US2207399A - Method of and apparatus for purifying oil - Google Patents

Description

y 1940- M. GAERTNER 7 7,399

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PURIFYING OIL Filed Sept. 25, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY.

' July 9, 1940.

M. GAERTNER METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PURIFYING OIL Filed Sept. 25, 1937' 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. MOP/TZ SHEET/YER ATTORNEY.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PURIFYING OIL Filed Sept. 25, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet} INVENTOR. MGR/T2 GAERT/VER BY (1. 0 M

ATTORNEY.

J 9, 1940 M. GAERTNER 2,207,399

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PURIFYING' OIL Filed Sept. 25, 1937 Q 5 Sh eets-Sheet me fig m2 1NVENTO&

MOR/ TZ 6H ER T/YE BY ATTORNEY.

Patented July 9, 1940 STATES 2,201,399 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FGR Moritz Gaertner, New York, N. Y.

Application September 25, 1937, Serial No. 165,658

11 Claims.

The present invention relates to the art of purifying oil, and, more particularly, to an improved process of and apparatus for purifying lubricating oil.

As those skilled in the art know, it is one of the most important requirements in the construction and operation of machinery, to provide adequate lubrication and an adequate supply of lubricants to all surfaces having a sliding displacement with respect to each other. In engi-' neering practice it was customary to provide a substantially closed circulation of the liquid lubricants such as oil through the various parts of the machinery requiring lubrication, the circulation being maintained by means of a pump. If the circulatory system was properly designed and operated, the parts to be lubricated have been continuously provided with a satisfactory and sufiicient supply of liquid lubricants.

Although a system of the described character strongly felt in the operation of internal com-' bustion engines, such as automotive engines where the problem was greatly aggravated by the high temperatures and pressures to which the lubricating oil was subjected during the operation of the engine.

Experiments have shown that the composition of the sludge accumulating in oil circulating systems of various internal combustion engines is subjected to very wide variations. In addition to this, all sludges consist of complex mixtures of various substances finding their way into the lubricating system or produced from the oil during the conditions of operation, such as road dust and other impurities contained in the air delivered to the combustion chambers, moisture, metallic particles of the sliding surfaces, and the like. Thus, a typical sludge obtained from the average of 225 samples taken from the crank cases of automotive engines was found to contain the following substances:

' 'Dilutinn 14.6000 Insolubles .4840 Asphaltenes .0640 Carbon- .2740 Ash--- .1515 Iron oxide .1075 Copper oxide .0035 Tin oxide .0051 Lead oxide .0012 Metals .1178 Silica .0167 Silica from iron .0122 Other compounds .0169

This table clearly indicates that the average sludge found in contaminated lubricating oils is of a highly complex character and contains a wide variety of harmful ingredients. In addition tothe above impurities, sulphur-containing acids can generally be found in all crank-case drainings. This can come from traces of sulphur remaining in the finished oil or the finished gasoline, which may form gums and other detrimental impurities. Fatty acids found in oil drainings are the result apparently of oxidation and while they are greasy and improve the adhesive quality or oiliness of the oil; they combine very rapidly with the water and oil to form soaps and emulsions. The fatty acids contained .in the sludge consist largely of oleic acid with additions of formic, acetic and butyric acids. The complexity of the average sludge makes it easily understood why the purification of lubricating oil is connected with such great difliculties.

The accumulation of sludge and of water'in the circulatory lubricating system of various engines was soon recognized to be the principal reason of excessive wear on'the various rotating and reciprocating parts. The customary procedure was to pass the impure or contaminated oil through a mass of foraminous material; such as fabric, cotton fiber, paper pulp, fullerfs earth, etc., etc. These foraminous materials were contained in a filter which was connected in series with all' or with a portion of the oil stream. These conventional filters generally comprised one or sometimes a plurality'of such foraminous members or material having openings. P res,

the impurities without blocking the passage of the pure oil. Filters of this type have become an integral part of most engines and particularly of internal combustion engines. However, the conventional filters did not provide a satisfactory solution of the problem. First of all, the very ability of the filter surfaces or foramina to retain small particles of impurities caused these particles to be permanently retained therein, to clog the openings and to soon completely stop the operation and the efllciency of the filter. In most of the conventional filters in which a socalled filter cartridge was provided constituted of porous cellulosic material, waste cotton and the like, the cartridge became practically useless after a short period of operation or after a few hundred miles. Of course, the filter cartridges were too expensive for being discarded every few hundred miles, and have generally been retained for at least 5 to 10,000 miles. cw, it has been ascertained that a filter cartridge which has been in use for such a length of time, did not only completely outlive its usefulness, but in fact provided an added danger to the emciency of lubri cation in that the pressure of oil has made a relatively wide passage through which the oil would stream unfiltered or clogging up the filter increased the pressure of oil circulation whereby at times even particles previously caught and retained in the filter element were freed and returned into the oil circulation where they caused a substantial danger to the machinery. Moreover, the operation of conventional foraminous filters was very slow in view of the restricted foraminous passages, so that a long time was re quired to pass all of the oil of the circulatory system through the filter. In the meantime the various impurities had ample time to be circulated in the oilstream and to be in contact with e ventional filters were also incapable of removing water from the oil and to break up emulsions of water and oil. Although the various oil filters have become a standard part of almost all auto-' motive equipment, and frequently excessive assertions have been made for this or that type of filtering element, the fact remains that up to the present day it was found to be practically impossible to obtain positive and satisfactory recourse, entailed considerable expense and has caused inconvenience'and loss of time. As a matter of fact, the expense involved in frequently hanging the oil was as highasto constitute fissures and the like, sufficiently small to retain a substantial portion of the total operating cost of the engine. However, the cost and trouble involved in the frequent changing of the oil did,

