Patent ID: 8361395

Claim:
A method of using a detection apparatus for detecting an amount of sulfur content in a sample of liquid fossil fuel including sulfur particles having a first coefficient of light absorption provided to an internal combustion engine disposed to power a machine, the detection apparatus including a light source, a light-sensitive detector disposed proximate the light source, a filter circuit electrically connected to the light-sensitive detector and an electronic control module in communication with the filter circuit, the method comprising: irradiating at least a portion of the liquid fossil fuel sample in a fuel tank of the machine with the light source having a desired wavelength spectra to cause sulfur particles in the liquid fossil fuel sample to emit an illumination; detecting the intensity of the illumination with the light-sensitive detector and providing, by the light-sensitive detector, a detection signal indicative of the detected intensity of the illumination to the filter circuit; filtering the detection signal with the filter circuit, the filter circuit adapted to differentiate a contribution to the detected intensity of the illumination caused by a non-sulfur particle in the liquid fossil fuel sample, and providing a filtered detection signal indicative of the detected intensity of the illumination less any contribution to the detected intensity of the illumination caused by said non-sulfur particle in the liquid fossil fuel sample; processing the filtered detection signal with the electronic control module and providing an output indicative of the amount of sulfur particles in the liquid fossil fuel based upon the filtered detection signal.