EP0092554A1

EP0092554A1 - Oil cleaner for equipment and vehicles with combustion engine

Info

Publication number: EP0092554A1
Application number: EP82903156A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sigbjörn C PALSVE
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1981-10-28
Filing date: 1982-10-28
Publication date: 1983-11-02
Also published as: NO813641L; WO1983001652A1; NO150052B; NO150052C

Abstract

Dépurateur d'huile, notamment pour moteurs à combustion interne, dans lequel l'huile polluée et éventuellement filtrée au préalable est introduite dans une chambre d'évaporation avec un organe chauffant permettant de chauffer les constituants volatiles avec un bas point d'ébullition tels que les résidus de combustible et l'eau, et raccordée à une source de vide. L'organe d'évaporation (20) présente la forme d'un tronc de cône, qui est irrigué par l'huile provenant d'un collecteur annulaire (18). L'organe chauffant (19) est disposé à proximité de l'organe d'évaporation. Deux organes chauffants similaires (19), alimentés par le système de refroidissement du moteur, sont disposés de préférence à proximité de l'organe d'évaporation (20), lequel peut comprendre une série de lamelles à recouvrement (26).Oil purifier, in particular for internal combustion engines, in which the polluted and possibly filtered oil is introduced into an evaporation chamber with a heating element making it possible to heat the volatile constituents with a low boiling point such as fuel residue and water, and connected to a vacuum source. The evaporation member (20) has the shape of a truncated cone, which is irrigated by the oil coming from an annular collector (18). The heating member (19) is arranged near the evaporation member. Two similar heating elements (19), supplied by the engine cooling system, are preferably arranged near the evaporation member (20), which may include a series of overlapping lamellae (26).

Description

Oil cleaner for equipment and vehicles with combustion engine.

The invention relates to an oil cleaner or purifier of the kind stated in the introductory part of claim 1.

Lubrication oil in combustion engines is contaminated by particles^ fuel, water and other fluid, material reducing the lubricating effect and causing engine wear. From German Patent Specification 464504 it is known an oil cleaner wherein the oil in addition to be heated also is placed under a vacuum by connecting a evaporating chamber to the inlet system of the engine to extract volatile parts with a boiling point superceed-^* ing that of oil. This and corresponding other known oil cleaners for use in vehicles have a disadvantageous heating member structure. The main object of the invention is to provide ah oil cleaner with an efficient exchange member to achieve a satisfactory devapourization with an oil cleaner which is simple to manufacture. Another object is to provide an oil cleaner with an outer shape suitable for mounting in the engine compartment of vehicles and small wessels, respectively.

According to the invention, this may be achieved with an oil cleaner according to claim 1. Further advantageous features are stated in the sub claims. Relatively to corresponding known oil cleaners, the invention will provide a better heat trans¬ fer and a more efficient evaporting surface. This is achieved together with an outer shape which allows simple mounting.

OMPI The invention will be described further with reference to the drawing, which shows a schematically vertical section through embodiment.

The oil cleaner in this embodiment is based on a pot shaped carrier 11 which is closed upwardly by an outer cover or lid 12 and an inner cover 13, both of which are bell shaped and having a rim, 14 and 15 respec¬ tively, which are clamped against the flange 16 of the carrier over a sealing ring 17. The main elements of the oil cleaner is an annular manifold 18, two conically arranged helical heat¬ ing members 19 and a corresponding conically shaped, evaporating member 20, with lamels.

The manifold pipe 18 is arranged horizon- tally under the inner cover 13 and is provided with a series, in the shown example 36, downwardly facing outlet openings. The manifold 18 is connected to an inlet pipe 21 conducting contaminated oil to the oil cleaner from one or more filters. To bring the oil through the outlet openings, it has to be supplied with a certain hydraulic pressure, e.g. by a not shown pump. The lubrication oil may be extracted from the main oil conduit of an engine, by inserting a T-pipe at the side of the oil pressure

2 gauge of the motor. Average oil pressure is 2,8 kp/cm ,

2 max. appr. 5 kp/cm . Before the oil is introduced to the oil cleaner, it is passed through a nozzle at the pressure

2 of 2,8 kp/cm , which provides an oil flow through the system in excess of 50 1/h. The values stated are examples.

