FIELD: technological processes.
SUBSTANCE: invention relates to monitoring of metal wear particles in flow lubrication systems of operating power plants when pumping oil through a through channel of a sensor built into an oil line of a power plant; identification of magnetic or non-magnetic type of metal is provided; assignment of detected particles to selected groups of sizes. To increase sensitivity to small-size metal particles, an eddy current sensor is used with an SE located in the center, covering the oil flow, ellipse-shaped insert from dielectric non-magnetic material with maximum radius Rst, calculated by the point of excess of the dependence of the information parameter of the sensitive element ΔL(dmin, r) on the radial position r of the metal particle with the minimum size dmin, taken as the lower boundary of the detected particles, above the specified level of "noise" in the process of wear of bearings of metal particles.
EFFECT: increasing sensitivity of eddy current control devices to metal particles in the area of small sizes, which are present in oil of flow lubrication system of power plants during wear of bearing assemblies.
1 cl, 5 dwg
