LEC OilTracer

The innovative sensor technology

LEC OilTracerThe oil consumption of an internal combustion engine has a significant influence on emissions and life cycle costs. The exact measurement of oil consumption is therefore becoming increasingly important for research and development. The special feature of LEC OilTracer is the capability for online measurement and the specification of the required measurement accuracy by the customer.

Key Features

Applicable for all engine types and fuels
High measurement accuracy and easy operation
Non-radioactive tracer method based on the stable isotope deuterium
Marking of engine oil by hydrogen/deuterium exchange (patent pending)
High-precision, time-resolved measurement of the isotope in exhaust gas by isotope analyzer
Portable system for on-site application on trucks and passenger cars (under development)
Analysis of tracer concentration directly on the test bench (in development, patent pending)
Deuteration of lubricating oil according to customer specific requirements (in development)

LEC OilTracer in practice

The patented method was developed by the LEC team, together with Kristl, Seibt & Co GmbH and the Research Association for Combustion Engines and Thermodynamics. In this process, the engine oil is enriched with the stable isotope deuterium, which can then be detected in the water vapor of the exhaust gas during engine operation, thus providing information about oil consumption.

The components

The core components of the LEC OilTracer are a catalyst for the oxidation of hydrocarbons to CO2 and H2O, and an isotope analyzer. The requirements of the isotope analyzer are met with the help of an exhaust gas conditioning system developed by Kristl, Seibt and Co. The isotope analyzer is used for online measurement of the deuterium concentration in the exhaust gas water vapor.

The tracer

The engine oil is marked with the tracer by hydrogen-deuterium exchange in the hydrocarbons of the oil. Within five days, an exchange of approximately 70 percent of the hydrogen atoms is achieved in an optimized two-stage process in the pressure reactor. Depending on the measurement accuracy required by the customer, up to 15 percent of the engine lubricating oil can be replaced by deuterated oil without significantly affecting the properties.

Application examples

This device for high-precision online measurement of lubricating oil consumption is ideally suited for original equipment manufacturers in the automotive and large engine sectors as well as suppliers of test bench systems. Offering lube oil consumption measurement via the deuterium method is also a service for existing LEC customers (including deuteration of custom engine oil).

Stories

RECAP-HYMETHSHIP FINAL STAKEHOLDER EVENT

Around 100 participants took the opportunity to get to know the results of the HyMethShip project. The event was announced by the project partners to their business contacts and was conducted online.
Registrations came from 18 countries and 4 continents, which shows how far the project has spread.

The business sector from which the audience came was also broad: The majority were researchers, with shipping companies, builders and operators accounting for the next largest share. Engine manufacturers and other industries were also well represented, as were consultants and engineering firms, classification societies and administrations.

Four expert presentations gave authentic and detailed information about all involved technologies, how these are working in combination to ensure an efficient propulsion system and driving the carbon capture and storage components with the waste heat of the engine (Dr. Nicole Wermuth, LEC). The HyMethShip concept was evaluated to be particularly suitable for Passenger and cruise ships on travels up to 600 nautical miles and for bigger ships (tankers and Ro-Ro cargo ships on high sea voyages (Dr. Joannes Ellis, SSPA). Promising are also the results of the environmental and the cost assessments by means of a LCA- and a LCC-study (Dr. Selma Brynolf, CTH) as well as the safety assessment (Dr. Alex Pedgrift, Dr. Abhijit Aul, Lloyds Register).

The tenor of the discussion was that the HyMethShip system could prove its feasibility and represents an attractive way to achieve far-reaching decarbonization of the shipping sector. The elegance of the system is especially reflected in the closing of the carbon cycle which is achieved by incorporating a pre-combustion carbon capture process.

The interest of the participants was high, and was also demonstrated by the fact that all stayed until the end of the event.

» to the Download area

Mehr erfahren

Save the Date! International Symposium for Sustainability in Mobility, Transport and Power Generation, Sept 23-24

A comprehensive program with the pioneers and visionaries of the global Mobility, Transport and Power Generation ecosystem will focus on sustainable solutions in these fields. Excellent networking opportunities with an estimated 300 experts, opinion leaders and policymakers from all over the world will round up the two-day programme. As always, a separate section will be devoted to the topic of large engines, focusing on:

Efficiency Improvement, Emission Reduction and Overall System Optimization
Future Fuels and Decarbonization
Intelligent Engine Components and Digitization

The scope of the symposium is to underline the necessity and importance of sustainable solutions in the areas of Mobility, Transport and Power Generation and to network relevant stakeholders towards an emission-free future.

To register visit: www.ivt.tugraz.at/en/conference/registration

The program can be downloaded in PDF format and it is available on the following link: www.ivt.tugraz.at/en/conference/program

Program download