not constitute all of the disadvantages of this conventional procedure. It has been found by experiments of various lubricating experts, that the oil which has been employed and circulated in the lubricating system of anengine for a considable length of time, if the impurities and sludge gradually collected therein are continuously removed, actually increases its lubricating power and efilciency in that certain chemical and physical changes are taking part therein and the portions subject to ready chemical decomposition under high temperatures and pressures have been already converted to sludge. By removing all of these impurities in a positive and satisfactory way, a stable lubricating oil of superior quality and efficiency is obtained which is'capable of reducing friction and engine wear to a minimum neverobtained heretofore "on a practical scale. I

From the foregoing considerations, the importance, the gravity and the vexatious character of the problem will readily be appreciated. Although from time to time various suggestions and proposals have been made to solve the outstanding problem, none, as far as I am aware, of these suggestions and proposals was completely satisfactory and successful when carried into practice on a practical and commercial scale.

I have discovered that the problem may be solved in a remarkably simple manner.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of purifying oil which is free from the disadvantages and inconveniences of conventional oil treating methods.

It is another object of the invention to pro videa novel'and'improved method of purifying lubricating ofls which dispenses with the inefficient, expensive, and detrimental foraminous elements of conventional filtering methods and which employs a novel physical principle.

. It isa further object of the invention to pro.-

vlde a novel and improved purifying method for viscous liquids .which involves the application of acceleration, deceleration, selective friction, constrictlon, expansion and change of direction of a stream of liquid for separating sludge and other impurities therefrom.

Still another object of my invention is to pro vide a novel purifyin desludging and improving method for the treatment of lubricating oil in which not the difference in size between the oil and sludge particles but the difference in other of their physical properties such as particularly mass, molecular attraction and frictional coef ficient are relied upon for the separation.

' Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to split a liquid stream into an upper and a lower layer by means of differential and selective frictionand acceleration, the upper layer being constltuted .of liquid of increasing purity -ficwing above the lower layer of accumulated impurities .which due to their different acceleration, surface attraction andhigher specific .gravity will gradually drop through downward passages provided forthiswrposeintoasumpchamberandare permanently withdrawn from the stream.

1 The invention also contemplates a novel oil purifier capable of carrying the method of the present invention into practice.

It isalso within contemplation of the pres ent invention to provide a novel and improved .oll purifying apparatus capable of handling a 75 curves. undulating or corrugated channels for the substantial quantityof oil in a continuous flow which is simple in construction, satisfactory and fool-proof in operation and which can be manufactured and sold on a .practicaland commercial scale at a low price.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following'description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which;

Fig. 1 illustrates a vertical sectional view of an oil purifier and desludger embodying the principles of the present invention;

Fig. 2 depicts a fragmentary and perspective view having parts in section of one of the conical desludging members employed in the purifier shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view, also fragmentary, of a portion of the conical desludging members indicating the fiow of oil therein;

Fig. 4 illustrates a similar view of a conical desludging member of a modified form;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of a modified oil purifier embodying the invention;

Fig. 6 shows a vertical section through another modified embodiment of the present invention into a combined desludger, dehydrator and Fig. 9 depicts a section through a further modified form of the combined desludger and dehydrator.

Broadly stated, according to the principles of my invention I establish a flow of the oil to be purified. I subject this flow to changes in the magnitude and the direction of its velocity. In view of the fact that the flow .of impure oil may be considered as a mixture of lighter and heavier particles such as particles of pure oil, particles of water, of oil and water emulsion, particles of sludge of the most difierent character, changes in the velocity of the flow and in its direction will afiect these particles of different specific weight and of different frictional coefficient in a different manner. Clearly, a. greater force is necessary to start a heavier body or particle into an accelerated motion and it will take longer to retard its velocity than a lighter partlcle.- In addition to this, of course, also the difference-of the coefiicient of friction between the particles and the walls within which the flow is confined will be widely different for oil,'which has a very low 00-.

. efficient of friction, forwater which has a considerably higher coefiicient of friction and the various types of sludges which generally possess an extremely high .coemcient of friction and therefore greater surface attraction. The result will be separation of the mass of impure oil'into its different constituents. The impurities havin a greater specific weight and a greater frictional resistance than the pure oil will be generally retarded in their flow and may be gradually trapped and removed from theflow, as this will be explained hereinafter.

