Small volume flow detection system

Purpose and goal

An accurate measuring unit for small flows and dosages has been developed. The meter is intended to monitor central lubrication systems for grease and oil. Meters with these characteristics are currently lacking on the market. The need for such a measuring unit is great. The meter makes it possible to monitor the lubrication and alarm in the event of deviations. This leads to reduced wear of moving machine parts and avoidance of breakdowns. The ability to control the amount of lubricant also results in reduced lubricant consumption, which reduces the environmental impact.

Expected results and effects

The meter that has been developed responds well to the specified technical requirements. There remains some fine-tuning of the manufacturing process to get there. The meter will make it possible to monitor lubrication systems for oil and grease that are currently not possible to monitor. The ability to monitor small amounts of grease and oil in central lubrication systems will reduce the risk of bearing failures. The effect of this is a reduced number of unplanned stops of production processes.

Planned approach and implementation

The collaboration and division of the development work has worked well. The development work was divided into one part with the mechanical construction and one part with sensors and monitoring. Manufacturing, tests and measurements of several different prototypes have been divided between the companies depending on available resources and capacity. The collaboration was made difficult and delayed due to Covid-19. The physical meetings have been limited to only three during the entire project.