For the third consecutive year Shell V-Power Diesel race fuel powered the Audi Sport team to victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in June. This victory demonstrated yet again the power and performance of Shell V-Power Diesel technology embodied in the winning fuel.
Andy Brown, Shell Country Chairman in Qatar and Managing Director for the Pearl GTL (Gas to Liquids) project in Qatar, talks to 'Shell in the Middle East' about what these victories have meant for Shell. He says, "These three consecutive wins by Audi at Le Mans are a tremendous endorsement of GTL Fuel and of Shell's decision to build the Pearl GTL plant in Qatar and to develop and market GTL products." When finished, the Pearl GTL plant, which is being built at Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City in partnership with Qatar Petroleum, will be the largest GTL plant in the world...
The relevance of Audi winning at Le Mans in June, using a blended diesel fuel which has a percentage of GTL [Gas to Liquids] diesel, is that this is the third time in succession that Audi have achieved this great win which means that it is no fluke," says Andy Brown, Shell Country Chairman in Qatar and Managing Director for Pearl GTL.
"With an endurance race like Le Mans, which is a 24-hour non-stop race, it is essential to have high-performance products running around the engine. So a cleaner fuel like Shell's GTL Fuel improves performance and cuts down on the wear and tear to the engine, keeping it in a better condition. This is, in fact, where GTL Fuel makes a major contribution, by helping to protect the engine for longer.
"It is important to remember that the Audis in the Le Mans race were not using pure Shell GTL Fuel but a blend. So it is quite remarkable that by just adding a small percentage of GTL Fuel the resulting benefits proved to be enormous.
"For Shell, and for those of us working on the Pearl GTL project in Qatar, the Audi win at Le Mans was a real showcase of the quality of the products which we will be producing once the Pearl GTL plant is up and running," says Andy.
Shell has been producing GTL Fuel from its GTL plant in Bintulu in Malaysia for many years now. GTL Fuel is sold into 7,000 retail stations across Europe as a blend. However, GTL Fuel, which will be one of the major products coming out of the Pearl GTL plant, can be used directly in any diesel engine.
GTL Fuel is a clean diesel fuel which produces almost zero emissions, has virtually no aromatics or sulphur, does not smell and has a very high cetane number. GTL Fuel tackles the residual concerns the general public has about diesel and will encourage them to use this new generation of clean diesel fuel which helps to lower CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions as a diesel engine is far more efficient than a petrol engine.
"One of the main reasons that diesel-fuelled vehicles have failed to gain a greater share of the automotive market, especially in America, is because they are perceived to be slow in acceleration, sluggish in performance, dirty in terms of smell and diesel-fuelled vehicles have sooty tail-pipe, or exhaust, emissions," says Andy.
"The combination of Shell's GTL Fuel, which produces low tail-pipe emissions, whilst being a high-performance diesel fuel which can win long-distance high-endurance, high-speed races like Le Mans 24-hour race, essentially contradicts these general assumptions, or legacy issues, which have been related to diesel-powered automobiles."
He then goes on to say, "Shell's Bintulu plant is producing about 10 per cent of the volumes of GTL Fuel and products that will eventually be produced from the Pearl GTL plant once it is in full operation. From this one can envisage the potential for the penetration of GTL Fuel into the global market.
"In terms of marketing, Shell is currently examining several applications in which Pearl GTL's products can be used. One of these - and an application in which we are extremely interested - is to use the fuel for taxis and buses for the inner city area of the major metropolises of the world. There will be enough production capacity from the Pearl GTL plant to fuel all of the buses and taxis in ten of the world's largest inner cities. If this were to happen it would create an appreciable benefit to the air quality of those cities.
"So far Shell has carried out tests in Shanghai and London and we currently have another test under way in Holland. Shell is also in discussion at high levels with various metropolitan authorities elsewhere. "The Shell GTL Fuel which is presently coming from the Bintulu plant in Malaysia is not only being used in the 7,000 retail stations across Europe, but because it is such a clean product it can be used as a cleaning fluid in dry-cleaning establishments, for oil-based drilling muds and for other niche applications - and we are obviously learning a lot from the value generated from the Bintulu plant," he says.
