CENTRIFUGAL OIL FILTRATION – PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
Filtek Centrifugal Oil Cleaner consists of 3 major sub-assemblies as follows:
- Base assembly made in die-cast Aluminum
- Rotor Assembly made in die-cast Aluminum
- Cover Assembly made in Press MS
The lube oil from a pressure point on an engine is fed through the side inlet of the Centrifuge. The cut-off valve (COV) is rated between 1.3 to 2.5 BAR as per each situation. When the oil pressure exceeds the set value, the spring-loaded plunger in the COV assly is pushed back allowing entry of the oil . to enter the rotor assembly through the internal drill hole of the central spindle. The rotor assembly gets pressurized and the only exit point for the oil is the two tangentially opposed nozzles at the base. The rotor assembly has two bush bearings, one at the top and one at the bottom and it spins freely around the spindle.
The action of oil exiting through the nozzles gives it a reverse direction spin. The rotor RPM is directly proportional to the inlet pressure. The oil is returned back under gravity through the central hole at the base of the centrifuge. At 6 BAR pressure, the high RPM generated results in centrifugal force 2000 times that of gravity. Thus any particle heavier than oil is compacted onto the inner rotor wall. At pre-determined intervals, this can be easily cleaned with the help of a wooden spatula or a specially coated, nonstick paper insert.
The centrifuge has no consumable parts and is capable of removing sub-micron particles from the oil. The minimum operating oil pressure should be at least 4 BAR but not exceeding 7 BAR to get optimal results.