Detection of fuel contamination in lubricating oil

• US 8,643,388 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2010
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Voelker Sensors, Inc
• Original Assignee: Voelker Sensors, Inc
• Inventors: Hedges, Joe D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Vincent Q
• Application Number:
  US12/857,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20110169512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• Field of Search: 324/698, 324/71.1, 324/605
• US Class Current: 324/698
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/2888 Lubricating oil characteristics, e.g. deterioration lubricating properties G01N33/30

Abstract

A method for measuring fuel contamination in oil that uses a material in contact with oil whereby fuel intrusion into the oil will change the electrical, mechanical, and/or chemical properties of the material as compared to the same electrical, mechanical, and/or chemical properties of the material when in contact only with mineral or synthetic oil only.

Claims

1. A method for measuring oil quality, the method comprising:

measuring a first set of properties of the oil;

measuring a second set of properties of the oil, wherein the second set of properties of the oil includes the same properties as the first set of properties of the oil plus at least one additional property of the oil not contained in the measurements of the first set of properties of the oil;

performing a differential analysis comparing the measured first set of properties relative to the measured second set of properties of the oil; and

displaying an indication of oil quality on a human readable display, wherein the one or more first set of properties of the oil or the one or more second set of properties of the oil are measured using a sensing element having one or more beads within a chamber.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more first set of properties of the oil or the one or more second set of properties of the oil includes measuring the conductivity, or oxidation of the oil.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more first set of properties of the oil or the one or more second set of properties of the oil measured includes soot, fuel, or water contamination in the oil.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the differential analysis is performed by a monitoring device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a first set of one or more sensors measure the first set of properties of the oil and a second set of sensors measure the second set of properties of the oil, and wherein the first set of one or more sensors and the second set of one or more sensors are mounted in an oil pan via an oil drain plug.

6. A method for measuring oil quality, the method comprising:

measuring one or more properties of the oil;

filtering a portion of the oil with a fine filter;

measuring the one or more properties of the finely filtered portion of oil;

performing a differential analysis comparing the measured the one or more properties of the oil relative to the measured the one or more properties of the finely filtered portion of oil; and

displaying an indication of oil quality on a human readable display, wherein the one or more properties of the oil are measured using a sensing element having one or more beads within a chamber.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more first set of properties of the oil or the one or more second set of properties of the oil includes the conductivity, or oxidation of the oil, or includes soot, fuel, or water contamination in the oil.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the differential analysis is performed by a monitoring device.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein a first set of one or more sensors measures the properties of the oil not filtered by the fine filter and a second set of sensors measure the second set properties of the oil filtered by the fine filter, and wherein the first set of one or more sensors and the second set of one or more sensors are mounted in an oil pan via an oil drain plug.

10. A method for measuring oil quality, the method comprising:

measuring one or more properties of the oil with a first set of one or more sensors sensitive to a particular contaminate;

measuring the one or more properties of the oil with a second set of one or more sensors, wherein the second set of one or more sensors is less sensitive to the particular contaminate than the first set of one or more sensors; and

performing a differential analysis comparing the measured the one or more properties of the oil measured by the first set of one or more sensors relative to the one or more properties of the oil measured by the second set of one or more sensors; and

displaying an indication of oil quality on a human readable display.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more first set of properties of the oil or the one or more second set of properties of the oil are measured using a sensing element having one or more beads within a chamber.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more first set of properties of the oil or the one or more second set of properties of the oil measured includes the conductivity or the oxidation of the oil.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more first set of properties of the oil or the one or more second set of properties of the oil measured includes soot, fuel, or water contamination in the oil.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein comparing the properties of the material is performed by a monitoring device.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein a first set of one or more sensors measure the first set of properties of the oil and a second set of sensors measure the second set properties of the oil, and wherein the first set of one or more sensors and the second set of one or more sensors are mounted in an oil pan via an oil drain plug.

16. A method for measuring fuel contamination in oil, the method comprising:

measuring an electrical, mechanical, or chemical property of a material in contact with oil;

comparing the measured property of the material in contact with the oil against a previously measured electrical, mechanical, or chemical property of the same material; and

identifying a change in the measured electrical, mechanical, or chemical property against the previously measured electrical, mechanical, or chemical property, wherein the change indicates fuel intrusion into and contamination of the oil, wherein measuring the property of the material includes measuring the property of the material inside a sensing element, wherein the property of the material includes soot contamination.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein measuring the property of the material includes measuring oxidation of the oil, the conductivity of the oil, or the presence of water or metal in the oil.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein measuring the property of the material includes measuring the properties by a sensing element mounted in an oil pan via an oil drain plug.