MX2008004646A - Device for regeneration of oils - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device and method for regenerating oil (17) containing a contamination in the form of a liquid. The oil (17) is brought in contact with a point source (3) consisting of at least one point source (3), where the point source (3) is brought to a predetermined temperature that at an interface between the point source (3) and the oil (17) corresponds to a maximum allowed oil temperature.

Description

DEVICE FOR REGENERATION OF OILS TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a device for the regeneration of oil comprising a heat source. The device for the regeneration of oils comprises a transport device arranged to extract oil, containing a contamination in the form of a liquid in contact with the heat source.

PREVIOUS TECHNIQUE When operating internal combustion engines and hydraulic-mechanical devices, lubricating oil and hydraulic oil are used respectively. Internal combustion engines can operate on liquid fuel as well as eg oil or diesel oil. When operating the internal combustion engine, the lubricating oil that lubricates the engine is contaminated with unburned fuel, water, coolant and fuel combustion substances. The hydraulic oil is contaminated in a similar way but it is not subjected to any combustion process but on the other hand, it is subjected to water absorption of moisture from the air and condensation in the tank or water that penetrates the converters system or when it is cleaned.

You want to clean the oil of unwanted substances without changing the oil in the device. In US 60883406 and US 5707515 there is shown a method and a device, respectively, for cleaning lubricating oil in an internal combustion engine. The device comprises a particulate filter which initially cleans the particulate oil and a liquid separation part which is intended to separate liquid in the form of water and fuel from the particle-free oil. The liquid separation part comprises a heat plate in substantially dome form. In one embodiment, the dome-shaped heat plate comprises a flat upper part and a number of, in a stepped structure below each other inclined flat surface connected with elevations. The operation of the device is as follows: The particle free of other liquids the contaminated oil is splashed on top of the dome-shaped heat plate, after which the oil is supposed to, with the help of gravitation , it flows in a film along the sides of the heat plate, e.g., together with the flat surfaces is to stop the flow of oil in order that the oil remains on the heat plate for a certain period . The heat plate is manufactured from heat conducting material such as aluminum and heated uniformly by a thermostatically controlled heating coil. The complete oil film is brought to a temperature by the heat plate, where the liquid can "boil" the oil that remains in the plate. The evaporated liquid is captured and brought back to the combustion chamber and the clean oil is returned to the engine, eg, to an oil container or oil pan. The method described in US 6083406 and the device in US 5707515 both have a number of drawbacks. The oil leaving the particulate filter has a temperature of about 90 ° C which means that the oil splashed on the heat plate can have a maximum temperature of about 90 ° C. The diesel oil has a boiling point at 250 ° C-300 ° C and the lubrication oil has a considerably higher boiling point. The lubrication oil however is sensitive to temperature but can be exposed to relatively high temperatures above 140 ° C, but only a short period of time. Even if diesel oil does not reach its boiling point, diesel oil will partially evaporate at a lower temperature with an increasing degree depending on the rising temperature. To achieve maximum evaporation of diesel oil, the temperature of the lubricating oil must therefore be increased to a maximum that the lubricating oil can withstand. The lubricating oil can support a It will be high for a short period better than a low temperature for a long period. The alternative, however, is a high temperature over a long period as it oxidizes and destroys the oil. The heat plate according to US 6083406 and US 5707515, through the use of elevations, helps to stop the flow of oil so that all the oil must have time to warm to a certain temperature and thus can "boil" to remove contamination from the entire surface of the plate . This is a disadvantage given that it must be helped that with the high flow of oil the cleaning of large quantities of oil per unit of time is achieved. At the same time the low flow gives a long residence time of the oil in the hot plate. An example of an adequate oil flow is 0. 