I have discovered that the change in the velocity of the flow is best accomplished by providing one or a plurality of channels for the flow of impure oil and by constricting and expanding said channels at predetermined and preferably regular intervals. constriction of the flow will cause increase in the velocity thereof while expansion of the flow will decrease the velocity of the fiow. In addition to the variations in the cross section of the flow, excellent results are obtained -by changing the direction of the flow by providing flow at predetermined intervals including complete reversal-of the direction of the flow at other, wider, intervals. The changes in the direction of the flow will affect the velocity of the flow and in addition to this will greatly increase the selective effect of friction upon the sludge and oil particles. Obviously, a flow which is constantly changing its direction is subjected to great frictional resistance by the walls o'fthe channel in which the flow is retained. Moreover, the change in direction and particularly the complete reversal of the fiow will cause deflection, reflection and impact of the particles with consequent selective action and precipitation in accordance withrents and of breaking up the emulsions of water and oil.

In practical operation, I prefer to provide the channels inpwhich the oil stream to be treated is to flow, in the form of conical surfaces or partition walls between which the flow is confined. A

plurality of such partition walls may be provided and the flow may be conducted inbetween successively. I have found that by providing fiutings and corrugations of a concentric circular form in said conical partition walls, the desired periodical constriction and expansion of the flow will be readily obtained, while by alternately carrying flow due to its different mass and frictional characteristics and are removed to a sludge chamber located in thelower portion of the apparatus wherefrom they can be removed at distant intervals.

Although the described structure provides the great advantages of great simplicity and facility to manufacture, and also requires but little space for the treatment of a predetermined quantity of oil, it is also possible to provide other practical forms of apparatus for the desired constriction, expansion and reversal of the flow for example, by' providing inclined parallel channels of a substantial length and constituted of a plurality of smooth and inclined partition walls between which the fiow is directed alternately in upward and downward direction. The principle .of operation remains the same, so long the basic bodying my invention satisfactorily removes all of the solid impurities such as the various forms of sludge, breaks up the undesirable emulsions, and

separates the water from the oil to be treated.

It is advisable in some cases to supplement the desludging action of the novel oil purifier with a filter which removes the very finest remaining solid particles which have not been removed by the effect ofthe differential and selective accel-' eration and friction. In view of the fact that the oil introduced into the filter proper is already of a substantial purity and contains only a rather insignificant amount of residual impurities, it

. filters. Moreover, since practically all of the water andof the sludge and particularly the most dangerous abrasive impurities such as carbon and metallic particles are immediately and positively removed from the oil flow by the desludger or purifier, it is not necessary to pass all of'the oil flow'through 'the filter-but only a part thereof, as those skilled in the art will readily understand. The invention will now be more fully described to those skilled in the art, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. l of the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated. Reference character I denotes a tank, or container preferably integrally formed of metal. Tank is closed at the top by means of a cover or head 2 held in position by means of a clamping yoke 3. In the lower portion of tank I, I provide a conical partition wall 4 which separates the tank into an upper flow chamber and a lower sludge chamber. Conical partition wall 4 is provided with a central opening 5 at the apex thereof. This opening 5' is provided with a vertically depending flange 6 eral portions of alternate conical members, re-- downwardly projecting from an upwardly extending conical member or partition wall I. At the upper end of the conical member, I provide an upwardly protruding flange i having a shoulder 8 therein. adapted to receive and to hold another conical member of similar character. As

it will be readily observed from the drawing, a plurality of such conical members is'disposed in superimposed relation. Openings Ill and II are provided in the upper and the lower periphspectively, providing a channel or conical form 1 between each two successive conical members anon sac periodically variable resistance to the fiow of the oil. Alternate corrugated conical members are provided with depending funnel-like extensions l3 opening one into another, thelowermost of said funnels protruding intoa vertical tube ll connected to the center portion ;of the partition wall 4.. Each of said funnels may be provided. with an annular insert or member I! which provides a greatly restricted portion or throat in said funnel. .This throat is capable' of offering a relatively low resistance against.

the downward 'fiow'o'f a quid'whereas it offers a very substantial resistance to the upward flow of a liquid substance. 'A perforated partition wall 16 is provided abovethe set of conical members and is covered with a light-filter material l1. Ports II and I! are provided in the tank for the introduction of oil to be purified and for the discharge of piu'ifled and clean oil there-- from, respectively. Atthe bottom of sludge] chamber 20, a port It is provided having a threaded stopper 22 inserted therein' which may be readily removed for the discharge of sludge and of We water accumulated in the sludge chamr forated partition I. into a space 28 fromwhich;

From the preceding description, the operation of the improved oil purifier will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. When oil is supplied under pressure to inlet port I8, for example by connecting the purifier into the circulatory flow of lubricating oil in an internal mombustion engine, the impure oil will first fill up sludge chamber II through openings 21'. Due to the pressure of the oil feeding means of the engine, an oil stream or flow will be established betweenthe corrugated plates 1. The oil will enter first openings ll of the lowermost plate,

