US1638319A

US1638319A - Oil-diluent separator

Info

Publication number: US1638319A
Application number: US146222A
Authority: US
Inventors: Southwick W Briggs
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1926-11-04
Filing date: 1926-11-04
Publication date: 1927-08-09
Anticipated expiration: 1944-08-09

Description

Aug. 9,1927. 1,638,319

s. w. BRIGGS OIL DILUENT SEPARATOR Filed Nov. 4, 1926 IN V EN TOR Y J 4720mm.

Patented Aug. 9,

UNITED STATES SOUTHWIGK w. names, or GLENMONT, MARYLAND.

OIL-DILUENT snrazaaron.

Application filed November I The present invention relates to separators, and more particularly to/a device for attachment-to an internal combustion engine for removing the diluents from oil which have accumulated in the crank case and other por= tions of the lubricating system.

- An objectof the present invention is'to provide a: device which may be readily attached to an internal combustion engine to utilize, in part, some of the elements of the I engine to assist in the operation or functioning of the present invention, and which may be used for preheating a predetermined volume' of air and by passing a relative volume 1 of oil from the lubricating circuit to the device for removing the diluents from the oil. Various attempts have been heretofore made in the prior art to render free the lubricating oil in the crank case of an internal combustion engine of the lighter constituents which accumulate in the oil and dilute the same. Some of these prior systems attempt to prevent fuel condensate from entering the oil in the crank case, and yet other systems treat the oil directly to vaporize or otherwise drive olf the diluents which have already accumulated in the body'of oil.

The present invention has reference to that type of separators which treats the oil subsequent to the accumulation of the diluents therein, because it has been found by actual usage and experimentation that even though the preventative system is practically perfect in operation, it depends upon the heating of the walls of the engine to at least a temperature of approximately 150 degrees before the. preventative system can successfully operate without chilling and further condensing the trapped diluents' 40 Before this temperature has been attained the greatest amount of condensate accumulates inthe crank case, such as when the choke of the engine is closed during the starting of the-engine, and then again, the

oil by evaporation incident to the heat generated in" the operation of the engine gives off a certain percentage of the higher volatile constituents which while remaining in the oil body form merely a mechanical mixture therewith and consequently dilute the same.

Among the various other expedients resorted to for the separation of the diluents from the oil has been a system of forcing jets of air upwardly througli the crank caseor body of oil, but-such means not only disturbs and-.disintegrates the body of oil, so

4, 1926. Serial No. 146,222.

that proper lubrication of the cranks, and

operation of the oil pump is. greatly impaired, but there cannot be that necessary relative proportioning of the air and the oil so essentialto the proper and uniform treatment of the oil and the carrying off by absorption the lighter constituents which may 3 be washed or'removed from the oil.

The invention, therefore, aims to provide a device which wil-l'collect together at one source the proper relative volumes of air and oil and will carry the same together and intermix them under such conditions as will remove from the .oil all the lighter constituents and then free the oil from the air and the vapors taken up thereby, returning the oil to the crank case and removing the valpors for subsequent use and exhaustion.

The invention also embodies certain structural features in the apparatus which peculiarly adapt it for attachment to an inter- -nal combustion engine without modification of the latter, and to produce a device which 1s commercially practical and economical to manufacture and install.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the inventlon will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken through the upper part or cap of the-separator body substantially) on the line H of Figure 3. a v I Figure 5 is a similar section taken through an improved portion of the separator body, substantially on the line 5-5 of Figlire 3.

Referring to the drawing, 10 desi ates generally, an internal combustion englne of any approved type and provided with an exhaust manifoldll having a lower air channel 12 extending lengthwise therein and connected at one end to an air filter 13 of any approved type. The engine is also provided with a carburetor 14 of any suitable type, shown diagrammatically in the present in the oil.

drawings and in its relative position at the side of the engine 10.

The separator body comprises a cylinder 15 which may be cast, or otherwise suitably formed and provided on its inner wall with a spiral ledge or rib 16 which extends substantially throughout the height of the cylinder 15. and which is transversely inclined in an upward direction with respect to the inner wall of the cylinder 15 to form a spiral groove or channel 17 in which the oil accumulating upon the inner wall of the cylinder 15 may travel in its downward course.

The body 15 is provided upon its upper end with a cap 18, which may also be a casting and secured to the cylinder 15 by bolts or the like. The cap 18 has at one side a radial inlet 19 preferably integral with the cap 18 and which merges into the side of the same at substantially a tangent for delivering air under pressure in a circular direction against the inner side of the cap, so that the air is given a spiral or whirling motion during its travel downwardly through the cap and through the body 15.

