METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING FUEL IN OIL, LUBE DEGRADATION, AND FOB THRU OPTICAL AND COLOR CHARACTERIZATION

Systems and techniques that facilitate detecting fuel in oil, lube degradation, and foreign object contamination through optical and/or color characterization are provided. A signature component can generate a digital signature corresponding to a lubricant in a lubrication circuit of an engine. The digital signature can be based on optical or visual properties of a sensor array coupled to the lubrication circuit and exposed to the lubricant, wherein the optical or visual properties of the sensor array can depend on a health of the lubricant. An analysis component can characterize the health of the lubricant by comparing, via a machine learning algorithm, the digital signature with a baseline digital signature corresponding to a desired health-level of the lubricant. In some embodiments, a light emitter component can emit a first light onto the sensor array, and a light receiver component can receive a second light emitted by the sensor array in response to the first light. The signature component can then generate the digital signature based on the first light and the second light. In some embodiments, an image capture component can capture an image of the sensor array. The signature component can then generate the digital signature based on the captured image.