Method and device for monitoring the dilution of the lubricating oil by the fuel in an internal combustion engine
View Patent ↗The invention relates to a method of determining the rate of dilution of the lubricating oil by the fuel in an internal combustion engine. The invention is characterized in that it comprises the following steps consisting in: marking either the lubricating oil or the fuel with a radioactive tracer, measuring the radioactivity of an oil sample using a detector that is sensitive to the radioactive radiation emitted by the radioactive tracer, and transmitting the results of the aforementioned measurements to a computer which uses said results in order to calculate the rate of dilution of the lubricating oil by the fuel. The invention also relates to a device which is used to implement said method, in particular a test bench for engines.
1. A system for monitoring a rate of dilution of a lubricating oil by fuel of an internal combustion engine, the internal combustion engine being lubricated by a lubricating oil and supplied with an air/fuel mixture, with either the lubricating oil or the fuel containing a radioactive tracer, the system comprising:
means for temporarily sampling and then re-injecting, continuously or discontinuously, an oil sample from an oil system of the internal combustion engine,
a detector, sensitive to radioactive radiation emitted by the radioactive tracer present in the oil sample and operable to measure the emitted radioactive radiation, is provided adjacent to the means for temporary sampling and re-injection of the oil sample, and
a computer, connected to the detector, is programmed to calculate, from measurement results provided by the detector, the rate of dilution of the lubricating oil by the fuel.
2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the lubricating oil contains the radioactive tracer.
3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the fuel contains the radioactive tracer.
4. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the means for temporary sampling and re-injection of the oil sample is a deviation.
5. The device system according to claim 1 , wherein the means for temporary sampling and re-injection of the oil sample samples and re-injects the oil sample in an area of the oil system of the engine which is under no or low oil pressure.
6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein
the radioactive tracer is an organic or mineral compound of a radioactive element.
7. The system according to claim 6 , wherein the radioactive element has a half-life of less than 3 years.
8. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the radioactive element is selected the group consisting of 22 Na, 65 Zn, 45 Ca, 35 S, 32 P, 47 Ca, 99 MO, 82 Br, 64 Cu, 99m TC, 28 Mg, 68 Ge, 69 Ge, 77 Ge, 85 Sr and 56 CO.
9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the radioactive tracer is selected from tetra-alkyl germaniums containing 69 Ge.
10. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the radioactive tracer is selected from the group consisting of tetra-hexyl germaniums, tetra-heptyl germaniums and tetra-octyl germaniums or a mixture thereof.
11. The system according to claim 6 , wherein the radioactive element has a half-life of less than 1 year.
12. The system according to claim 6 , wherein the radioactive element has a half-life of less than 30 days.
13. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the detector is an ionizing radiation detection probe.
14. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the radioactive tracer is an organic compound of a radioactive element.
15. A method of determining a rate of dilution of a lubricating oil by fuel of an internal combustion engine, where either the lubricating oil or the fuel is marked with a radioactive tracer, the method comprising:
measuring radioactivity of an oil sample using a detector that is sensitive to radioactive radiation emitted by the radioactive tracer,
transmitting results of the measurements to a computer, and
the computer calculating the rate of dilution of the lubricating oil by the fuel based on the results.
16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the lubricating oil contains the radioactive tracer.
17. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the fuel contains the radioactive tracer.
18. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the oil sample for which the radioactivity is measured is conveyed towards the detector and then re-injected into an oil system of the internal combustion engine by a deviation.
19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the deviation takes the oil sample from an area of the oil system of the engine which is under no or low oil pressure.
20. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the radioactive tracer is an organic or mineral compound of a radioactive element.
21. The method according to claim 20 , wherein the radioactive element has a half-life of less than 3 years.
22. The method according to claim 21 , wherein the radioactive element is selected the group consisting of 22 NA, 65 Zn, 45 Ca, 35 S, 32 P, 47 Ca, 99 MO, 82 Br, 64 Cu, 99m Tc, 28 Mg, 68 Ge, 69 Ge, 77 Ge, 85 Sr and 56 CO.
23. The method according to claim 22 , wherein the radioactive tracer is selected from tetra-alkyl germaniums containing 69 Ge.
24. The method according to claim 22 , wherein the radioactive tracer is selected from the group consisting of tetra-hexyl germaniums, tetra-heptyl germaniums and tetra-octyl germaniums or a mixture thereof.
25. The method according to claim 20 , wherein the radioactive element has a half-life of less than 1 year.
26. The method according to claim 20 , wherein the radioactive element has a half-life of less than 30 days.
27. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the detector is an ionizing radiation detection probe.
28. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the radioactive tracer is an organic compound of a radioactive element.