Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has licensed a technology for analyzing automotive engine oil to Da Vinci Emissions Services Ltd., a San Antonio, TX, firm that specializes in a suite of combustion engine lubrication and emissions testing services and equipment. UT-Battelle, which manages ORNL for the U.S. Department of Energy, facilitated the agreement. Researchers James E. Parks and William P. Partridge of the Fuels, Engines, and Emissions Research Group in ORNL’s Energy and Transportation Science Division developed the licensed invention, known as “Laser-Induced Fluorescence Fiber Optic Probe Measurement of Oil Dilution by Fuel.”
The oil-dilution diagnostic device uses fluorescence spectroscopy to determine the amount of fuel dilution in engine oil. This condition can occur as fuel-efficient engines are operated in advanced combustion modes to meet lower emissions regulations. Fuel dilution thins the oil, lowers the lubricating ability, and can lead to higher engine wear, increased oil consumption, and engine failure. Fuel dilution also is associated with modern diesel particulate filters, injection systems, and use of biodiesel fuels. The ORNL-developed fluorescence measurement system provides real-time feedback on the fuel level in oil so engineers can develop fuel-efficient and low-emission engine calibrations to prevent oil dilution. ORNL’s technique is faster, cheaper, and capable of detecting fuel contamination in lower amounts than other methods. Conventional techniques require sampling and sending the oil to an analytical lab, resulting in delays of up to two days to produce results.
Source: The Oak Ridger