# ANSYS-Based Modeling and Simulation of Electrostatic Oil-Line Sensor

## TL;DR

This paper models and simulates an electrostatic oil-line sensor to detect wear particles in lubricating oil paths for early mechanical failure detection.

## Contribution

The study introduces a finite element simulation of an electrostatic oil-line sensor's characteristics for mechanical fault diagnosis.

## Key findings

- Sensor sensitivity varies depending on the location of point charges relative to the probe.
- The length-to-diameter ratio of the sensor is proportional to its efficiency.
- Simulation results align closely with theoretical calculations, with less than 3% deviation.

## Abstract

Mechanical components are more difficult to detect at the initial state of failure. To solve this problem, this paper models and simulates the characteristics of an electrostatic oil-line sensor (OLS) wear particles carried in the lubricating oil path are detected. In this study, an OLS that monitors the charge in an oil line using the principle of electrostatic induction is modeled and simulated. The sensor characteristics are simulated and tested using finite element simulation. The sensor efficiency, spatial sensitivity, and length-to-diameter ratio are simulated based on the point charges at different locations. The simulation results show that the sensitivity exhibits different trends when the point charge is inside and outside the probe. The length-to-diameter ratio is proportional to the sensor efficiency, the spatial sensitivity distribution law of multiple charges is consistent with that of a point charge, and the relative deviation rate between the mathematically calculated values and the simulated values is less than 3% under the same conditions. In conclusion, the finite element simulation results of the electrostatic oil line sensor constructed in this study are consistent with the theoretical model calculations and can be used in future mechanical fault diagnosis.