What is an Oil Purifier

What is an Oil Purifier

An oil purifier is a device or process that removes unwanted contaminants from industrial lube and hydraulic oils.  It is widely recognized that these “oil purifiers” remove water, gases, and solid contaminants. Other common names for an oil purifier are “oil dehydration unit,” “oil purification and dehydration unit,” and “oil dehydrator.”

How They Work

These systems work by passing the oil through a dehydration and filtration process. The oil dehydration process usually consists of a heater and a vacuum chamber. Both heat and vacuum improve the efficiency but must be limited to avoid damaging the oil.  The vacuum dehydrator removes all free and dissolved water and gasses exhausting them to the atmosphere through the vacuum pump. The filters remove particles, such as dirt, scale, and metal shavings.

 These systems are typically connected to an oil reservoir in a kidney loop circuit.  The oil is recirculated through the oil purifier continuously until the desired water content and ISO cleanliness level (measure of particulate content) is reached.

Do I Need an Oil Purifier

Oil purifiers with integrated oil dehydrators are essential for improving industrial oils’ quality and service life. Contaminants in oil can cause several problems.  Following are some examples:

• Reduced performance: Contaminants in lube oil can interfere with the oil’s ability to lubricate. This can result in excessive friction and heat, reducing machine efficiency and productivity.

• Increased wear: Water contamination can cause corrosion and reduced hydrodynamic film thickness, leading to component wear and premature machine failure.

• Hydraulic control issues: Air bubbles increase the compressibility of hydraulic fluids.  This will eventually result in sluggish or unresponsive control within a hydraulic system.  Lack of control presents process and safety issues that can be very costly.