SwRI Radioactive Tracer Technology Past Projects: Measuring Real-Time Wear in Operating Engines

  image of irradiated piston/slipper
  image of installation of the irradiated piston/slipper into the barrel of a large hydraulic pump via mechanical manipulators
  image of installation of the irradiated piston/slipper into the barrel of a large hydraulic pump via mechanical manipulators
 

Installation of the irradiated piston/slipper (top) into the barrel of a large hydraulic pump via mechanical manipulators

Radioactive tracer technology (RATT®) techniques at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) provide cost-effective, accurate, real-time data, detecting minute wear changes without disassembly and physical inspection, to study component wear during transient and steady-state conditions.
 

Past RATT® Projects

Past SwRI radioactive tracer measurement projects include:

  • Measuring piston ring wear associated with changes in engine speed, load, and operating temperature; fuel and lubricant quality and type; fuel dilution in oil, and internal and external contamination.

  • Measuring fuel injector wear associated with component metallurgy, fuel quality, and contaminant level.

  • Evaluating diesel engine cylinder liner wear correlating to liner design, material, and lubrication.

  • Investigating engine wear sensitivity to fuel, lube oil, and air filtration.

  • Measuring engine wear associated with dust contamination to determine relationships between component wear, particle size, and filtration level.

  • Studying filter performance and filter test procedures using irradiated standardized test dusts.

  • Comparing component wear for an engine operating alternately on natural gas and gasoline.

  • Measuring engine wear under advanced combustion system operation.

  • Measuring turbocharger bearing wear.

  • Measuring component wear in a large hydraulic pump.

  • Measuring prosthetic material wear (hip joint components).

  • Measuring crude oil corrosivity.

  • Measuring injector wear in response to fuel lubricity.

For more information about radioactive tracer experience and past projects capabilities at SwRI or how you can contract with SwRI, please contact Doug Eberle at deberle@swri.org or (210) 522-5260.
 

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Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®) is an independent, nonprofit, applied engineering and physical sciences research and development organization with 12 technical divisions using multidisciplinary approaches to problem solving. The Institute occupies more than 1,200 acres and provides nearly two million square feet of laboratories, test facilities, workshops, and offices for more than 3,300 employees who perform contract work for industry and government clients.