Speaker Interview: Bryon Pryor, Global Technical Specialist at General Motors
Friday, 3 January 2025
With over 20 years of experience and 18 patents, Bryon Pryor, Global Technical Specialist and Engineering Technical Leader, Pressurized Lubrication Systems at General Motors, has made a lasting impact on automotive efficiency and sustainability. In this interview, Bryon discusses his ground-breaking work on variable displacement oil pumps, the unique challenges of lubricating hybrid vehicle architectures, and the critical role of collaboration between OEMs and suppliers.
He also shares why industry events like the Lubricant Expo and The Bearing Show in Detroit are essential for sparking new ideas and driving progress in the field. Read the full interview below!
You are Global Technical Specialist for Engine and Transmission Lubrication Systems at General Motors, can you tell us something about your key focus areas and responsibilities?
I am responsible for the pressurized lubrication systems for GM’s engines and transmissions. My primary focus is the oil pump and pressure regulation system. As a Technical Specialist, I set technical direction for our systems, document learnings, and teach the Release Engineers for all our global regions. I lead GM’s innovation in this area to ensure our systems are optimized for each vehicle they support.
You have over twenty years’ worth of experience in the field of lubrication and 18 patents. What is your proudest achievement and why?
I have spent the majority of my career implementing variable displacement oil pumps and improved pressure regulation systems onto GM’s vehicles. This technology reduces losses from the lubrication system, which has led to a large improvement in efficiency over the traditional fixed displacement pump and passive pressure regulation systems. When applied to GM’s global fleet of vehicles, this has saved millions of gallons of fuel from being burned and tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. It feels good knowing that I have made a positive global impact by both saving money for individuals and helping the environment by reducing emissions.
You are presenting on ICE Lubrication System Optimization for HEV and PHEV. Why is this an important topic for the industry?
ICE HEV and PHEV vehicles are the stepping stones to a zero emissions future, and there is still plenty of room for improvement. Even small enhancements to existing architectures can have large real-world impact if they can be implemented quickly. Some of these technologies can even be backwards compatible to existing vehicles and may have immediate benefits to millions of people.
What is the challenge with lubricants in hybrid vehicle architectures?
Hybrid architectures bring new challenges because of the different duty cycles or usage of the engine, especially in PHEV applications. Thermal considerations such as engine oil warmup can change the efficient operating points for a PHEV drive cycle. Ensuring engine efficiency at colder temperatures becomes more important because of reduced engine run time. Also, transient response of the engine and wear considerations are different when the engine ramps rapidly to assist the electric motors. Rust on internal metal surfaces can be different than conventional engines due to extended engine-off periods.
How can suppliers of lubricants help solve these challenges?
Innovation comes from all areas, and understanding where the opportunities exist is a huge part of driving innovation. By continuing to stay in touch with your customers, you can stay abreast of current issues and understand where your technology might help fix issues or improve efficiency. Whether we are looking to flatten the viscosity curve, reduce aeration, or other lubrication improvement, the lubricant plays a critical role.
Why are events like Lubricant Expo and The Bearing Show North America important for the industry?
Events like this give us all an opportunity to share ideas and understand areas that we each are working on. Taking time aside from our normal day-to-day activities to put our brains into a creative mindset allows new ideas to flow more freely. While each presentation is valuable, the side conversations we have and new people we meet are ultimately what lead to the greatest success. The connections we make at industry events like this lead to future projects that create real value. I’m looking forward to expanding my knowledge, generating new ideas, and meeting new people to work with in the future.
Dive deeper into the challenges and opportunities he discussed in our interview by attending his session, “Mechanical Engineering Challenges and Fluid Development for Hybrid Vehicle Architectures” on Day 1 of Lubricant Expo & The Bearing Show North America, March 18th from 11.30 – 12.45. Register now to attend for free!