Modeling and measuring the effects of shear on lubricating oil breakdown

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Our industrial partner, GasTOPS Ltd., is a Canadian leader in machinery operation monitoring technologies. They have an interest in developing a new in-line oil monitor capable of detecting the remaining useful life of a lubricating oil. The requires an accurate model of the relationship between oil operating conditions and detectable levels of degradation by-products. While it is known qualitatively that high shear stresses, temperatures and pressures all play interdependent roles in lubricating oil breakdown, the quantitative relationship between stress levels and by-product formation rates is not understood. In this project, we will develop this understanding through a combination of theoretical calculations and experiments. The end goal will be a "engineering" model of the relationship between oil stress history and by-product formation, which will be validated with the help of the experimental data.