An automatic device has been created for rapid detection of volatile impurities, including their trace quantities, in the oils of heat-and-power engineering equipment. The operating range in detecting the impurity content in terms of water (the most widespread impurity) ranges from 10 to 300 g of moisture per ton of oil. The device allows a continuous control of oil purity to be performed in the operating equipment, and signs of dangerous changes to be detected in the oil compositions in the operational process. The device has been made as a stand-alone version with a possibility to accumulate information over a long period and can be incorporated into the automated systems of technology process control.

The principle of operation of the automatic device is based on the method of controllable pulse heating of a wire probe, which makes it possible to detect volatile impurities in a wide range of substances, irrespective of their nature. The main distinctive features of the proposed device are self-sufficiency, compactness, high sensitivity to dangerous substances in small quantities, usability, maintainability, and low cost.