- will flow upwards along the upper surface of said plate up to the upper end thereof where it will enter openings ll of the next plate l-i and will fiowdownwards along the upper surface thereof. It will be noted that the oil will consecutively flow through all of the intervals betweenthe adjoining plates, all of said intervals being connected in series. During this fiow the oil stream will be subjected to periodical compression and expansion due to the varying cross section provided bythe corrugations. This will be best observed from Fig. 2 which is an enlarged view of two such corrugated plates. In addition to this periodical compression and expansion, the direction of the flow will be completely reversed at the end of each plate, and, as it will be best observed from Fig. 3, eddy currents will be set up and reflection and deflection' of the stream willbe caused at each point where the cross section of the fiow channel is suddenly changed. The cumulative effect of this frequent change in the magnitude and direction-of the broken up by the impact and frictional efi'ect of the flow and will be separated into its constitucuts. The eddy currents formed inthe corrugations or pock ts, assisted by the gravitational action will cause slow and gradual downward displacement of these undesirable particles along the surface of plates 1 whereby these particles will finally arrive at funnels liand will be discharged through sludge tube I I and openings 23 therein into the deep sludge chamber displacing therefrom a-corresponding quantity of untreated oil which is' lighter than the removed impurities. Due to the depth of the sludge chamher and the unidirectional character of the throats in funnels IS, the impurities cannotaccidentally be returned into the circulation but will rema n permanently trapped in the sludge chamber wherefrom they may be removed at remote intervals. It-is to be observed that the operation of the device'and the separation and downward displacement of the impurities is further assisted by the normal vibrations of the purifier in case thedeviceis mounted on an automobile or on a stationary engine. From the last of the spaces between the corrugated mem-' bers or plates, the purified-oil lwlll fiow by way of It in the periphery thereof to a ll in the central portion of the container. From this chamber the oil will flow through a light filter cloth or felt I I and a perto the resistance to the flow ofiered by an efiec-- tive conventional filter pack embodying foraminous elements. In this connection, it may be observed that the corrugations on members I and their counterparts in subsequent elements preferably vary in depth from the.entral portion to the outer peripheral portion thereof, so

that the passage between two opposite corrugations near the peripheral portion of the conical members will be considerably less than at the central portions. For example, a cone of about 5 inches in diameter will have an approximate circumference of 16 inches so if the closest dis-' tance between two opposite corrugations is t; of an inch at this portion, the cross section of the annular slit or opening so formed would be about 1 square inch. The diameter of the lower and smallest corrugation would be about 1 /2 inches and the circumference would be less than 5 inches so if the same distance of of an inch between the two opposite corrugations were used, the cross section of the opening so formed would amount to only twenty to twenty-five per cent of the outermost restriction. The distance, therefore, between the opposite corrugations near the central portion is made sufliciently great to compensate for this difference in total cross sectional area of the opening so formed. It is not necessary to have the exact cross section at the lower point equal to the cross sectional area of the opening at the upper point as the frictional resistance on account of this smaller circumfercnce is much less. I

Although the total resistance to flow from inlet port 48 to chamber 26 is not great and the rate of flow through this portion of .the device may be relatively rapid it still will effect the function of breaking up the globules forming an emulsified mixture of on, water and solid impurities and separating the water and the non-colloidal particles fromtheentire oil stream.

Of course, corrugations or. fiutings ofdifierent form may be employed. Thus, instead of the smooth and circular type offiutings shown in Figs. 1 to 3, it is also possible to employ fiutings 21 of the form depicted in Fig. 4' and having sharper edges, with equal or similar results;

Although the oil purified by means of the device embody g the principles of the present invention can be directly introduced into the 111-- bricating system of an internal combustion engine, in some cases it is preferred to employ a foraminous filter for a finishing treatment of the purified oil. In the present case this is permissible and can be carried out without theus'ual disadvantages of such filters since the oil to be filtered is already almost completely pure and will provide satisfactory service for a relatively long time, as most of-the particles causing clogging of the foraminous elements have been pre- ,viously removed from the oil fiow. Likewise, the relative y small capacity of foraminous elements may be compensated for by connecting the foraminous filter elements only into a portion of the oil flow, which will not cause any trouble, since the harmful abrasives and other impurities have already been removed. The combination of the desludger with the filter .will provide an oil of such purity and lubricating uualities that it will not only permanently retain the same 011 in a. constant and satisfactory condition but even will improve the quality thereof, so that only small quantities of lubricating oil have to be added to the supply. of oil from time to time to replace the amount which has been decomposed and used up during the normal operation of the engine.

