Measuring piston temperature

[Begle1]

I recall some of you smart guys talking about recording piston temperatures on a dyno in one of those epic cam threads, as a way to compare cams.

How does that work? How does one record piston temperatures on a running engine?

 

[nwpadmax]

If you're talking something simpler than a PhD-thesis kind of thing, I would imagine that a port (like a glowplug hole) could be used with a optical sensor and some wicked fast electronics.

Or you could watch EGTs and make some guesses.

Or for oil-squirter equipped engines maybe you could watch the oil temp very closely.

They do this kind of thing in universities all the time but it's usually some frankensteined small diesel with crazy access to all the parts. Like the one with the sapphire piston that lets you see the injection plume and burn process. Wicked cool. But probably never run like we run our trucks.

 

[nwpadmax]

Zowee. Couple companies offer embedded thermocouples with wireless data transmission. I bet it's real affordable :hehe:

 

[Delinquent]

eDart has systems set up for Data aquisition on all sorts of things like this. But as mentioned above...These babys are $$$$. We are talking like one Pressure sensor is $1400. But it is +/-.001psi accuracy. I'm sure a wireless thermocouple or infrared eye or whatever they would get to ya would be mega $$

 

[JWhite]

temp plug in the piston