Why use centrifugal filtration?

The use of rotating machinery is necessary for almost every industry. Although this equipment is standard in various applications, there are still many opportunities that can increase performance, reduce maintenance downtime and increase the life of such equipment—ranging from steam turbines and diesel engines to the use of pumps and actuators. Within many of these systems is lubrication oil which can be beneficial or detrimental to how long such equipment will stay in service. For instance, when two IOW MP200 centrifugal filters were installed at a Natural Gas Plant, ISO oil cleanliness codes indicated engine lifespan had been tripled due to the IOW MP200 performance! Read the full story here.

That means materials are subject to various types of wear, including friction and abrasion. However, we will focus on maintaining the oil that lubricates such machinery in our scope. Regularly scheduled machine maintenance and oil cleanliness are two key factors in determining how long a piece of equipment will last. Finding ways to improve equipment’s lifespan and efficiency is a struggle not limited to just one industry. Finding solutions that assist in achieving those goals are often expensive, and there is no clear-cut answer as to which of these choices is the best.

A simple and effective way to improve these qualities for lubricated equipment is to improve the quality of the oil used to operate it. Having a regular schedule to change filters and fluids is a great start. However, it is common that even oils bought off the shelf still contain contaminants. To ensure clean oil is used, engines use various oil filters to prevent significant component damage and excessive wear. Some systems even utilize more than one filter at a time to increase the time between oil changes by removing as many contaminants as possible.

Removing all harmful particles from a lubrication system ensures that the operated equipment will be around for many years. Determining which solution best fits your needs is the first step in establishing an upkeep solution that will reduce operating costs for such equipment.

Common types of filters:

Cartridge-type oil filters are a type of full-flow filter that is utilized in a large variety of applications. These filters are among the most often used types, intercepting and decontaminating the oil before it’s pumped through the engine. Oil filters, of the cartridge type, use a porous filter media that keeps larger contaminants from traveling within the lubrication system and allows oil to flow uninterrupted by long dwell times.

These filters capture and hold damaging contaminants and ensure the equipment will make it to its next service interval. These filters are non-serviceable. However, they are replaceable. The most considerable drawback of this type of filter is the limited size of the particulates they can remove. Due to limitations of the filter media mesh, smaller wear particles can pass through almost freely, sapping engine life and further deteriorating the lubrication oil.

As a primary filter, this type does its job adequately, but when paired with a centrifugal filter, the number of contaminants removed is significantly increased. The main reason these are the oil filters utilized most is cost, and they have a relatively small carbon footprint compared to some of the other oil filtration solutions. It is not uncommon for these types of filters to be disposed of in a bin where they will later be collected and recycled.

How does a bypass centrifugal filter work?

Dirty lube oil circulates from your machine into the bypass centrifugal filter. Inside the centrifugal filter, the centrifuge bowl will spin at speeds of up to 8,000 RPMs. The centrifuge’s speed solely depends on the pressure from the oil inlet. The resulting centrifugal force sends the contaminant particles outwards against the centrifuge bowl wall while the newly cleaned oil returns to the machinery it’s meant to protect.

The denser particles are forced to the outer wall of the centrifuge bowl and stick to the paper insert forming a thick sludge cake. A variety of contaminants, including soot, dirt, carbon, and wear metals, are removed during regular engine operation by the centrifugal filter. The centrifugal force of the centrifugal filter removes impurities from oil according to their relative density. For a contaminant to be removed with a centrifuge oil filter, it must have a density greater than the working fluid (engine oil, transmission oil, etc.).

During centrifugal filter maintenance, the paper insert (liner) and resulting sludge cake are removed from the unit. The technician then cleans the centrifugal filter, adding a new paper insert (liner) before returning it to operation. Necessary downtime for maintenance of a centrifugal filter is kept to a minimum to ensure it can go back to completing its goal of improving oil life.

Disc stack technology

• Increased separation efficiency
• Faster separation
• Increased surface area
• Better results

Disc stack separators are ideal for a large variety of separation tasks that require removing smaller particle and droplet sizes. The most challenging separation tasks may often involve the separated particles being relatively minuscule in size. In these cases, no other technology can compete with disc stack technology. The IOW Group bypass centrifugal filter is the only centrifugal filter on the market that utilizes disc stack technology for all the added benefits.

Why use a centrifugal filter?

The utilization of a bypass centrifugal filter comes with many benefits. An IOW centrifugal filter can extend engine life by up to 2-to-3 times in some applications. Intervals between oil changes can be increased as most contaminants are removed within the centrifuge and disposed of during service. Carbon deposits lead to decreased efficiency, and other particulates cause microscopic yet significant damage to an engine if not properly managed.

Reliable and efficient!

IOW Group's range of centrifugal oil separators gets the best results for your engine. Three IOW MP200 centrifuges were installed on a CAT C280-12 engine to replace the old Mann + Hummel centrifugal filters. The upgraded IOW technology resulted in excellent results in removing large amounts of dirt from the lubricating system. Read the full installation story here.

A centrifugal filter can help mitigate this problem and adds a much-needed safety net to the lubrication system. This extension of the engine and fluid life translates to lower operating and maintenance costs, making such a system’s retrofit economically viable. In addition, by extending the life of the oils run through these systems, sustainability efforts are also impacted as centrifugal filters help reduce the amount of wasted oil. With the use of a centrifugal filter, it has been proven that the primary filter’s life can also be extended.

The centrifugal filter is not replacing the existing full-flow filter but rather acting as an assistant that ensures no tiny detail will be missed and will help prevent a failure for an even more extended period.

According to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), particles as small as 4 microns can be responsible for up to 77% of engine wear. Full-flow oil filters alone generally filter out particles down to 25 microns. A 25-micron filter is roughly 80% effective, meaning 20% of particles smaller than 25 microns pass through the filter and continue to wear out your engine’s components. The combination of full-flow and centrifugal filters can assist in removing particles smaller than the 25-micron range. The use of centrifugal force also provides a means to remove contaminants from 1 to 10 microns that encourage engine wear and decrease oil life.

Conclusion

We have discussed many reasons centrifugal filters would be beneficial for use in a lubrication system. Centrifugal filters offer a great value in maintenance savings and equipment life extension for such a simple solution. By removing soot and reducing the frequency of oil changes, bypass centrifugal filters provide a positive environmental impact. The benefits of centrifugal oil filtration have been proven by conducting oil analysis before and after installing such a system: the resulting ISO codes have shown engine life extension between 2 to 3 times.

Head over to our installation page to discover how IOW centrifugal filters have helped our customers increase the reliability and efficiency of their engines.

For all your centrifugal filter needs, look no further than IOW Group.

IOW Group is a leading manufacturer of separation, filtration, and fluid transfer products.