Lessons at maximum velocity

In the demanding world of Formula 1, where results can be decided by fractions of a second, teams go to great lengths to gain the slightest advantage.

It’s a high-pressure, high-stakes world, one that Shell has called home since the first F1 race was held in 1950, as partner to one of the most famous names in the sport, Scuderia Ferrari. The firm puts in about 21,000 hours a year in research and development to keep Ferrari near the sharp end of the grid in F1.

RESEARCH AT 320KMH

Shell engineers are trackside with Ferrari at every F1 race. One of the key lessons learnt in a sport that chases perfection so relentlessly is that fractions count. Make the wrong car set-up decisions, for instance, and say goodbye to that race win.

Choose the wrong fuel and lubricants partner, and watch your rivals leave you for dust.

This critical, but often overlooked aspect of a car’s performance, can make the difference between hero and zero, a fact that Mr Troy Chapman, Shell Lubricants South East Asia general manager, appreciates.

“Ferrari is quite convinced that they actually get increased horsepower because of what we’ve been able to do with them on the lubricants development cycle. Something as small as 1 to 2hp in an engine that powerful can make a difference of seconds over the course of a race. And races are won and lost in seconds,” he said.

An engine has many moving parts that produce friction. The greater the friction, the more engine power needed to overcome these forces – power that would be better used to make the car go faster. This is where a good engine oil can make a critical difference, by reducing frictional losses and helping the car go faster. 

RACETRACK-PREPPED, FOR THE ROAD

Producing an engine oil that stands up to the demands of one of the world’s most intense motorsports bodes well for drivers, whether they’re on the circuit or street. And the lessons learned in this demanding high-speed laboratory have contributed to the development of Shell Helix Ultra with PurePlus Technology.

“If you learn how to create more horsepower for Ferrari, these are lessons that we can then put into products like Shell Helix Ultra with PurePlus Technology,” said Mr Chapman.

One of the keys to its effectiveness lies in the source from which it is derived. While most synthetic engine oils are made from crude oil, Shell’s Helix Ultra with PurePlus Technology is made from natural gas – the first synthetic engine oil to do so.

Shell’s PurePlus Technology converts natural gas – which the firms says has practically none of the impurities found in crude oil – into a base oil, which makes up 75 to 90 per cent of motor oil. It’s a significant change in the composition of motor oil and helps create a much cleaner product.

Mr Chapman likens this to a muddy stream.

“You can take water from a muddy stream, filter it and end up with water that’s clean enough for you to drink. Or you can start with water vapour, which is very pure to begin with, and then condense it and drink that instead. 

“With natural gas, we start with something that’s already 99.5 per cent pure and then we add our proprietary active cleansing technology and end up with an unbelievable motor oil.”

CLEAN SOURCE, CLEANER ENGINES

Pearl GTL in Qatar is the world’s largest source of gas-to-liquid (GTL) products, a partnership between Shell and Qatar Petroleum. This is where Shell PurePlus Technology base oils are made. The firm’s first GTL plant was constructed in Bintulu, Malaysia, where it still converts natural gas into a variety of products for wax and chemical applications. One of these basic products, candles, offers a vivid visual representation of how Shell innovates and finds solutions to producing cleaner energy.

Said Mr Chapman: “When you burn a normal candle, you typically see a trail of black smoke off the flame. But these candles – because of the purity of the gas that starts the wax process, they burn perfectly clean. There’s no trail of smoke, it’s just the flame.”

The adoption of such clean tech in Shell Helix Ultra with PurePlus Technology works out well for motorists and Mother Nature.

Shell says that the latest formulation of Shell Helix Ultra with PurePlus Technology, 0W-30, offers up to 2.2 per cent greater fuel economy compared to an industry reference oil. According to the Land Transport Authority’s Singapore Land Transport Statistics in Brief 2015 report, private cars in Singapore travelled an average of 17,500km in 2014.

Said Mr Chapman: “Now imagine if you multiply that over what you spend on fuel for a year or several years. That’s a significant amount of money. More importantly, you’re being much more responsible with the resources that are being used.”

That’s good news indeed for man, machine and Mother Earth.

Produced by the TODAY Special Projects Team