The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 13, 2010
Filed:
Oct. 22, 2002
Bhupinder Singh Dayal, Fairview, PA (US);
John Paul Kralik, Hudson, OH (US);
Keith A. Condran, Hudson, OH (US);
Robert Douglas Cryer, Erie, PA (US);
Thomas Charles Sonney, Wattsburg, PA (US);
Bhupinder Singh Dayal, Fairview, PA (US);
John Paul Kralik, Hudson, OH (US);
Keith A. Condran, Hudson, OH (US);
Robert Douglas Cryer, Erie, PA (US);
Thomas Charles Sonney, Wattsburg, PA (US);
General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US);
Abstract
A system () for ensuring the quality of lubricating oil in an engine of a locomotive without the need for specialized diagnostic and fluid handling systems on the locomotive. A test portion () of lubricating oil is removed from the engine and is analyzed at an oil analysis center () to determine an oil quality parameter (). The oil quality parameter is used as an input to a calculator () to determine a quantity of oil () that must be replaced by fresh oil during a current maintenance outage in order to ensure that the engine oil quality will remain acceptable throughout a forthcoming operating period. In this manner, a complete change-out of the lubricating oil may be delayed or avoided. The oil replacement decision and quantity is communicated to a service center () via a communications link such as the Internet () prior to the arrival of the locomotive at the service center. The used oil may be removed from the engine using a portable transfer device and mixed with fuel in a fuel storage tank for subsequent refueling of other locomotives.