Portable Grease Characterization Device

Poseidon Systems, LLC is seeking the support of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for development of a portable grease sampling system. Under this effort, Poseidon and partners will develop and test an initial version of the system. The system will interrogate the manually collected grease sample with an adapted FerroQ ferrous metal debris monitoring sensor, plus other key measurements, into a portable handheld device. The primary measurement of the device will be determining the amount of wear debris contained in the sampled grease, a proven effective means of detecting gear and bearing fault initiation in many types of machines. Additional grease characterization measurements will also be evaluated for incorporation. The proposed effort will result in a production-ready handheld grease analysis device that will reduce maintenance times while increasing understanding of the condition of critical bearing components. It is anticipated, a portable device would be commercially viable product ability to reliable monitoring the ferrous content of grease from grease packed bearings will reduce unexpected repair costs and allow immediate corrective action. By employing the technology, critical asset owner/operators will realize O&M cost savings.