T-22 turbine oil is a mineral oil produced from sweet crude by the acid purification method. Since the oil does not contain additives, T-22 turbine oil is a relatively inexpensive product making it very popular with industrial buyers.
One of the ways to purify T-22 turbine oil is to remove accumulated contaminants by the use of the “Gravity Settling” method. The idea is that all solid particles or water micro-droplets are under the influence of two forces, gravity and buoyancy in opposite directions. The total of the two forces defines volume force which causes the suspended particles to settle. This is what is referred to as sedimentation or settling.
Oil is a usually made up of weakly concentrated suspensions containing a small amounts of particulate matter. Settling of particles therefore, occurs without interaction of the particles and this is what is known as free settling. Another force acting on particles moving downward through the liquid is friction. It will hinder the movement of the particles. This force is directed upwards vertically.
Laminar flow around a particle is common for small particles and the significant viscosity of T-22 oil. If particle size increases, or the oil’s viscosity decreases, the flow becomes turbulent.
The final efficiency of turbine oil reclamation with this method depends on the density of the contaminant materials, the density and viscosity of the oil, and the contaminant particle size and concentration. For the settling of water droplets, not only their density, but also viscosity of the oil should be considered.
Settling tanks should be insulated and protected against direct sunlight. One of the most efficient methods of creating a thermally static environment is to place the settling tank into the ground.
The gravity acting on water droplets emulsified with the oil, is based on their coagulation and settling into a water-removal device. The velocity of settling of these larger particles is defined not only by their size, but also by the difference of the densities of water and turbine oil. For example, 15-20 micron droplets can settle one meter in ten hours. If the size of the particles is 10-15 microns, settling may take 24 hours.
It is the long time requirements of settling and the removal of only relatively large particles that is the main drawback of gravity purification.
To resolve the existing problems with oil purification, we recommend using complete oil treatment units from GlobeCore’s CMM-0.2MR line of equipment. The GlobeCore units combine vacuum processing and sorbent purification into one easy to use unit. The sorbent type used in these oil purification units is Fuller’s earth. This product can be reactivated in the unit without stopping to process to remove and replace the sorbent material. This is an obvious advantage since there is no need to stop the process to replace or replenish the sorbent.
Purification and regeneration using GlobeCore’s CMM-MR units allows the equipment operator to completely restore all physical and chemical parameters of the oil (turbine, electrical insulation and industrial oil) by removing acids, alkali and other contaminants and aging products.
After regeneration using the GlobeCore CMM-MR units, all specifications of turbine oil are as good as new allowing the reuse of oil in industrial equipment.
GlobeCore offers an efficient working solution to extend the oil’s service life and the service life of the industrial equipment.