The heating helixes 19 are arranges in two sets, adjacent to each other in a mutual distance. The heating helixes are fed by a supply pipe 22 with a bifur¬ cation 23, and is emptied through a corresponding bifur¬ cation 24 to an outlet pipe 25. The supply pipe 22 and the outlet pipe 25 are suitably connected to the cooling system of the engine to which the cleaner is applied.

The evaporating member 20 is arranged in the interspace between the two sets of heating helixes 19,

-_BU H this member having the shape of a frustrum. The evapora¬ ting member 20 consists of a series of lamels 26 being attached at its outer end to an annular member 27 resting on the bottom of the carrier 11. The lamels 26 are suit- able arranged in shingle shape, i.e. with an overlap.

On the evaporation member 20, volatile constituens with a boiling point under the temperature in the region of the member will evaporate. To remove the evaporated fraction from the oil cleaner, a suction conduit 28 is connected to the inlet manifold (not showh) of the engine. To avoid the recirculation of undesirable removed residues to the engine, an oil remover is arranged in this conduit.

To compensate f°^r the gas removed from the oil cleaner, a pipe 29 to introduce pure air through an adjustable automatic vacuumvalve is arranged. This valve will provide a vacuum in the oil cleaner, which reduces the relative moisture in the inner of the oil cleaner, thus removing water from the oil passing the evaporating member 20.

A vacuum of 480-540 mm Hg will expand the air introduce.to three ti es its original volume. The relative water content will be reduced correspondingly. Thus water removed from the oil cleaner wil-more easily be transferred to the adjacent air.

An oil cleaner according to the invention is being tested at a testing institute and following measurement have been made under operating conditions. changes from to Particles mg/kg 86 , 9 12 , 57 n-pentanc unsolvable weight %

ASTM D893 1 , 06 0 , 42

H₂0 % ASTM D 95 0 , 1_.3 0 , 08

Diesel content 0 , 12 0 , 05

VViissccoossiittyy at 40°C ASTM D445 91 , 0 75 , 4

B Buurrnniinngg po int C ASTM D93 148 157 from to

Total base number mgKOH/g 8,7 7,8

With the oil cleaner according to the invention, a purifying effect corresponding to that of more elaborated and expensive apparatus is achieved. The present oil cleaner can be mounted in common passenger cars, as it can be produced with relatively simple and inexpensive parts. The parts of the cleaner may mainly be manufactured pf plastic materials, which allows most cost reduction on mass production. The field of usage will:also incorporate busses, trucks, motorized construc¬ tion equipment, ships engines, tooling machines, hydrau¬ lic apparatus, transformers and^" various plants with a combustio -engine.

Claims

Claims :

1. Oil cleaner, particularly for combus¬ tion engines, wherein contaminated! and possible pre- filtered oil is introduced in an evaporating chamber with a heating member for heating volatile cόnstituens with a low boiling poi such as fuel residues and water, where the evaporating chamber is connected to a vacuum source for extraction of .evaporated matter, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that an evaporating me - ber (20) in the form of a frustrum, which is irrigated by oil, is arranged in the evaporation chamber.

2. Oil cleaner according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the evaporating member (20) is arranged between two corresponding heat- ing members (19) , circulating in a manner known per se a heating medium from the cooling system of the engine.

3. Oil cleaner according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the evaporating member comprises a series of overlapping lamels (26) connected to an annular carrier (27) .

4. Oil cleaner according to one of the claims 1-3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that con¬ taminated oil is supplied to the evaporating member (20) through an annular manifold pipe (18) with down- wardly directed outlet openings at the inner part of the evaporating member.