What Are the Types of Industrial Oil?
Industrial oils include a great amount of different oil products such as:
• motor oils (oils for gasoline- or diesel-powered engines);
• oils for air-engine;
• transmission oils;
• hydraulic oils
• fuel oils (turbine, insulating, compressor oils); and
• industrial oils.
Depending on the purposes and the application area, each type of oil performs different functions. In general, insulating fluids are intended to isolate, reject heat and to quench an arc in electrical appliances. Industrial Oils are used to lubricate working parts of industrial machines, transfer heat from one system to another, reduce the wear and friction rate as well as transfer heat. Motor Oils serve as the lubricants for piston and rotary internal combustion engines and perform many of the same tasks as industrial oils.
Oil Filtration: Major Motives
The statistics show that about 80% of all oil-filled equipment failures are caused by contamination of industrial oils. In general, oil is contaminated by such substances as dust, metal chips, rubber crumbs, sand, and other undesireable contaminants. Particles of less than 2 microns (resin or oxidation products) constitute the greatest danger to the operation of high tech equipment. Water that got into oil from the atmosphere or by condensation can result in corrosion, rapid wear and accelerated aging of oil. As a result, the operational reliability of machines and their parts are reduced significantly.
To prevent such undesirable consequences, the qualitative performance characteristics of oil should be regularly tested to determine if there are mechanical impurities. Oil is recommended to be tested both before filling the equipment and during maintenance of the equipment using special devices. If the performance characteristics turn out to be below the acceptable level, it is recommended to carry out a preventive filtration or what is commonlu referred to as “Oil Processing.”
Oil Filter Classification
Oil filters are divided into different groups according toa very specific classification criteria. There are built-in and stand-alone filters depending on the place they are mounted. The built-in filters are mounted into the main part of the oil system and for the most part operate under high pressure. Accordingly, the stand-alone filters function separately from the oil/lubricating system.
Depending on the application, there are metallic, paper and fiberglass filters. Metallic Filters work according to the principle of surface filtration. Usually, they are made of stainless steel that makes it possible to apply them when working with hydraulic and lubricating oils. The filtration fineness is between 25 and 80 microns.
Paper Filters are used for deep filtration and the filtration fineness is between 10 and 25 microns.
Fiberglass Filters also work according to the principle of deep filtration. This type of filter distinguishes itself through a high dirt-holding capacity and good filtration fineness even under heavy pressure.
Disposable and non-disposable filters have obtained a wide circulation and popularity in industry. Disposable filters are used so the filtered oil will meet the desired purity class. When the filter is no longer able to filter oil, it should be replaced with a new one.
The difference between disposable and non-disposable filters is that when non-disposable filters become saturated with contaminants, they are not replaced but cleaned of impurities. The disadvantage of such an approach is that filters may need frequent cleaning. It is also worth mentioning that modern filters are not able to remove impurities with the size of between 1 and 5 microns though they constitute about 70% of all possible impurities. Even so, filters are much in demand at small machine and tractor stations or service stations. Such methods of cleaning is unprofitable for medium and large industries: the more used oil they have the more expensive the cost of replacing and/or cleaning the filters becomes.
But there exists an optimal and profitable solution!
GlobeCore has developed its CFU line of units to solve the problem of industrial oil filtration. Such substances as mechanical impurities, carbon black, water-soluble acids, and alkalis are removed from industrial oils by the GlobeCore CFU units.
The following is the list of benefits of using GlobeCore’s filtration and processing equipment:
• reduces the wear and extends the service life of oil and oil-filled equipment;
• increases the time necessary between periodic testing;
• reduces the amount of unscheduled downtime of equipment;
• increases productivity;
• preserves oil’s performance characteristics; and
• reduces the negative impact on the environment.
Being mobile, GlobeCore’s equipment allows for industrial oil processing directly at the remote operating sites.
It is worth mentioning that all benefits listed above contribute to significant cost reductions.