65 1 / minute. In order to heat the oil from 90 ° C to approximately 140 ° C at this flow rate the oil needs an addition of 1 kilowatt. The heat plate according to US 6083406 and US 5706515 can not handle flows in this order, but is limited to a lower flow to give the desired temperature increase, with the result that the oil destroys due to the long stay time . If the flow is allowed to increase, the temperature of the entire heat plate may need to be increased so that the oil has time to warm up. However, temperatures Superior oils cause the oil at the edges, where the oil has the slowest flow, runs the risk of burning and stagnating and / or destroying itself by oxidation. Therefore, the method and device according to US 6083406 and US 5707515 are limited only to low flow rates. The low flow rate means that the oil circulation becomes too low to achieve an effective cleaning process since the goal is to clean all the oil in the engine lubrication system. The area of the problem is also but due to the fact that the external temperature differs in different climates in different parts of the point, it affects the temperature of the oil that enters the separation part of liquids. Cold conditions give a cooler oil and therefore additional energies are required in order for the oil to reach the correct temperature. The heating conditions give a more tempered oil that requires the heat of the heat plate to be regulated to compensate for the increase in heat so that the oil does not reach a very high temperature and is destroyed. An appropriate work regulation arrangement for the hot plate is therefore necessary for an appropriate work system. This regulatory provision includes thermostats and other regulators that include moving parts that in this delicate context, may cause malfunctioning resulting in limited life and causing the destruction of high oil temperatures. Said regulatory provision is also expensive and difficult to install. The additional problems with the device are that the heat plate has to be located horizontally so that the oil, supply from the front part, with the help of gravitation should be distributed on the plate and in this way creates a thin film. The problems also encountered when changing the position of the engine, eg, when driving a vehicle on a curve. The reason for this is the change of the motor position that causes the change of the position of the device. The oil is also subjected to a lateral force when sprayed towards the part of liquid separation. The change of position and the lateral force causes a non-uniform distribution of the oil on the heat plate as gravitation can not distribute the oil evenly under these conditions. The device is therefore limited to a horizontal position and can not be installed at any angle other than 180 ° C towards gravitation and the optimum point can not be used on a vehicle used in curves and hills. Hydraulic oil contaminated with water has similar problems. The boiling point of water is 100 ° C and the hydraulic oil has a maximum temperature of 80 ° C, but a working temperature of approximately 50 ° C. The oil has to be heated as much as possible for a short period to give the best evaporation of water at a high flow rate as high as possible. Also in this case there are problems with the homogenously heated heat shield that is limited to low flow rates for the same reason as mentioned above. Therefore, there is a desire for an improved device and an improved method for the regeneration of oil in an internal combustion engine. Above and above this in the same way there is a desire for an improved regeneration of hydraulic oil.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device for the regeneration of oil and a method for the regeneration of oil wherein the above drawbacks are eliminated. The oil regeneration device is intended to be connected to an internal combustion engine to clean the lubricating oil and to a hydraulic machine for the regeneration of hydraulic oil. The oil regeneration device comprises a heat source and a transport device arranged to put the oil, containing a contamination in the form of a liquid, in contact with the heat source. The invention is characterized in that the heat source comprises at least one point of origin with a predetermined temperature that at an interface between the point source and the oil correspond to a maximum allowed oil temperature. The maximum allowed oil temperature depends on the period of stay of the oil at the point of origin, that is, the time that the oil is exposed to heat and the composition of the oil. As mentioned before, the oil can reach a higher temperature for a shorter time than a lower temperature for a long period. In this context a lower temperature means a temperature above a specific oil temperature at which i begins to damage the oil by temperature in combination with time. An advantage of the invention is that the point of origin gives an immediate heating of the contamination in the oil when the oil comes in contact with the point source without destroying the oil or burning and ponding. Immediate heating in the present means that the surface temperature of the point source always corresponds to the maximum oil temperature with respect to the residence time which results in at least one thin layer of the oil being in contact with the point of origin reaches essentially immediately the maximum oil temperature at which the contamination evaporates at least partially. After the oil is transported out from the point of origin so that the oil is no longer subjected to heating. This gives the advantage that the residence time of the oil at the point of origin becomes minimal, giving chances that there is a high temperature. According to one embodiment of the invention, the heat source comprises at least two points of origin. The heat source can of course comprise a larger number of point sources, depending on the amount of oil that will be regenerated or the desired degree of purity. The oil can then be transported from point of origin to point of origin, at each point source that will be subjected to the maximum temperature with respect to the time of stay. The number of point sources, however, should