A high throughput inductive pulse sensor for online oil debris monitoring

A high throughput inductive pulse sensor based on inductive Coulter counting principle for detecting metallic wear debris in lubrication oil is presented. The device detects the passage of metallic debris by monitoring the inductance change of a two-layer planar coil with a meso-scale fluidic pipe crossing its center, which is designed to attain high throughput without sacrificing the sensitivity. The testing results using iron and copper particles ranging in size from 50 to 150 mu m have demonstrated that the device is capable of detecting and distinguishing ferrous and non-ferrous metallic debris in lubrication oil with a high throughput. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.