On-Line Oil Condition Monitoring for Marine Gearboxes : This thesis addresses the importance of oil condition monitoring in marine reduction gearboxes and compares the sensitivity and usage of three different sensors, each with its own working principle

Abstract

Failures in marine reduction gearboxes lead to substantial costs. With the use of oil condition moni-toring, these failures can be foreseen so that preemptive measures can be taken. The development ofoil condition monitoring equipment has come a long way, and it is time to start using this technology.There are various reasons why a gearbox failure, and as most of them are a result of inadequatelubrication, several things can be done to reduce these failures. By testing 3 different sensors in agearbox lubrication system, this study goes through each sensor technology and aims to figure outwhat is important to consider when selecting a sensor for oil condition monitoring.The sensors discussed and tested are Gill 4212 Oil Condition Monitoring Sensor, Poseidon TridentQW3100, and Parker Kittiwake Metal Wear Debris Sensor. To test these sensors, several experiments,with a variety of added contaminants, are designed to find the strengths and weaknesses of each sensor.In the end, a conclusion is made on how the tested sensors meet those requirements and what can bedone in the future to find an even better sensor configuration to prevent gearbox failures.