/cogeneration, against the relevant API and OEM gas-engine categories.

Building a CNG or gas-engine oil?
Let's formulate it.

Tell us the engine, the OEM category and the volume — we'll scope the low-ash R&D route and the deliverables.

Start the Project All R&D Capabilities