Once the HUMIDITY SENSOR PLUS is installed in the engine system, three parameters (relative humidity, relative dielectric constant and the conductivity of the oil) are measured on a continuous basis at the current temperature and transferred to the special DATALOGGER display unit. During the learning phase, the required database is created. The data obtained is stored for about six months in an internal data storage unit of the sensor.
As soon as the learning phase is completed, the sensor also processes the measured values at a reference temperature of 40 °C. By evaluating the three oil parameters, the FEUCHTESENSOR PLUS helps to efficiently track any changes in the oil condition that occur and to calculate the remaining service life of the engine oil. This allows the ageing and ageing rates of the oil to be determined via the long-term gradients of temperature and acidification (increase in dielectricity). The sensor system also makes it possible to optimize maintenance and oil change intervals.
The practical benefits of the HUMIDITY SENSOR PLUS can be seen especially with regard to unsaturated ester oils. As portable testing devices require the use of reagents for water-in-oil analysis, they are not suitable for ester oils due to the reaction that occurs between the components of these oils and the reagent used. Therefore, sensor technology is an important technical solution for the real-time assessment of the oil condition.
