Condition Monitoring of Engine Oils

The pressure drop in turbulent pipe flow is suggested as a technique for monitoring the condition of oils during use in an engine. Several new and used oils are tested in a flow loop designed to simulate operating temperatures in an internal combustion engine. The used oils are obtained from four and six cylinder fuel injected gasoline engines typically used in city driving conditions. Changes in viscosity and composition are measured directly using a viscometer and gel permeation chromatography equipment. The proposed monitoring technique provides a sensitive measure of these changes.