Optimise transmission efficiency by considering the effect of oil formulation early in the design process, using Romax Energy

Designers across all industries are looking to make efficiency improvements. In passenger vehicle drivetrains, parasitic losses (oil churning and friction from gears and bearings) can contribute up to 5% of overall energy losses. The lubricant (base oil and additive pack) has a significant effect on this efficiency.

However, during the early stages of a typical gearbox design process, a suggested oil is often assumed, and the lubricant is not treated as a key element of the design itself. By considering the oil early in the design process, there are opportunities to optimise the design in terms of wear and friction reduction. Adopting this design process and understanding the effect of oil performance can significantly improve driveline efficiency.

Romax Energy allows users to consider the effect of the oil and additive pack on transmission efficiency and oil sump temperature, meaning that the lubricant can form a key part of the design process. Combining its powerful analyses with lab scale lubricant tests, Romax have applied an iterative process to develop an EV gearbox, which successfully proved a process whereby the oil is designed for the gearbox and the gearbox is designed for the oil. This synchronous approach allows gearbox designers and lubricant developers to communicate and to improve overall efficiency and minimise emissions.

What will you learn?

• That Romax’s advanced methods to simulate the impact of different lubricant properties can significantly improve transmission efficiency
• How to incorporate lubricant properties early in your design process, so it becomes a key part of development
• That early consideration of oil properties could improve end product quality, resulting in a gearbox which has been designed for the lubricant, and a lubricant which has been designed for the gearbox

Who should attend?

Analysts, design and transmission engineers who focus on the design of electro-mechanical systems.