Aircraft Engine Oil Health Sensor

The objective of this proposed program is to determine the viability of Raman spectrometry as an analytical tool for in-situ monitoring of aircraft engine oil condition. This objective will be accomplished by first characterizing unused engine oil with a high-performance bench-top Raman spectrometer, and optimizing the spectrometer variables and data processing steps. A correlation of Raman and Fourier-transform infra-red spectra will be performed as part of the band assignment process, followed by characterization of engine oil at various stages of degradation. After completion of the method development using the high-performance instrument, a portable fiber-optic Raman analyzer will be employed to study the oxidation of aircraft engine oil in-situ. It is anticipated that a Raman system using fiber-optic sampling, ion or diode laser excitation, a single monochromater, CCD detector, and a holographic notch filter will provide optimum sensitivity and sampling flexibility. Ideally, Raman spectrometry would replace other more cumbersome or time-consuming oil quality control and condition monitoring methodologies. However, at the very least it is anticipated that the inherent advantages of Raman spectrometry over other techniques can be employed to provide a simple, versatile, and portable unit for oil condition monitoring.