Fig. 5 illustrates a modified embodiment of the invention embodying such foraminous filtering elements. As the lower portion of the oiltreating apparatus is'identical with that of the one shown in Fig. 1, and similar reference characters have been employed to denote corresponding parts, only the upper portion of the device, containing the filtering elements, will be 'described. From space 30 where the desludged' and. purifiedoil accumulates, most of the oil is directly discharged and is introduced into the circulation. A certain portion of the oil, how- 'ever, passes upwardly through the first of a plurality of filter packs 3| and a perforated partition 32 into a chamber 33. Partition 32 slopes downwardly toward the central portionthereof and carries a depending funnel 34 which extends from the lower central portion of the partition through the chamber 30 and into a tube 35 which 1 projects downwardly into the uppermost ofthe funnels l3. Any sediment or fine carbon particles which tend to collect on the upper surface of the partition 32 work gradually into the mouth of the funnel 34, due to the vibration of the device during the normal operation of the engine to which it is attached, and are conveyed downwardly to the lower portion of the sludge chamber 20. Space 33 above partition 32 is preferably divided by a deflecting member 31 .havmg openings 38 .in the periphery thereof so that the oil passing from the first filter element must flow outwardly to the periphery of the chamber. before it can pass upwardly to the next succeeding filter element. As it is illustrated in the drawing, a plurality of filter elements 3| are provided, each'nested in a depending flange 39 of a succeeding filter'element and each of the perforated partitions slope downwardly to a central funnel similar in every respect to the funnel Each of these funnels projects for some distance into the mouth of a preceding funnel so that all of the sludge and sediment from. each of the filters is conveyed from one funnel to the next and ultimately through the tube 35 and' funnels 13 to the bottom of the chamber 20.

of the filter elements may be easily lifted out as a .unit from container l for replacement or cleaning. A lateral opening or port 4| is pro- The uppermost of the filter elements is provided with a suitablehandle 40- by means of which all vided at the upper end of the container and is internally threaded to receive a suitable pipe connection which conveys the filtered portion of the oil to the cross fitting 42 where it is united withthe main stream of oil passing to the engine. Preferably a by-pass pipe 43 containing a spring-operated check valve .4'4 directlyconnects the intake pipe 45 and the discharge pipe 46,- check valve is constituted of a helical spring 31, pressing a ball 48 against a suitable seat 49. The resistanceto fiow provided by the'pressure of spring 41 is so much greater than the normal resistance to the flow of oil. through the d sludger that there is no fiow of oil through the by-pass passage 43 unless the desludger is clogged. In this case, the increased pressure will opencheck valve against the pressur of spring" so that the'ell will be directly ellduring the course of its fiow through the device.

The impure oil entering at 45 is normally heated considerably above normal atmospheric temperatures due to its having been exposed to" hot operating parts of the engine. Its viscosity and' accordingly its resistance to flow has been lowered. The conicalmembers absorb this heatand conduct it to the cylindrical member or container I from which it is dissipated to the atmosphere by the fins.

Referring now to Figs. 6 to 8, a further modified embodiment of the inventionis illustrated. Reference character indicates a cylindrical container having a lower integral end portion 52 and an upper removable head 53 which may be readily secured in position by a clamping yoke 54; The lower end portion 52 is provided with a central internally threaded annular. boss 55 projecting outwardly therefrom for connection with the lubricating system of the engine. A similar annular boss 56 projects inwardly to accommodate a tube 51 which projects upwardly through a deep sludge chamber 58 and a central opening 59 in a partition 80 and the base member 62 of the desludger or purifier. Base megnber 82' is conical and both this member and partition 60 are provided with downwardly projecting "peripheral flanges which fit snugly within a downwardly chamber 6| to the space between base member 52 and the first desludger element 4. This space is formed into a spiral passage 61 by means of a spiral strip 68 projecting downwardly from element 64 into contact with the upper surface of base member 62. This structure will cause the oil to spiral upwardly and inwardly through the pa ssageri'l until it comes to the apex of the cone-' shaped .member 64 at which point. it passes through an opening II to an outwardly and downwardlyspiraling passage 68 formed by upency of the heavier 'particles and globules of sludge to be separated from the pure oil by the selective effect of acceleration and deceleration and change in direction and friction, which in- A fiuence in a diiferent way the lighter particles of pure oil having a very low coefllcient of friction and the considerably heavier particles of water and sludge particles and globules having a very high coeflicient of friction. Moreover, the heavier.

particles and the globules of sludge will be thrown against the metallic surfaces'particularly at the points where the direction of the flow is-suddenly changed or even reversed, and broken by friction with these surfaces and by friction of one portion of the oil-with another. .Generally speaking, the flow through these passages, is such that the oil adjacent any metallic-wall will fiow at a slower rate than oil remote ifrom one of the walls. Thus, thin sheets or laminae of oil will be set up in the flowing liquid which will flow at progressievly increasing velocity from the metallic wall surfaces to the central portion of the,

passages and the slipping of these laminae over each other will tend to further break up the emulsions of water and oil into their constituents. The heavier portions, such as water, solid particles and asphaltenes will gradually sink to the outer lower wall of the passage and on reaching the circumference of member 64 are drained off through downwardly extending funnel-shaped portions I3 which are integral with member 64. Funnels 13 extend through openings 65 with sufficient clearance topermit oil to flow therearound, and also project through partition 60 so that the impurities will not be admixed with the incoming oil in chamber GI. From the ends of funnels II, the impurities are conveyed by a tube 14 to the lower portion of a deep sludge chamber 58.

