A proposed measurement method for void fraction in lubricant oil based on the image processing technique

A new method for measuring void fraction in lubricating oils is presented based on the image processing technique. The problem here differs from the bubbles detection problem in two-phase fluids in that our interest lies in the gross amount of gas voids in oils. Our method is based on an observation that gas voids in oils change the color of the mixed gas-oil material. Therefore, a measurement technique was established based on the change in color. In particular, the relationship between the change in color and amount of voids was established experimentally. The experiment and testing were performed on a particular setup which consists of a pipe, oil, and air. The test result has shown that this method is effective. The method is the simplest and most accurate one among the existing methods.