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Increasing the operational envelope of Military Generators, Badnams

Badnams Ltd manufacture the Whisperlite® range of ultra-quiet, lightweight portable generators originally developed to satisfy the rigorous front-line power supply requirements of the British Armed Forces.

Tested in extreme conditions, the B22 generator successfully provided power in searing 55°C desert heat, arctic conditions of minus 32°C and at altitudes of 5000 metres.

The low profile of the 1KVA B21 and 2KVA B22 means they are visibly discrete in addition to their outstandingly low acoustic signature. Both generators have long runtimes e.g., B21 forty eight hours and B22 twenty four hours on a 20L Jerrycan which can be changed whilst the generator is running.

Badnams generators can power a wide range of AC based equipment. The generators charge batteries and directly power other equipment e.g. laptop computers, communication sets, battlefield systems, artillery systems surveillance systems and field equipment.

The casing remains cool during operation which facilitates rapid shutdown and redeployment if required.

When Badnams required a lubricant for their generators operating in extreme hot and extreme cold conditions without changing the oil they turned to Fuchs Lubricants (UK) Plc.

This was the start of a successful cooperation between the two companies and Fuchs Lubricants (UK) Plc is the preferred lubricant supplier to Badnams Ltd.

Mike Pearson the Managing Director of Badnams Ltd commented “Using high quality synthetic oil from Fuchs gives our generators excellent performance, in demanding battlefield environments ”

Fuchs Lubricants (UK) Plc

Fuchs won the major part of the last British MOD Lubricants tender. The business was awarded on the basis of reliability, responsiveness, quality of product and technical expertise. These factors combined with a modern production facility equipped with the latest Siemens Process Control system for blending operations made Fuchs an excellent choice as a lubricants partner.

Chris Tarling Technical Director of Badnams said “Fuchs are easy to reach, they listened and talked to us and this approach put Fuchs in a unique position to propose their lubricant solution for our generators.”

The Lubricant Solution

The Fuchs brand Silkolene has been a world leader for decades in the motorcycle world and it was this experience that proved to be crucial in the selection of the optimum engine oil for the Badnams generators i.e. one grade that could cover the temperature range -32°C to +55°C without requiring an oil change and extend the service interval from 100 to 300 hours.

Mineral oil based products were ruled out immediately as their Pour Point (minimum temperature below which the oil ceases to flow ) is typically around minus -30°C for a 15W/40 and -32°C for a 10W/30 engine oil.

The search for the optimum base oil combination to achieve the low temperature performance requirement turned to synthetic oils and not all synthetics are equal in this respect. Base oils derived from the process of highly refining a petroleum base oil, called hydrocracking are included in the definition of a synthetic oil. However even a 5W/40 engine oil based on hydrocracked mineral oils only has a Pour Point of around -39°C.

In addition to base oil selection the additive chemistry also needs to be right at low temperatures to avoid additive dropout.

The lubricant solution finally chosen by Fuchs for the Badnams generators was a 5W/40 fully synthetic PAO/Ester based engine oil having a Pour Point of -51°C and excellent CCS test results (cold-cranking simulator test is a method of determining the low temperature performance of lubricants). This lubricant solution allowed the generators to cope with a normal start up temperature of -30°C, an emergency start up temperature of -41°C and still work happily at +55°C in the desert.
 

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