Tritium method oil consumption and its relation to oil film thicknesses in a production diesel engine

• Main Author: Hartman, Richard M.
• Other Authors: Mechanical Engineering
• Published: 2012
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/24332

CIVINS === Approved for public release ; distribution is unlimited === Oil consumption was measured in a modern production diesel engine using tritium as a radiotracer. The measurements were made primarily at two speeds and one load using first a single-grade lubricant and then a multi-grade lubricant. These values were then compared to oil flow rates up/down the liner which were based on film thickness traces of a sister engine under the same loads and speeds. The traces were obtained using the laser-fluorescence technique. For the most part, it was discovered that there does not seem to exist a correlation between these flow rates and oil consumption. However, the traces do reveal that the crown land is dry on all four strokes and thus does not contribute to the engine's oil consumption. A larger data base is necessary in order to accurately compare oil consumption to the film traces. This is currently in progress as of this writing. (JS)