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Minimizing engine oil consumption of modern engines has become an important issue and there is a need for better understanding associated sources and mechanisms. An innovative method based on the use of radiotracer compounds that are representative of oil distillation interval has been presented in a previous paper. This paper presents a methodology to evaluate and quantify oil consumption sources in a production turbocharged spark ignition engine at different speed and load conditions. A specific experimental set-up was used to measure independently and in real-time contribution of piston ring package, blow-by circuit, and turbocharger on oil consumption. Results show how contribution of each consumption source varies with engine operating conditions.

Thin Layer Activation (TLA), a radionuclide technique, was recently applied at the Research Center of ELF Solaize, France, to perform on-line monitoring of wear on diesel car engines. Measurements aimed at better understanding how wear develops on cam lobes as a function of various parameters such as lubricant formulation, soot concentration, and oil aging. The engine itself (passenger car diesel engine) was operated under severe steady state conditions (speed, torque, oil temperature and smoke) and on-line measurements were performed by applying two independent methods: direct measurement of material loss from cam lobes (inlet and exhaust valves) and concentration measurement of worn debris in oil or in the oil filter. These methods have proved to be very repeatable and absolute wear values given by TLA were consistent with those measured by profilometry.