Development of Onboard Engine Management System—Prediction of Oil Degradation

The purpose of engine oil lubrication is to reduce the wear and tear of the engine parts due to friction, corrosion, and to dissipate some amount of heat from the engine. The engine oil quality directly influences the service life and performance of the engine. The part manufacturers specify and list down the oil replacement period depending on the capacity of the engine at the standard test conditions. Conveniently, it is very difficult to determine the condition of the engine lubricating oil in normal operating condition. In this work, a coaxial capacitance sensor is developed to monitor the quality of the engine-lubricating oil. The quality of the oil is monitored by the sensor which will provide suitable capacitance value for the different oil conditions. The obtained capacitance values are monitored with the help of the LCR meter. The capacitance and the dielectric constant increase when the quality of the oil decreases. The different oil samples are tested to predict the parameters such as capacitance and dielectric constant. Finally, the obtained values are compared with the fresh oil to estimate the quality of the oil.