Oil cleaning module for lube and hydraulic oils
January 1st 2008

Alfa Laval's OCM (Oil Cleaning Module) is a centrifugal separator-based plug-and-play module that removes water and sludge from mineralbased lubricating and hydraulic oils to improve efficiency, extend working life and slash replacement and disposal costs.

Delivered as a fully-contained, skid-mounted unit, the OCM is designed to provide more or less instant start-up and unsupervised operation as it provides continuous dewatering and purification of a wide range of lubricating and hydraulic oils. The efficiency of oil can be seriously affected by the presence of water, metal particles and other foreign bodies, leading to abraded metal surfaces, clogged filters and increased friction which, in turn, can reduce machine life.

Used regularly to clean the oil, the OCM can extend its life and, therefore, that of the machinery by as much as 50%. By removing any water present in the oil it eliminates or reduces corrosion and prevents the formation of oil/water emulsions. By extending the working life of the oil, it obviates the need for frequent replenishment or disposal and all of the costs and environmental problems associated with it.

At the heart of the OCM is an Alfa Laval disc stack centrifuge which rotates at high speed and separates the contaminated fluid into three phases; oil, water, and solids. Both the oil and water are discharged on a continuous basis while the purified oil is recycled back to the tank and the clean water is discharged as effluent.

Any solids are retained within the centrifuge and are cleaned out manually as and when required.

Since the machine can accept high solids loads, no pre-filtration is necessary and, with no further need for filter cartridges, sludge disposal becomes a low-impact operation in terms of the environment.

Throughput depends on two factors; the type and viscosity of the oil being cleaned and the model chosen. There are five in the range available in both stationary and mobile versions.

The largest machine (the OCM 206) for instance would handle a flow-rate of almost 8000L/h for a typical turbine lube oil. Used to clean hydraulic or lube oils typically used in the iron and steel industry, the throughput on the same machine would be 4000L/h.

Irrespective of which model is used, however, cleaning efficiency remains constant; typically up to 90% removal of all particles between 3-5 microns in size, 70% removal of particles below 3 microns in size and around 90% removal of entrained water.

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