The optoCONTROL CLS1000 series of fibre optic sensors from Micro-Epsilon reliably and precisely detect oil leaks in the event of seal failure. At Linde Material Handling, for example, a shaft seal ring (WDR) protects the oil-lubricated gearbox from the electric drive motor. A failure of the WDR would go unnoticed and could cause the motor compartment to fill with gearbox oil, resulting in massive gearbox damage.
The endurance test benches carry out their work unattended, often over the weekend or during long holiday periods. Fault detection is essential in order to switch off the test bench in the event of a fault and prevent serious consequential damage. In particular, detecting oil leaks as a result of seal failure is always a challenge here.
Preventing transmission damage
A shaft seal ring (WDR) seals the oil-lubricated gearbox against the electric drive motor. As this WDR is installed in an axle housing, a failure would not be recognised. The motor compartment would fill up with transmission oil unnoticed, the transmission would run dry and result in massive transmission damage.
Existing capacitive-based sensors are far too large for this application. Due to the space constraints, a fibre optic sensor from Micro-Epsilon was selected. The sensor head has a diameter of only 6 mm and can simply be screwed into a hole just behind the end shield.
If gear oil enters the engine compartment, it collects at the lowest point on the light sensor. As soon as the optics are wetted with oil, the sensor reacts and the test stand is safely switched off via a relay circuit, without the risk of consequential damage. The simple configuration, the extremely robust design and the very flexible fibre optic cable enable quick and easy installation, even in difficult locations.
