Water-free oil
3rd Quarter 2013
Other technologies
Filter Focus’ vacuum dehydrator has the ability to remove all water, gases and acids from oil. Wet or emulsified oil is drawn into the system under vacuum and dissolved water and gases are quickly and effectively evaporated. This has major application in the sugar industry in combating the effects of emulsified, free and dissolved water in oil. “Water contamination is present in almost every sugar processing plant, and there are numerous problems associated with this kind of contamination,” says Filter Focus COO, Craig FitzGerald.
All vapours and gases enter a condensation unit and are released into the water receiver, where cleaner and drier oil is then passed back to the oil tank. Water contamination in systems promotes oxidation and can lead to failures in components such as bearings and shaft journals, as well as the jamming of mechanisms such as pilot valves, trip cylinders and hydraulic pistons. “Additives in oil improve lubricating properties but these additives can be washed out or removed by water contamination, chemically altering and leaving the oil underperforming,” he adds.
Filter Focus has run numerous tests on the vacuum dehydrator and results have been impressive. In one in-house test, a standalone tank of lubricating gear oil was purposely contaminated with water and an independent oil analysis showed a water content of 47 000 ppm. A second sample was taken after eight hours of vacuum dehydration and water contamination was only 124 ppm. After placing a Filter Focus proprietary filtration system on the outlet of the vacuum dehydrator, there was a further reduction to 39 ppm water content, which is regarded as negligible as this is drier than unused bulk oil supplies.
For more information contact Craig FitzGerald, Filter Focus, +27 (0)11 466 1268, [email protected], www.filterfocus.co.za
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