Method for determining the condition of engine oil based on TBN modeling
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorJagannathan Sarangapani
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Abstract
A method for monitoring the condition of oil in an engine is disclosed which includes the steps of determining a plurality of parameters, determining a fuel injection model, determining the area of the cylinder walls that is coated with fuel, and responsively determining a total base number (TBN) model. The TBN determined from the model may be trended over time to predict the useful life of the oil.
Claims25
A method for determining a condition of oil in an internal combustion engine, including the steps of:
- determining a plurality of parameters associated with the engine;
- determining a model of a duration of injection of fuel into a cylinder in the engine;
- determining a wall area of the cylinder that is coated with fuel during injection;
- determining a model of a total base number (TBN) of the oil as a function of the parameters, the fuel injection duration model, and the coated wall area;
- and
- determining a condition of the oil.
A method for determining a condition of oil in an internal combustion engine, including the steps of:
- determining a plurality of parameters associated with the engine;
- determining a model of a duration of injection of fuel into a cylinder in the engine;
- determining a wall area of the cylinder that is coated with fuel during injection;
- determining at least one occurrence of adding new engine oil;
- determining a model of a total base number (TBN) in the oil as a function of the parameters, the coated wall area, and the added new oil;
- and
- determining a condition of the oil.
A model for determining a condition of oil in an internal combustion engine, comprising:
- a fuel injection duration model for determining a start of injection, an end of injection, and a duration of injection of fuel into a cylinder in the engine;
- a crank model for receiving determined data from the fuel injection duration model, and determining an area exposed to injection of fuel in an inner wall of the cylinder;
- and
- a total base number (TBN) model for receiving the determined data from the crank model and for receiving a plurality of parameters associated with the engine, determining the TBN of the oil, and determining the condition of the oil.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.