Speaker Interview: Zoe Fard, R&D Product Specialist at HF Sinclair
Wednesday, 5 February 2025
As we approach Lubricant Expo & The Bearing Show North America 2025, we are pleased to highlight industry leaders contributing to the conference. This edition of our Speaker Spotlight features Zoe Fard, a Research & Development Product Specialist at HF Sinclair, supporting the Petro-Canada Lubricants brand. Zoe will present in the Formulation and Application Development for Future Fuels session, addressing the impact of lubricant formulations on hydrogen-fuelled gas engines.
Tell us a bit about yourself. What excites you within your role as Product Specialist at HF Sinclair, supporting their Petro-Canada Lubricants brand?
I joined HF Sinclair’s Petro-Canada Lubricants Technology team in May 2018. I have a PhD in Chemistry from Philipps University of Marburg in Germany and bring more than 14 years of Research and Development experience from academia and industry. At HF Sinclair, I work as a Research & Development Product Specialist with key lead responsibilities for the Petro-Canada Lubricants Stationary Gas Engine Oil (SGEO) product line. The part of my role that excites me the most is the design and development of next-generation lubricants to fit the anticipated needs of modern gas engines, specifically used in the power generation sector.
What are some of the key trends driving the stationary gas engine market at present?
There are several trends driving the stationary gas engine market. One is the development of modern engines. OEMs are changing their engine designs and modifying engine parts to increase power and mechanical efficiency, as well as reduce oil consumption. Another specific design change is to make the piston top land shorter, which will reduce GHG emissions.
A second trend in the power generation sector is the increased requirement for grid stabilization due to the large growth in wind and solar power applications. This will require gas engines to go through high start/stop rates resulting in low running hours, which is becoming the new normal in this sector.
Another trend, which is becoming increasingly important, is a focus on sustainability. Until recently, sustainability in the gas engine market has largely focused on the use of biogas. However, with the aim of achieving a carbon-neutral energy system in the future, fuels such as hydrogen – in addition to biogas – could drive gas engines and thus accelerate the transition to renewable energy options.
You are presenting on the impact of lubricant formulation on combustion stability of a gas engine running on hydrogen. How do lubricant performance requirements in hydrogen engines differ from natural gas combustion engines?
Combustion properties of hydrogen differ from natural gas and create many challenges such as engine backfire, knocking due to pre-ignition, and corrosion of piston rings and cylinder heads due to high water content in the used oil. These challenges raise important questions related to lubricant requirements to ensure reliable and efficient operation of hydrogen-fuelled stationary gas engines.
As mentioned, hydrogen engines are particularly sensitive to pre-ignition due to hydrogen’s very low ignition energy. The lubricant can be one of the pre-ignition sources when oil droplets are transported into the combustion chamber through the ring pack. We have investigated and found that lubricant formulations have a significant impact on both lube oil-induced ignition and knock sensitivity of stationary gas engines running on hydrogen fuel. A carefully formulated lubricant can enable hydrogen-fuelled engines to be run at an increased power output.
What trends or technological advancements are you interested in seeing at the show?
I am very excited to learn, network, and understand more about topics like lubricant requirements for next-generation internal combustion engines and alternative future fuels, strategies around carbon neutrality and sustainability, and implementation of AI technologies in lubricant monitoring.
Join us in Detroit, March 18-20, 2025, to gain insights from Zoe Fard and other industry experts as they discuss the future of lubricants and alternative fuels. Register for FREE here