The Pearl GTL plant will produce over two million tonnes of GTL Fuel a year and Shell needs to find markets for that and to create a premium value for the GTL Fuel and products.
Pearl GTL will have a much larger volume than Bintulu and will, of necessity, be directed more to the mainstream. But over time Andy believes that Pearl GTL will be able to open up the market to more premium applications as customers become increasingly familiar with these Shell products and appreciate the benefits they can provide.
"If one looks at the cetane number, which is similar to the octane number for petrol, the higher the number the better in terms of the way the fuel burns," he explains. "Conventional diesel has a cetane number of around 45 to 50, whereas GTL Fuel has a cetane number of around 70. The cetane number is an expression of how regularly the fuel combusts.
"In terms of marketing it is important for us to capture the different qualities of our GTL Fuel to develop existing and new markets for these fantastic products.
"There are different ways in which we can deliver these premium values offered by GTL products for the future - and this is not just GTL Fuel we are talking about here, which is just one of a broad slate of great products which we will be producing at Pearl GTL," Andy concludes.
Shell V-Power Diesel fuel technology powers a third win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race
Following on from historic wins in 2006 and 2007, the Audi R10 TDI once again took the chequered flag in the thrilling 24 Hours of Le Mans race, that saw a dramatic fight between the diesel competitors in mixed conditions.
The power, efficiency and performance of Shell V-Power Diesel race fuel assisted Audi drivers Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish and Rinaldo 'Dindo' Capello to complete the historic French circuit in 381 laps.
Shell demonstrated its commitment to fuels innovation and the development of sustainable, low-carbon fuels with the blending of BTL (Biomass to Liquids) into its Shell V-Power Diesel race fuel in this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans race. A small amount of this new, second- generation biofuel was blended into the Shell V-Power Diesel race fuel together with the established GTL (Gas to Liquids) component, which has been used in the Shell V-Power Diesel race fuel since 2006.
This diesel fuel technology, supported by Shell Helix motor oils, helped Audi Sport to sustain its gasoline-beating diesel performance throughout the race. Over 24 hours, the team completed just 34 pits stops, several less than the opposition.
Shell and Audi Sport are pioneers in the modern diesel revolution and have proved that the combination of Audi TDI engineering and Shell V-Power Diesel fuel technology has set a new standard for success on the Le Mans track.
Richard Karlstetter, Shell Global Technology Manager, Racing Fuels, commented, "Shell and Audi Sport demonstrated yet again the gasoline-beating diesel performance behind Shell V-Power Diesel. Three consecutive wins at Le Mans is a landmark victory, not just for Shell but for diesel fuel technology as a whole. The technical partnership with Audi Sport is testament to this, reinforcing that Shell V-Power Diesel race fuel has the power and performance required to win an epic endurance race such as Le Mans."
Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Sport, said, "A key part of the success of the Audi R10 TDI at Le Mans lies in ensuring we have the right fuel to provide the car with more power for longer. Shell V-Power Diesel is essential to Audi Sport's success at Le Mans."
Facts & Figures
Shell V-Power Diesel is the only fuel made with award-winning synthetic Shell GTL (Gas to Liquids) fuel technology and is now available in 11 countries: Austria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Slovakia, Switzerland, Thailand and the UK.
In 2006, for the first time in motor vehicle history, more than half of all new cars sold in Europe were diesel-powered.
Diesel vehicles get approximately 20-40 per cent better fuel economy than gasoline vehicles of similar size and engine specification.
Diesel vehicles experience less engine wear and tear, lower maintenance costs and increased vehicle longevity.
Shell has undertaken successful trials using GTL Fuel in the auxilliary marine engine of the TESO ferry in The Netherlands to reduce emissions and noise in an environmentally sensitive area.
The first commercial test flight using GTL Jet Fuel, a kerosene blend, took place in February 2008 using an Airbus A830 travelling from Filton in the UK to Toulouse in France.
Shell V-Power Diesel continuously cleans diesel fuel injectors as a vehicle is being driven.
Automotive industry forecasts predict that global diesel personal vehicle sales will rise from 9.6 million in 2005 to 18.5 million in 2006, so increasing market share from 18 per cent to 26.1 per cent.
© Shell in the Middle East 2009