not be so many per unit area so that the oil is continuously affected by the same temperature which results in the total dwell time becoming longer. According to one embodiment of the invention, the sources of different points have different temperatures depending on their location. When the flow rate is high, the temperature is high and where the flow rate is low, the temperature is correspondingly low. An advantage of this is that the oil is always subjected to its maximum temperature depending on the time of stay given. An additional advantage with the invention is that the regulation of the heating source does not necessarily It depends on the size of the point of origin so it allows to keep the temperature stable, that is, that the temperature is constant. The lack of regulation provision gives a low cost device easy to apply, and minimizes the risk of a very high temperature. As the point of origin can be maintained at a constant temperature the oil regeneration device according to the invention can be used at high flow rates giving a high continuous degree of oil purity because the oil circulation can be maintained high . According to one modality, the point of origin is constituted by a semiconductor. The advantage with a semiconductor is that when the change is made in the semiconductor it is brought exactly to the correct temperature which is also constant with the advantages given before. Another advantage with the use of semiconductors is that the regulation of the temperature of the point of origin depending on different concisions becomes optimally simple only by increasing or decreasing the current to the semiconductors. A preferred type of semiconductor is a resistor that depends positively on the temperature, a so-called CTP (Positive Temperature coefficient). Other possible semiconductor types are CTN (Temperature coefficient) Negative) giving current limitation but also generates heat. A combination of the two is also possible. The oil regeneration device also comprises electrical connections for power to the point of origin. According to one embodiment of the invention, the transport device comprises a support substrate that supports the heat source. The support substrate is a heat conductor and the interface consists of the contact surface between the support substrate which means that the oil is brought into contact with the point of origin via the support sup- port. To compensate for the loss of heat transport from the point source through the support substrate to the interface, the point source may be required to have a temperature that exceeds the evaporation temperature, but the temperature at the interface corresponds to the evaporation temperature of pollution. According to one embodiment of the invention, the support substrate consists of a material that conducts heat poorly or not at all. The point of origin is then supported by the support substrate in such a way that the oil comes into direct contact with the point of origin. According to one embodiment of the invention, the support substrate comprises a substantially conical and / or convex unit, and / or a stepped unit. He The design of the support substrate together with the gravitation creates the flow of oil along the unit and, due to its movement, it comes into contact with the point source. A support substrate may have optional geometry, e.g., circular, oval, triangular, square, multi-edged, or a combination of the aforementioned geometry. The support substrate, however, should not be designed in such a way because the oil cools the point sources in such a way that the output of the heat source is reduced and therefore affects the regeneration efficiency in a way negative. The support substrate may consist of a waterproof unit where the oil flows on the surface of the waterproof unit. The support substrate may consist of a liquid impervious unit in which oil can freely flow through the support substrate. The support substitute may further consist of a fabric-like structure through which the oil may flow or be pressed. In the latter case the oil is pressed with pressure through the substrate. An advantage with a cloth-like structure is that there are two possibilities for the oil to come into contact with the point source. One possibility is that at the interface between the oil and the support substrate and this is in direct contact with the point of origin.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the support substrate comprises a transport device in the form of a coupling device that can be connected to an oil container. The coupling device advantageously consists of a threaded bolt which can be threaded to a corresponding part in the oil container. A particle filter can be located between the oil container and the coupling device. The coupling device is then coupled to the particle filter. An oil container therefore means a container that is intended to maintain the oil. An oil container, e.g., can be an internal combustion engine or a hydraulic construction. The normal of these provisions is that there is a collection vessel for oil, eg, an oil tray, from which the oil is taken to the active parts for which the oil is intended to be used. During use the oil is contaminated and taken to the oil regeneration device that separates at least parts of the oil contamination. Then the oil is returned to the collection container. According to one embodiment of the invention, the coupling device