The lower end of the cylinder or body 15 is provided with a conical lower cap 20 forming an inclined bottom through the lower central portion of which is connected a return pipe 21 which is carried downwardly into the crank case 22 of the engine and is submerged beneath the body or oil contained therein. The oil thus forms a liquid seal about the lower end of the pipe 21 to'prevent intake of air or the like upwardly through the pipe 21. Oil is fed to the inlet 19 through a pipe 23 which leads from a branch coupling 24 extending from the I usual 011 pump pipe, as shown in Figure 2, the other branch of the Y-coupling 24 connected to a pipe 25 which leads to the usual oil. gauge or the like, not shown. The pipe 23- is carried from the coupling 24 to the outer side of the inlet 19 and terminates centrally withm the inlet so that the incoming heated air is iorced about the inner end of the pipe 23 and creates a suction to assist in the feeding of the oil and the thorough breaking up and.

intermingling of the oil within the stream of heated air which enters the'inlet 19. It .will be noted that the pipe 23 is relatively small as compared with the cross sectional area of the inlet 19 so that a relatively small volume of oil is projected into the relatively large volume of air to efi'ect the thorough removal of the volatile matter which is carried The inlet 19 may be connected directly to the air channel 12, or may, as

shown in the present instance, be provided with an elbowcoupling 26 which is attached at one end to the inlet 19 and at its other end to the manifold 11 opposite the outlet openingfirom the air channel 12. The ca 18 is provided centrally with an outlet pipe 27 which extends downwardly into the cylinder the intake 19 of the separator.

leads to the carbureter 14 for supplying the same with air which is not only heated, but which is also laden with the volatile matter extracted from the oil.

In operation, the carbureter draws air through the pipe 29 in the usual manner inci dent to the usual suction in the intake manifold of the engine 10. This suction causes a flow of air into-the air cleaner 13 to catch dust and other accumulations in the air, heats the air in its passage through the channel 12 and delivers the air in a relatively large volume and in a heated condition to At the same time the pump of the engine 10 forces the oil upwardly through the coupling 24 and part of the oil is deflected into the pipe 23 and delivered in a small quantity into the intake 19. The relatively large volume of oil breaks the oil into a fine spray or mist and extracts therefrom all the lighter vola-.r

tile matter which causes the dilution of the oil and the oil with the air is carried downwardly in a spirally traveling stream into the bottom ot the separator. A relatively heavy body of oil. accumulates upon the conical bottom.20 and drains ofi through the pipe 21 back into the crankcase, while the air. is drawn ,upwardly and centrally through the pipe 27 and carries with it the lighter particles into the carbureter 1 1. The spiral fin 16 assists in maintaining the spiral motion of the air and oil as it rroves downwardly in the separator 15, and the heavier particles of oil which do not admix with the air,'which cannot be carried by the air accumulate in the trough 17 and consequently flow downwardly by gravity and are finally discharged upon the bottom 20.

It will be noted from above that the air is heated sufliciently only to drive off the of the oil and liberates the lighter constituents so that they may be carried ofi readily with the air. This action is contra-distim guished: from the apparatus which have'been heretofore used and wherein the air is raised to a very high temperature so as to transmit the heat to the oil and break down the oil to form dilution and by heat evaporate and carry ofi' the dilution. According to this invention the oil is not broken down but is maintained in its natural state while at the same time the dilution is almost comple y removed.

Itis obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes, and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is 1. A diluent separator for removing lighter substances'from oil comprising a cy-' lindrical bod portion having an inlet near its upper en and ata tangent to one side thereof for delivering a volumeof 'air in a spiral stream to the upper end of the body portion, an outlet! pipe arranged centrally in the body portion and opening into the same near the lower end of the body portion for carrying otfthe air, means for heating the air prior to delivering the same to the body portion, means for delivering a rela tively small stream of oil to said inlet for admixture with the air as it enters the body portion, and means for carrying oil the oil accumulating in the lower end-of said body portion.

2; In combination with an exhaust manifold having an air heating channel therein, a dust collector mounted on the inlet end of said channel, a separator body having a relatively large air inlet connected to the outlet end of said air heating channel, a spiral fin arranged against the inner wall of the separator body, an outlet pipe arranged centrally in the separator body and opening into the lower end thereof to remove the air therein, means forfeeding a relatively small 'volume of oil into the upper end of said separator body for admixture with the air, said fin being inclined upwardly from the wall of said separator body to provide therewith a. channel for the accumulation of the heavier particles of the oil to feed the same into the bottom of the separator body, and a drain pipe connected to the lower end of said body for carrying ofii' the heavier particles of the oil.

3. In combination with an internal combustion engine having an air heating channel and a pressure feed oil pipe, a separator body connected to the outlet end of said air heating channel to receive heated air there from, a branch pipe leading from said oil pipe to the upper end of said separator body to supply oil thereto for admixture with the heated air, said separator body being arranged vertically to provide a path of travel downwardly 'through the body for the admixed'air and oil for removing the lighter particles from the oil, means opening into the lower end of the separaton body for removing the air with the lighter particles of oil, and draining means connected to the lower end of the separator body for returning the residue oil to the engine.

4:. A diluent separator comprising a cylindrical body provided u onits inner wall with a spiral fin, said 'n being inclined transversely at an upward angle to the wall of the cylinder .to provide therewith a spiral channel for the accumulation of heavy oil in the cylinder, a cap mounted on the upper end of the cylinder and having at one side at a tangent thereto a relatively large air in. take, an oil pipe of relatively small diameter projecting into the intake and opening at the central portion thereof for delivering oil into the air when passing through the intake, a hopper bottom mounted on the cylinder, a drain pipe connected to said bottom for carrying off the residue oil accumulating on the bottom, a centrally disposed pipe carried through said cap and projecting downwardly into the cylinder and opening therein near the lower end of the cylinder for carrying off the air and the lighter particles carried thereby and removing from the oil.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature'.

SOUTHWICK W. BRIGGS.