An On-Line Turbine Oil Raman Analyzer

Lubrication breakdown in precise military equipment can have devastating results. To be able to monitor lubricants for breakdown and change these lubricants in a timely fashon, off-line physical properties testing and atomic emission spectroscopy for detection of metals in the oil itself is obtained. To monitor spectroscopically chemical changes within the oil is highly desirable. We propose here to use the technique(s) of Raman and resonance Raman spectroscopy for real-time analytical monitoring of the synthetic turbine oil wear. We will perfrom a systematic analysis to optimize the Raman signals through judicious choice of laser wavelength(s) and spectral detection scheme for a polyolester based synthetic turbine oil. With the optimized system, we will determine the sensitivity and reproducibility of Raman spectroscopy for analysis of turbine oil composition. We will investigate the ablility to monitor contaminants, as well as thermal breakdown products. During the Phase II program, other turbine oils that may adhere to MIL-L-7808 standards but are not polyolester-based will also be investigated. A compact prototype will then be developed and optimized for analysis of all turbine oils of interest. The system will be capable of full automation for routine analyses and will have a complete library searching routine to allow rapid identification of thermal breakdown of the oils.