Monitoring automotive oil degradation: analytical tools and onboard sensing technologies

Abstract

Engine oil experiences a number of thermal and oxidative phases that yield acidic products in the matrix consequently leading to degradation of the base oil. Generally, oil oxidation is a complex process and difficult to elucidate; however, the degradation pathways can be defined for almost every type of oil because they mainly depend on the mechanical status and operating conditions. The exact time of oil change is nonetheless difficult to predict, but it is of great interest from an economic and ecological point of view. In order to make a quick and accurate decision about oil changes, onboard assessment of oil quality is highly desirable. For this purpose, a variety of physical and chemical sensors have been proposed along with spectroscopic strategies. We present a critical review of all these approaches and of recent developments to analyze the exact lifetime of automotive engine oil. Apart from their potential for degradation monitoring, their limitations and future perspectives have also been investigated.

Application of FTIR Spectrometry Using Multivariate Analysis for Prediction Fuel in Engine Oil

“…The amount by gasoline in the lubricant can be determined by distillation and gas chromatography (GC) (Mujahid and Dickert, 2012). There are also sensors to observe intrusion of contaminants in to the motor oil such as fuel (Capone et al, 2008) which indicates a defect of the engine, usually the fuel injection.…”

Dielectric submicroscopic phase characterisation of engine oil dispersed in jet fuel based on on‐line dielectric spectroscopy

“…Currently, routine physical and chemical properties tests, elements analysis, mental particles analysis, electrical properties tests and the functional groups analysis methods were the main methods for engine oil quality monitoring . The analysis scale of routine physical and chemical tests such as determination of oil viscosity, water dilution, total acid number, total base number and insoluble contents (ICs) is relatively too ‘large’ for the engine oil system status (inhomogeneity or heterogeneity) analysis.…”

“…Currently, routine physical and chemical properties tests, elements analysis, mental particles analysis, electrical properties tests and the functional groups analysis methods were the main methods for engine oil quality monitoring. [5][6][7][8][9][10] The analysis scale of routine physical and chemical tests such as determination of oil viscosity, water dilution, total acid number, total base number and insoluble contents (ICs) is relatively too 'large' for the engine oil system status (inhomogeneity or heterogeneity) analysis. The analysis scale of the elemental and functional groups analysis methods such as atomic emission spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy is relatively too 'small' for the engine oil system status analysis.…”

Vehicular engine oil service life characterization using On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) sensor data

“…Sensors that make use of acoustic, electrical, chemical or direct viscosity measurements are commercially available today [1], [2], [3]. However, the deployment of such sensors is limited in practice due to cost, complexity, and singular utility [4].…”