A New Methodology for On Line Lubricant Consumption Measurement

On-line measurement of oil consumption is of interest in light of new environmental regulations imposed on today's high-performance engines. Lubricant consumption has a negative impact on the environment, but it also reduces the lifetime of post-treatment systems by poisoning catalysts and clogging particle filters. A new method was recently developed by Delta Services Industriels (DSi) and TOTAL France for monitoring oil consumption on running engines. It is based on lubricant labeling using new radiotracer compounds, which are made representative of the distillation interval of the base oil. Oil consumption measurement is performed in the exhaust line where tracer residues are trapped in a filter and are monitored continuously. This paper describes the new methodology and presents experimental results obtained on various fired engines, for various operating conditions.