BCM-MS, BCM-LS
1.2.9 Oil Condition
Oil aging generally refers to any change in parameters and properties of the oil over its life. The goal is to use the changes to de-
rive significant aging processes in the oil using the parameters measured with the sensor. The automatic oil condition analysis,
however, goes beyond this. The goal here is to not only determine aging, but also other changes in the condition. Possible condi-
tion changes are:
– oil aging (e.g. oil oxidation)
– contamination with foreign fluids
– water ingress (e.g. high water content or free water)
– oil changes, including changing to the wrong type of oil
– Oil refreshing
– oils being mixed
The goal of automatic analysis is to help the user interpret the characteristics and determine various conditions and changes in
the condition from the current measurement data and the saved data history. Detecting conditions and changes in the condi-
tion as part of the rule base used, however, is only reliable if the measurements and their quality generally permit this interpret-
ation.
A detailed description of all detectable condition changes and how to query, save and configure parameters can be found in the
appendix.
1.2.10 Determining The Remaining Useful Lifetime (RUL)
In addition to classifying various conditions or condition changes, another sensor function is to determine the remaining useful
lifetime (RUL) based on available data.
Here we distinguish between two different approaches.
The following illustration is an example trend of a aging parameter over the operating time.
After an oil change, the oil parameters do not (significantly) change over a long period. After the so-called incubation period
(phase I), once certain additives (antioxidants) are depleted, oil aging then accelerates, often progressively (phase II).
Phase II is characterised by an accelerated aging process, thus change in the aging parameters. In this area the signal trend of
the various measured parameters can be used to extrapolate a predetermined aging limit, thus is the remaining useful lifetime
(RUL).
A default parameter for the aging limit is factory preset. For specific information on setting the aging limits, please contact
Bühler Technologies GmbH Service.
NOTICE! The limits should be adjusted to the specific application. The remaining useful lifetime determined is a guideline de-
termined through linear extrapolation. Please note, aging processes can also be non-linear.
Incubation time
Phase II
Phase I
Aging
Time
Fig. 1: Theoretical aging
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BE150104 ◦ 03/2021
