Gas and steam power plants use lube oil centrifuges to keep the lubricating oil clean and dry. These applications involve hi-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.
A lube oil centrifuge is an Alfa Laval separator used for separating water and solids from the lube oil.
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:
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 purifier 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.
Specifications |
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| Centrifuge Efficiency | Solid Particles > 1 µ ; Free Water > 2 µ | ||
| Centrifuge Type | Manual Clean | Manual Clean | Self-Cleaning |
| Model | MAB 103 | MAB 205 | LOPX 710 |
| Bowl Speed (RPM) | 8,600 | 8,700 | 5,180 |
| Rated Capacity (GPM) | 5 | 28 | 75 |
| ISO 32 Lube Oil Capacity (GPM) | 3.5 | 18 | 45 |
| Sludge Space (Gal) | 0.15 | 0.54 | 1.5 |
| Motor Power (HP) | 1 | 5 | 15 |
| Skid Dimensions (ft) | 2′ x 3′ | 3′ x 4′ | 5′ x 6′ |
| Skid Weight (Lbs) | 1,000 | 1,500 | 3,000 |
| * Specifications are for base skid without any options. | |||
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: 2 GPM on Lube Oil |
| Motor HP: 1 HP |
| Voltages: 230V / 460V |
| Skid Dim.: 3′ x 4′ |
| Skid Wt.: ~ 1500 lbs |