Oil condition sensors / monitors 2

[WGJ]

Has anyone out there had practical experience of electronic oil condition monitoring in road vehicles, especially diesel?

By this I mean the use of sensors like the TEMIC sensor:

http://www.conti-online.com/generator/

http://www/com/en/contitemic/contitemic/themes/press_services/archive_02/archiv_07_10_02_en.html

Which uses the dielectric properties of the lubricant, plus algorithms in the engine control unit, to flag oil changes.

 

[romke]

The TEMIC sensor or a similar system is now used on Mercedes Benz heavy duty vehicles and in a somewhat simplified form on passenger cars. The hardware is not really the problem - the problem is to design an algorithm that translates the measurements into something useful. Mercedes Benz teamed up with Shell to design the necessary algorithm and the design took a number of years. Now it is used in the field and as I understand it. works like it should. But quite a lot of research went into the design of the engine/vehicle/operating conditions linked algorithm.

 

[WGJ]

Many thanks for that, it's given me a place to start looking without using a lot of time trawling for leads.
The TEMIC was the likely sensor for my application, but as with other products I've been involved with, I wanted to determine real users experiences of the product rather than the manufacturer's point of view - no 'TEMIC' prejudice expressed here, just that I need the part to function effectively for at least 150 000 miles and am a little sceptical about how it will do this, both on a simple mechanical/chemical basis (e.g. dirt/varnish/laquer accumulations) and how the software is implimented.

 

[MJRoc]

WGJ,

Check out

http://www.impact-tek.com

and go to the Smart Oil Sensor (SOS); it is a product that Impact Technologies (my company) is developing. You can at least throw it into your mix of potentials, and I'd be happy to answer any questions. Granted, it's not from a user's perspective like you requested, but it's worth looking at.

 

[WGJ]

MJRoc - many thanks for the info, I hadn't come across this particular company and I have requested some extra info on their oil sensor. Looks very interesting.
The task I am involved in is generating a lot of confusion and discussion within my employer. The cost of getting the most from your oil via sensors and software could easily be outweighed by just sticking to sensible oil service intervals!

 

[mrpine]

I AM CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF CARRYING OUT RESEARCH FOR A MAJOR PROJECT ON "OIL ANALYSIS AS A DIAGNOSTIC TOOL" ANY INFORMATION ON DIFFERENT OIL ANALYSIS METHODS, ON BOARD SYSTEMS AS WELL AS TRADITIONAL LABORITORY METHODS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRICIATED. COSTS AND EFFECTIVENESS ARE THE MAIN AREAS I AM TRYING TO EVALUATE.