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Gas and steam power plants use lube oil centrifuges to keep the lubricating oil clean and dry. These applications involve high-efficiency separation of oil and water. They also remove fine sediment from the lube oil.
Condensate leaks from cooling systems contaminate lube oil with water. Sludge particles originating from the combustion process or wear on moving parts contaminate lube oil.
An Alfa Laval lube oil centrifuge removes all solid contaminants & water from the lubricating oil. Purified lube oil is desirable for the trouble-free operation of turbines and engines.
These centrifuges are also known as Lube Oil Purifiers. or Lube Oil Conditioning Modules.
A lube oil centrifuge is an Alfa Laval separator used for separating water and solids from the lube oil. A disc-type industrial centrifuge uses centrifugal force to separate the lube oil from water and solid contaminants.
A lube oil centrifuge exerts over 6,000 times the force of gravity to separate fine sediment and free water from the lube oil. The high g-force causes the solids and water to accumulate on the centrifuge bowl wall. The clean oil exits the centrifuge continuously from the center pathway while the water exits from a separate chamber.
There are many advantages of centrifuges over lubricating oil filters that are listed below.
Some of the disadvantages of lube oil centrifuges are:
| Centrifuge Efficiency | Solid Particles > 1 µ ; Free Water > 2 µ | ||
| Centrifuge Type | Alfa Laval MAB 103 | Alfa Laval MAB 205 | Alfa Laval MOPX 210 |
| Sludge Handling | Manual Clean | Manual Clean | Self-Ejecting / Auto Desludging |
| Bowl Speed | 8,600 RPM | 8,700 RPM | 5,180 RPM |
| Rated Capacity | 5 GPM | 28 GPM | 72 GPM |
| ISO 32 Lube Oil Capacity | 3 GPM | 18 GPM | 45 GPM |
| Sludge Space | 0.15 Gal | 0.54 Gal | 1.5 Ggal |
| Motor Power | 1 HP | 5 HP | 15 HP |
| Module Dimensions* | 2' x 3' x 3' (H) | 3' x 4' 4' (H) | 5' x 6' x 7' (H) |
| Module Weight* | 800 Lbs | 1,500 Lbs | 3,000 Lbs |
| Operating Voltage | 110 V, 230 / 460 V | 230 / 460 V | 230 / 460 V |
| Utilities Required** | Power, Water | Power, Water, Air | Power, Water, Air |
| * Base module without options. ** Module with optional accessories. | |||
A lube oil centrifuge can separate lube oil emulsion as long as the lube oil is not chemically boned to the water. High temperatures and high residence time (low flow rate) enable emulsion separation.
Small lube oil centrifuges can operate on 110 Volts AC power. The centrifuge needs to be modified with a special motor to be suitable for this voltage.
The moisture content in the lube oil from the disc stack centrifuge ranges from 500 ppm level to 1500 ppm or higher. Lower flow rates at higher temperatures produce dryer lube oil.
We have small lube oil centrifuges on mobile carts to move between turbine lube oil sumps in power plants.
Steam turbine lube oil separates best at around 150 F for maximum dryness.
Lubricating oil purifiers are often installed in a ‘kidney loop' arrangement. The diagram above shows the typical arrangement for this system.
A pump feeds the contaminated oil to the purifier through an electric heater. Pre-heating of the oil reduces the viscosity. Lower viscosity leads to high separation efficiency from the purifier. The lube oil centrifuge separates the free-water and solids (down to 0.5µ).
The separated water drains out of the centrifuge, and the separated solids accumulate in the centrifuge bowl. In a ‘manual clean’ centrifuge, the operator removes the sludge manually. A ‘self-cleaning’ centrifuge automatically ejects the separated sludge.
Manual Clean æ Hi-Speed æ Disc Centrifuge
| Technical Specs |
| Capacity: 15 GPM on Trubine Lube Oil |
| Motor HP: 5 HP |
| Voltages: 110V/230V/460V |
| Skid Dim.: ~ 4′ x 5′ |
| Skid Wt.: ~1800 lbs |
Manual-Cleaning æ Hi-Speed æ Disc Centrifuge
| Technical Specs |
| Capacity: 20 GPM on Lubricating Oil |
| Motor HP: 7.5 HP |
| Voltages: 230V / 460V |
| Skid Dim.: 4′ x 5′ |
| Skid Wt.: ~ 2000 lbs |
Manual-Cleaning æ Hi-Speed æ Disc Centrifuge
| Technical Specs |
| Capacity: 3 GPM on Steam Turbine Lube Oil |
| Motor HP: 1 HP |
| Voltages: 230V / 460V |
| Skid Dim.: 3′ x 4′ |
| Skid Wt.: ~ 1500 lbs |
Dolphin Centrifuge has over 40 years of industrial centrifuge experience. Read more about us and our background. Contact us for more information or a formal proposal.