Optical fiber spectroscopy for measuring quality indicators of lubricant oils

A collection of lubricant oils from different types of turbines, which were characterized by different degrees of degradation, were analyzed by means of wide-range absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy and scattering measurements. All these measurements were performed by means of optical fiber-based instrumentation that made use of compact lamps or LED illumination, and miniaturized spectrometers for detection. Multivariate data analysis was used to successfully correlate the wide optical spectral signature of lubricant oils with some of the most important parameters indicating the degree of oil degradation, such as TAN, JOAP index, water content and phosphorus.