As it will be readily observed from Fig. 7, each of members 64 is provided with two diametrically opposite funnel portions 13. p j

As illustrated: in Fig. 6, a plurality of desludger elements 64 is provided each of which has a deep flange 63 projecting downwardly from the peripheral edge thereof and shouldered intermediate its length as indicated at I6, so that ,the elements may be nested one in'the other and maintainedjn proper spacial relationship. Between each of the members 84 and also nested within the depending flanges thereof, are partitions I1, each of which is similar in structure to the base member 62, each being provided with openings 66 spaced diametrically opposite in the peripheral edges thereof through which the funnels 13 of any superimposed element 64 may pro- Ject with suflicient clearance to permit the oil to pass upwardly therearound. Smaller peripheral openings I5 may be provided in these partitions between openings 66 to permit the free flow of oil through this portion of the partitions.

The uppermost of the desludger elements 64 is nested in a depending flange I! of a conical cover member 18 which depending flange is provided with a pair of internal shoulders 80 and BI upon the first of which the lastof the elements 64 abuts and upon the last of which a conical partition 82 is tightly held. Partition 82 is similar in all respects to the base member 62 except that the openings 83 in the peripheral edge thereof are smaller than the openings 66 in member 62.-

Since there is no funnel member such as I3 from a superimposed desludger element projecting through this opening, it is only sufflciently large for the passage of oil therethrough. From openlugs 83, the oil passes upwardly through space 84 provided between conical partitions I2 and cover member II, A large opening 85 is provided at the apex of member." and the opening is surrounded by an upwardly extending annular flange 86 which abuts a partition 81 adapted to close the first of a plurality of filter elements 88. -Filter' elements 88 are shown in the form of aplurality of nested containers, each comprising a perfo- ;rated metallic partition 88 having a downwardly projecting internally shouldered flange 90. In the first of these flanges, the partition 81 is nested .and in each subsequent flange the immediately preceding filter element is nested.

Within each of jflle filter elements there is a filter pack 9I provided, and as shown in the draw- 8s, the thickness of these packs constantly increases from the first or lowermost of the elements to the last or uppermost thereof. Filter packs 9| are pressed snugly against the lower surface of the perforated partitions 88 and are of such depth that oil spaces 82 are left between the lower surface of the filter pack and the uppersurface of the immediately preceding perforated partition 89. In the lowermost of the filter elements the oil space is formed between the partition 81 and the filter pack 8|. Flange 85 is provided with openings 93 for the passage of oil to 6 the space below partition 81 and with smaller peripheral openings 84 in the partition 81 which permit the passage of oilto the interior of the first filter element.

As this will be readily observed from Fig. 8,

15 filter packs 9i consist of one or more discs 85 of heavy fibrous material, separated by sheets of porous cloth 98 such as canvas or flannel, for.

insuring thespreading of oil therebetween, while a heavy woven filter cloth 81 is positioned between 20 the uppermost of the fibrous discs of each pack and the perforated partition 89.

From the last of the filter elements 88, the oil enters a chamber 98 between the uppermost of perforated partitions 89 and the head 58 of conggs tainer 5|, from which it is discharged through a lateral opening 89 to the points of use. The last of filter elements 88 is provided with a suitable handle I contained within chamber 88, so that the filter elements, together with the desludger 80 elements may be lifted'bodily as a unit from the container when head 53 is removed.

The operation of this modified embodiment will be readily understood by those skilled in the art from the precedingdescription and in view of 88 the similarity of construction with the e'mbodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5;

The device is first filled with lubricating oil and during the operation thereof oil is supplied thereto through tube 57 to chamber 8I without dis- 40 turbing the sludge, water and other impurities accumulated in the deeper portions of sludge chamber 58. From chamber 8|, the oil passes upwardly through openings 88 while sludge, water and the heavier. of the solid particles from the 45 desludger element pass downwardly through fun-.

nels 13. As sludge accumulates in chamber 58, lubricant in the upper portion of this chamber is displaced to opening 58 into chamber 8! from whence it passes upwardly. to be purified in the 50 desludger and filter in the same manner as oil entering through tube 51. An opening IN is provided in the base of container 5i for the drainage of sludge from time to time from the deep sludge chamber 58.

