Simulation of Electrostatic Oil Line Sensing and validation using experimental results

Electrostatic Oil Line Sensor (OLS) is one type of the electrostatic sensors based on electrostatic charging phenomenon and has been used in wear debris monitoring in oil lubricated tribological systems. With the advantages of high sensitivity and resolution, OLS has been proved to be an effective sensing technique for sliding, rolling and bearing contacts. However the sensing technique has so far not been widely used in industrial systems due to the difficulties in identify the exact charge sources and charging mechanisms in a complex tribological system. This paper presents the results from a simulation of the sensing mechanisms that is successfully validated by experimental results. The initial OLS simulation results have led to a better sensor design and its application.