OK, let’s discuss everything right here. My view of the scope of analysis looks like this:
For oil:
- elemental analysis (Al, Si, P, Cr, Fe, Cu, Zn, Sn, Pb)
- viscosity as received
- viscosity after centrifugation
- total insolubles
- carbon and non-carbon insolubles
- water
- optionally, wear debris microscopy
For oil filter solids:
- visual
- carbon vs. non-carbon
- magnetic vs. non-magnetic
- elemental analysis of non-carbon fraction
For sludge from inside the motor:
- carbon vs. non-carbon
- elemental analysis of non-carbon fraction
Now, the most important question: what improvements would everyone expect from a new laboratory compared to the existing ones?
Ultranomad wrote:
Now, the most important question: what improvements would everyone expect from a new laboratory compared to the existing ones?
Fast results, competitive pricing. I guess “easy to send” is already there if it’s in CZ.
my 10cts…
To improve would be difficult since I’m pretty happy with my actual analysis provider. The only improvement, IMHO, would be on the price itself… only a few years ago a kit from AOA was around $12.50, today costing $22.50 upwards…
I fly a few hours a year, and since I send a sample in at every oil change, every 50h for me, it sure adds to the maintenance costs.
Attached the results of my last analysis, barely a month old. In my view, the contaminants analysed for are a good selection, and as required to help in correlating the health of an engine. The traffic light system is easy enough to understand, even for pilots that is… and so are the trend graphs.
The results would be uploaded to a website so would be instant. Email notification of course. With a quick verbal report of excessive deviations relative to previous. See my Blackstone examples posted in the other threads.
Processing should be same-day or next-day.
Do the Czech customs play funny games with UK packages, like BE, NL, DE? Would need to ask an insider for that.
Send out collection bottles on request, say 10 of them. Needs to be a bottle inside a fairly secure container but one which can be opened by European customs. With an address label and a customs label.
Peter wrote:
Do the Czech customs play funny games with UK packages, like BE, NL, DE?
As far as I understand, it depends on the carrier (regular post, DHL, UPS, PPL, DPD…). Regular post would likely suffer the most.
Send out collection bottles on request, say 10 of them. Needs to be a bottle inside a fairly secure container but one which can be opened by European customs. With an address label and a customs label.
An option to eliminate the collection bottle round trips is to use standard tubes for medical specimens along with standard shipping boxes for them. These are manufactured in huge quantities and available everywhere around the globe.
When we can start to use your Oil service ?
@9A_LDSH
That’s a big question. At the moment, the only things I have towards opening the lab are my knowledge of spectroscopy (the subject of my master’s degree in physics many years ago) and laboratory techniques, plus some workspace and capital that may be marginally sufficient for a basic kit of analytical equipment. This is exactly why I worded my first answer as “I may be persuaded”.
It is certainly possible to kickstart this project, but this would be hard to reconcile with the community’s desire to keep the prices low unless the community is really big. One way to save on capital costs is to procure used equipment directly from original users (industrial and medical labs for the most part), but good deals, let alone donations, are rarely announced publicly. One needs to have the right contacts, and mine are gone by now. Can anyone contribute?
You might consider calling Blackstone and opening up their European operation. This could get you started.
eurogaguest1980, it would defy the very purpose of the project.
Great offer Ultranomad.
Count me in. I am willing to put up some upfront payment to support the project.
Why don’t you develop a scheme and then people raise their hand ?
For example (not implying the figures are right, just illustrating the idea)
Oil analysis costs EUR x per analysis when bought in 10 packs.
I need to sell 50 × 10 packs to get going
Interested parties make a refundable payment and the project only happens if enough payments are made
Peter’s idea of using a website for reporting is great.
Good luck and thanks