- ent invention depictedin Fig. 9 is much similar The further modified embodiment of the presto the embodiment shown in Figs. 6 to 8. Essentially, a desludger consisting of superimposed conical elements similar to the ones shown in Fig. 6 is provided, with the difierence that the cones are inverted and the sludge funnels are located centrally thereof at the apex of the cones. In

this modified embodiment, the impure oil from the engine enters through a lateral-opening I02 5 intermediate-the end walls of the container and sufiiciently far above the bottom thereof to provide a deep sludge chamber I03 in the bottom of the .container. A partition I08 spaced well up from the bottom of the container separate sludge 7 chamber I03 from intake chamber I05. Partition I04 slopes downwardly from the central portion thereof to the periphery and is provided with small openings I08near the,circumference for the drainage of sludge tosludge chamber I03 and openings I01 near the central portion thereof tion of the sludge chamber to the intakechamber I05. 'Above partition I04 is a'conical member I08 having its apex in opposition to partition I00 and in contact therewith. A downwardly projecting flange I00 surrounds an opening at the apex of conical; member I08 and projects through a similar central opening in partition I04. A' tube I I0 extends through the bottom wall of container 5| through sludge chamber I03 into the downward-y projecting flange I08. Tube H0 is provided with large slots or openings I l I at the bottom of chamber I03 but is otherwise closed except at its upper open end. Openings II2 are provided at diametrically opposite points nearthe circumference of conical member I08 for the admission of oil from intake chamber'l05 to the space II3 immediately above this member. This space is divided into a continuous spiral passage similar to the spiral passages 81 and 88 described in connection with Fig. 6. The spiral passages are formed by downwardly projecting strips H8 which are\ preferably integral with a conical member H4 which member is spaced from and extends parallel to member I08. The oil spirals downwardly through the passages so formed and there is a tendency of breaking upthe globules containing the impurities by means of the selective and differential eflect of the acceleration and change of direction and due to the difference of frictional coemcient'of pure oil and sludge, as

this has been described in the foregoing. As the oil reaches the centerof space 8, the heavier impurities that have been broken up drain off through the open end of the tube IIO while the remainder of the oil flows upwardly through a" central opening H9 in member H4 and thence throughoutwardly spiraling passages in the space above partition 5, which spiral passages are carries a funnel portion I I1 which projects down wardly through an opening at the apex of member I'IE with sufficient clearance to permit oil to. flow upwardly therearound and it also projects with some clearance into the open upper end of tube I I0. The separated water and other impurities drain downwardly through funnels I I1 and through tube IIO to the lower portion of sludge chamber I03 without contaminating the portion of oil flowing upwardly through the desludger.'

As illustrated, a plurality of members identical with members II and H5 are provided for completing the desludging and dehydrating process and their structure'and operation will be obvious from the portions already described. From the uppermost of the desludger elements, the partially purified oil passes to a filter, of which only a portion is shown, but which is substantial y similar in structure to the one depicted 'in Fig. 6. In the filter, the extremely fine particles of carbon which cannot be removed in the desludger are separated from the oil, and the completely purified oil is returned to the lubricating system of the engine to be lu cated. I

Although-the present invention has been described in connection with a few preferred embodiments thereof, variations and modifications may be resorted to by those skilled in the art without departing from the principles of the pres- V 40 and the like through the lubricating system of tions to connect said cham ferent from lubricating oil, provided there is a substantial and snfiicient difference between the specific weight and frictional coefilcient of the substances to be separated from each other. I consider all of these variations and modifications 10 as within the true spirit and scopeoi the present invention as disclosed in the present specification and defined by the appended claimsn The present application is a continuation in partf of my copending application Serial No.

{5 140,616, filed on May 4, 1937, for "Oil filter."

l. The method of purifying oil which comprises establishing a flow of oil containing impurities including water, solid particles, gums, resins, tar

2'0 'and the like through the lubricating system of an engine, establishing a passage of periodically varying cross section and direction between closesaid container, strips extending between said ly spaced inclined and conical surfaces completely filled by saidfiow to subject the same to ac- 2'6 celeration and deceleration and to reversal of direction to retard the flow of impurities with respect to the flow of pure oil, temporarily trapping said retarded impurities at a large number 2 of points along said flow, slowly displacing said trapped impurities downwardly by means of gravitational action, and permanently trapping said impurities at the lowest point of. said system to permanently withdraw them from the circulation whereby said fiow of oil is maintained substantially free from water and from the said in'ipurities.

2. The method of-puriiying oil which'comprises establishing a fiow of oil containing impurities including water, solid particles, gums, resins, tar

an engine, establishing a passage of periodically varying cross section and direction between close- --ly spaced corrugated conical surfaces completely filled by said how to periodically change the magnitude and-the direction of the velocity of all of said fiow thereby to retard the fiow of impurities with respect to the flow of pure oil due 7 tothe differential eflfect of acceleration and frictional resistance, separating said retarded flow 60 of impurities from the unretarded main flow of relatively puroil, subjecting a portion of the oil thus treated to filtration to remove the very fine remaining particles of impurities, and returning the filtered oil to the .main flow of oil,

whereby said fiow of oil is maintained substantially tree from water and. from the said impurities. r A -3. In an oil purifier, the combination which comprises a container, a plurality oi spaced conical partitions in said container dividing the same into a plurality of superposed chambers, ports in the upper. and lower portio of alternatepartiin series and to provide a channel or periodically reversed direc- 35 tion, means for conducting oil containing ims purities through said 'channel tow-i186 D -ration of said 011 into a fastenmoving stream of in- ,creasinglypure oil and into a retarded stream of heavy impurities, ports in the lowermost por- 10 Ytion of said partitions 101-: the discharge or said- J w drawing treated and pure oil from said container.

