Nissan has partnered up with the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) to develop a new neutron imaging system which can be used to precisely visualize oil flow in an engine operating at high speed, allowing the car manufacturer to study the behaviour of lubricant in an engine and pin-point precisely where frictional losses are happening so that fuel consumption and CO2 emissions can be reduced. This is a project under the Nissan Green Program 2010.
The system uses neutron radiography and high-speed imaging to look at the oil flow through the engine block to each component, oil splash from the crankshaft and oil delivery to the final drive gear.
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