Esso Predict Component Failure by Lubricant Analysis
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ADDITIONAL facilities for the development of fuels, lubricating oils and other petroleum products have been introduced by the Esso Petroleum Co., Lid., at their new technical sales department at Faggs Road, Feltham, Middx.,. which was -officially opened last week.• The department was located formerly at Vauxhall, London, and Moved to Feltharri
early this year.
One of the most .impressive diagnostic' instruments: in the : laboratories. at Feltham is a direct-reading spectrograph. This instrument detects and determines with speed and accuracy metallic elements in sludges, oils and combustion deposits. It has been employed extensively to analyse used lubricant from British Railways' 'new oil-engined locomotives.
Metallic particles resulting from wear can be detected, and by comparison with previous analyses, it is possible to deduce which components are particularly subject to wear, and thus predict possible failures.
For development work on petroleum fuels, the department use variable-compression singlecylindered test engines, whilst dery development and lubrication-oil trials -are carried out on singlecylindered Caterpillar and Fetter engines. At present 11 engines are installed in the test cells, but 16 will be the full complement.
The laboratories are primarily concerned with the development of new or special products to meet specific needs. To this end they conduct continuous 'laboratory and field trials, in co-operation both with the main Esso research centre at Abingdon, and the refineries.