retarded impurities, a sludge chamber in the lowermost portion of said container and in communication with said discharge ports for collecting said retarded impurities, and an outlet for with- 4. In an oil purifier, the combination which comprises a container, a plurality of cone-shaped members within said container and defining a plurality of passages, openings in the upper and lower portions of alternate members to-connect 5 said passages and to-iorm a continuous channel the direction or which is varied continuously and periodically, means for conducting oil containing impurities through said channel to cause separation or said oil into a taster moving stream of increasingly pure oil and into a retarded stream of heavy impurities, sludge discharge ports in the central portionsmt said partitions for the -discharge 01 said retarded impurities through members defining a plurality of passages, ports in the upper and lower portions of alternate coneshaped members to connect said passages and to form a continuous channel, means for conducting oil containing impurities through said channel to cause separation 01 said oil into a faster moving stream of increasingly pure oil and into a ietarded stream or heavy impurities, sludge discharge ports in the central portion of said coneshaped members tor the discharge or said retarded impurities y means of gravitational action, a sludge chamber in the lowermost portion of said container, for collecting said impurities, a chamber in the top portion of said container for collecting pure oil substantially free from impurities, and an outlet for withdrawing the treated and pure oil from said chamber.

6. In an oil purifier, the combination which comprises a container, a plurality of superimposed spaced conical partitions in said container having their apexes extending downwardly, said partitions being alternately provided with a central opening at the apex thereof and the 'remainder or said partitions being provided with peripheral openings and a central tunnel-shaped portion at the apex thereof, each of said funnels projecting through the central opening of the preceding conical member with sufllcient clearance tor the passage or oil therearound, means for supplyingoil containing impurities under pressure to the space between the lowermost of of said partitions, means for withdrawing purified 011 above the uppermost of said partitions, and asludge tube into which the lowermost or said tunnels projects ior conveying impurities to thevbottom oi. said container. 5, v

7. In an oil purifier, the combination comprising. a container, spaced partitions ,in said container having incllnedsurfac areas, a plurality of strips vertically extending on said partitions and dividing the space therebetween into passages of continuously varying direction, said as partitions'terminating at the lower-portion theresaid passages, said funnels projectinglntoeach other for such depth and with such clearance'that the length oi! the restricted passage area therebetween will ofler resistance to the flow of oil therethrough greater than the resistance to flow J 20 I prising a container, means for supplying oil conthrough said passages of continuously varying direction, and an outlet for withdrawing treated and pure oil from said container.

8. In an oil purifier, the combination comprising a container, a plurality of conical members located in said container in spaced superposed relation and forming a plurality of passages, corrugations in said conical members'to provide a periodically constricting and expanding cross section for said passages, ports in the peripheral portions and a single port in the central portion of alternate conical members to connect said passages to form a continuous channel, means for passing 011 containing impurities through said passages, funnel-like extensions associated with the lowermost portions of said passages for removing impurities from said oil by gravitational action, and an outlet for withdrawing treated and pure oil from said container.

' 9. In an oil purifier, the combination comtaining impurities to an intermediate portion of said container, a plurality of conical partitions having corrugated surfaces located in said container above said oil supply means, said corrugations on adjacent partitions being oppositely disposed to provide continuously varying resistance to the, flow of oil therebetween, means for passing oil over said surfaces to cause separation thereof into a fast moving portion of increasingly pure oil and into a retarded portion of heavy impurities, means associated with the lowermost portion of every other one of said conical partitions to convey the heavier and retarded impurities to the lower portion of said container,

' and an outlet in the upper portion of said container for withdrawing treated and pure oil therefrom.

10. In an oil purifier, the combination comprising a container, means for supplying oil containing impurities to an intermediate portion of said container, a plurality of conical partitions having corrugated surfaces located in said container above said oil supply means, said corrugations being less pronounced and lower near the innermost portion of said partitions than near the peripheral portion, ports in the peripheral portions and a single port in the central portion of alternate conical partitions to connect the spaces between said partitions to form a continuous channel, means for passing oil through said channel to cause separation thereof into a fast moving portion of increasingly pure oil and into a'retarded portion of heavy impurities, means associated with the lowermost portion of every other one of said conical partitions to convey the heavier and retarded impurities to the lower portion of said container, and an outlet in the upper portion of said container for withdrawing treated and pure oil therefrom,

said partitions for conveying the heavier particles of said retarded flow to the lower portion of said container, and restricting means within upward flow of the lighter constituents of the oil therethrough than the downward flow of the heavier impurities.

MORITZ GAERTNER.

' said funnels providing a greater-resistancelto the ,5

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