Lubricating Oil Study

DLA is seeking to prevent product waste and replacement of lubricating oils like 2190-TEP by 1) understanding the degradation processes for lubricating oils and their additive packages, 2) establishing effective screening methods to identify premature product degradation, and 3) implementing measures to bring the oil back into specification if it occurs.  The Phase II approach is built upon the successful completion of two Phase I projects by METSS Corporation and FTL Labs Corporation.  The two projects showed complementary strengths that DLA recommended be combined in Phase II.  Specifically, METSS conducted extensive fluid studies in Phase I: modifying existing formulations, simulating thermal degradation of commercial oils, and correlating physical property changes to changes in the composition of the oil and the most responsive laboratory screening methods.  In Phase I, FTL conducted proof-of-concept studies with various portable analysis techniques and developed a product concept in which a hardened spectrometer and particle imager system are used to extract spectral and contaminant information from a small sample of oil: the SpOilEye system (Spectral Protection OilEye).  As envisioned, the Phase II project will combine the strengths of these two companies, resulting in a hardware solution from FTL whose development will be advanced and validated through METSS’s expertise in oil composition, failure modes, and fluid analysis.