Abstract
The proper operation of a fluid power system in terms of efficiency and reliability is directly related to the fluid state; therefore, the monitoring of fluid ageing in real time is fundamental to prevent machine failures. For this aim, an innovative methodology based on fluid vapor analysis through metal oxide (shortened: MOX) gas sensors has been developed. Two apparatuses were designed and realized: (i) a dedicated test bench to fast-age the fluid under controlled conditions; (ii) a laboratory MOX sensor system to test the headspace of the aged fluid samples. To prepare the set of MOX gas sensors suitable to detect the analytes’ concentrations in the fluid headspace, different functional materials were synthesized in the form of nanopowders, characterizing them by electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The powders were deposited through screen-printing technology, realizing thick-film gas sensors on which dynamical responses in the presence of the fluid headspace were obtained. It resulted that gas sensors based on solid solution TixSn1–xO2 with x = 0.9 and 0.5 offered the best responses toward the fluid headspace with lower response and recovery times. Furthermore, a decrease in the responses (for all sensors) with fluid ageing was observed.
Highlights
The hydraulic fluid, in a fluid power system, is generally an oil derived from a mineral source with the addition of some additives [1] chosen according to final ap-plication
A study of this correlation is the first step for realizing a new online device for oil ageing monitoring, while the use of thick-film technology to prepare Metal oxide (MOX) gas sensors ensures low cost, small size, easy use, and versatility of the sensor based device [25]. With this aim in view, two new equipment were designed and set-up: (i) a dedicated test bench to age the fluid under controlled conditions; (ii) a laboratory MOX sensor system to test the headspace of the aged fluid samples
The aim of the present study was to find a correlation between the variation in the oil headspace and the oil ageing by using MOX gas sensors in order to realize a new lowcost, small size, easy-to-use, and online device for oil ageing monitoring
Summary
The hydraulic fluid, in a fluid power system, is generally an oil derived from a mineral source with the addition of some additives [1] chosen according to final ap-plication It has to be considered as a real extended component interacting with the others [2]. It can be an indicator of the state of health of the system; system breakdowns can cause leakage of pollutant material and a generally expensive unplanned machine stop. For these reasons, the predictive maintenance and, the real-time monitoring of the oil degradation are crucial [4]
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