GB755856A - Improved method and apparatus for reconditioning used oil - Google Patents

Abstract

<PICT:0755856/III/1> <PICT:0755856/III/2> <PICT:0755856/III/3> A method of reconditioning used oil comprises passing the oil under pressure through a filter, heating the oil, and then passing it through a porous, ceramic-bonded filter. Both filters may consist of silicon carbide fused alumina, mullite or sillimanite. A suitable apparatus for carrying out the process is shown in Fig. 1; an insulated steel tank 3, provided with heaters 9 mounted in the walls, is divided into an upper compartment 10 and a lower compartment 11. Intake pipe 13 passes from the bottom of the tank into compartment 10, the floor of which consists of a rigid, ceramic-bonded porous diffuser plate 14, separated from a second similar plate 15 by a bed of finely-divided charcoal 18. A compartment 10 and the two plates are supported by perforated plate 19. A perforated steel cylinder 21 is mounted within tank 3; within the cylinder is mounted a pipe 23 com municating with outlet 30. A rigid porous ceramic-bonded tube 24 is mounted on the pipe and the space between the tube and the cylinder is filled with the granular filler material such as diatomaceous earth, e.g. Fuller's earth. The portion of the pipe confined within tube 24 is provided with discharge openings 32. In use, used oil is introduced into the apparatus by pipe 13 and is forced under pressure through plates 14 and 15 to extract coarse solid matter, through openings 20 (see Fig. 2) in plate 19 into lower chamber 11, through perforations 22 in cylinder 21 into the filler material which removes remaining solid matter and other impurities; through tube 24 and is discharged via pipe 23 to outlet 30. Modifications of the apparatus are described in which the upper chamber 10 is detachably secured to the outer wall of compartment 10 (see Fig. 4), or in which the plates 14 and 15 and the container 21 may be of various other shapes. The recovered oil may be further treated in a blotter press.