InfraStructures - June/July 2007 - With Emmie 2, Changing Oil Is No Longer Needed

With Emmie 2, Changing Oil Is No Longer Needed

Alfa Laval has just released Emmie 2, an updated and enhanced version of their portable centrifuge. The operation and control of the Emmie 2 has been significantly improved over its predecessor.

The Emmie 2 mobile cleaning system for hydraulic oil comprises a trolley mounted centrifugal separator and a mobile electrical oil heater. Wheeled between hydraulic systems, Emmie 2 removes water and 99% of all particles in the size range 2 µm-5 µm.

It comes complete with its ancillary equipment and only requires a 230 v power point.

The result is a dramatic increase in the reliability of the hydraulic systems, the life time of the hydraulic oil is extended, filter cartridge consumption is reduced and there is less contaminated oil to dispose of.

Particles that contaminate oil come from different sources, including wear from metal, plastic, and rubber components, paint flakes, and even airborne dust. Left alone in the oil, these particles will wear down and clog the equipment.

The smallest particles, less than 5 µm, are the worst problem. It is not economical to catch such small particles with a filter. Water in oil is bad news, too. It deteriorates the oil's properties. It also damages valves and pumps, due to oxidation of oils and additives, as well as corrosion.

Normally, these problems can be avoided by periodically changing the oil, usually based on the manufacturer's recommendations. In between scheduled oil changes, oil filters are often changed to assist in keeping the oil as clean as possible

However, changing oil and filters in dirty environments like experienced in mining is hard to achieve without introducing contaminants in the process. But, until recently, it has been the only real option used in the many industries like the mining industry.

It turns out that the use of centrifuges is a way to get around changing oil filters and oil, a way that can also save an incredible amount of time and money.

A centrifuge has the ability to remove contaminants including water from the oil, in many cases, even when the equipment is actually operating. In the maritime industry, it has been a standard practice for decades for ships to have centrifuges continuously cleaning engine lube oil and fuel.

Rather than bore you with the finer technical details, it will suffice to say that the centrifuge removes these contaminants down to the micron level by accelerating particle settling and liquid separation thousands of times. Some discs are used in the centrifuge to increase the particle separation area, making the centrifuges incredibly efficient.

Emmie 2 builds on the 5 years of success of its predecessor. The controls are now much more user-friendly. All the operator has to do is insert the viscosity grade of the oil and the machine will do the rest.

Alfa Laval is a leading global provider of specialized products and engineered solutions. The company operates in vital areas much of the world's energy from diesel, turbine and nuclear power stations is generated with the help of equipment from Alfa Laval.

Alfa Laval lies behind many innovations that have brought better, safer food at lower price to more people.

Alfa Laval helps industry to recover surplus energy and raw materials, to purify waste water and industrial fluids, to minimize emissions, to handle slop oil and to convert wastes into bio gas. The company also delivers equipment for water purification and desalination of seawater in areas where fresh water is in short supply.

Source: Alfa Laval