comprises at least one duct extending through the oil regeneration device and arranged to transport oil from the oil container to the point of origin. In use, the The oil regeneration device is installed in a way that allows the gravitation to move the oil from the duct to the point of origin. The oil regeneration device can be installed in such a way that the gravitation distributes the oil symmetrically or asymmetrically on the support substrate. The regeneration device is therefore installed straight or inclined in relation to a vertical line. The duct can be completely bypass in the coupling device so that the oil is carried essentially against gravitation until it passes through an upper part in the coupling device, after which the oil is gravitated and flows along the coupling device and the support substrate. According to one embodiment of the invention, the support substrate comprises a roof construction in which the point of origin is located above the mouth of the coupling device. The oil is applied on the "roof", that is, in a direction opposite to gravitation, where the heating of the contamination is instantaneous upon contact after which the oil due to gravitation is transported away from the support substrate. According to an advantageous embodiment, the conduit is ramified before the upper part in a number of ducts perpendicular to said ducts that give a lateral flow. The lateral flow allows a smaller size for the oil regeneration device so that special spray arrangements do not have to be considered. Another advantage is that the lateral flow decreases the dependence on gravitation. According to one embodiment of the invention, the coupling device comprises a square-shaped part comprising two conduits extending from side to side and crossing in half. These conduits at the junction are connected to the conduit that drives the oil from the oil container. This design gives the possibility of a lateral flow with the advantages mentioned before. The coupling device may further comprise a thread, threaded from side to side through each conduit. The threads vibrate because the oil flows and prevents the oil from forming lumps in the ducts. The square part has the advantage from the design point of view that the sopote substrate can easily be attached to the coupling device during manufacture. According to one embodiment of the invention, the supporting support consists of a vertical construction in which the point of origin is placed on a vertical wall in the side of the mouth of the coupling device. The oil is sprayed towards the vertical wall, that is, 90 ° in relation to gravitation, where the heating of the contamination is carried out instantaneously in contact in the oil because the gravity is transported away from the support substrate together with the vertical wall. According to one embodiment of the invention, the support substrate is a part of the transport device and is a support substrate disposed movably arranged to bring the point of origin into contact with the oil. The transport device in this case may consist of a support substrate such as a cylinder with the origin points connected to the cylinder cover surface. The part of the cylinder cover surface, a segment of the cover surface is immersed in an oil bath while the cylinder is rotated. The oil is connected to the cover segment as a film and during the rotation outside the oil bath can perform the desired heating, in which the contamination leaves an evaporation phase and the oil remains in the cover segment until the segment cover is submerged once more in the oil bath. In another embodiment of the invention, the transport device comprises a mobile support substrate comprising a rotating plate in which the oil is applied mainly in the center of the plate and forced to the edges of the plate due to the centrifugal force. During transport to the edges of the plate the oil comes in contact with the point source and the contamination vaporizes. An advantage with a rotating system is that it is completely independent of gravitation for oil distribution. According to one embodiment of the invention, the oil regeneration device comprises a housing impermeable to gas and liquid. The housing can be disposed above the support substrate and connected to the outer edges of the support substrate so that the support substrate with the housing forms a gas and liquid tight unit. The housing may also be dispersed to surround the entire support substrate and in this case may be connected to the coupling device. The housing advantageously comprises an opening wherein the separated contamination can be transported away, and the openings where the remaining clean oil can be transported away from the oil generating device. The housing can be subjected to a sub-atmospheric pressure, e.g., by a connection to a low pressure of the charter. The sub-atmospheric pressure decreases the evaporation temperature for contamination and therefore facilitates oil separation. Sub-atmospheric pressure also facilitates the transport of gaseous contamination away from the oil regeneration device. According to one embodiment of the invention, the oil regeneration device comprises a pump arrangement for the oil. The pump arrangement is advantageously operated by the oil pressure in the machine coupled to the oil regeneration device. The pump arrangement may consist of a group of gear wheels on the primary side operated by the oil pressure of the machine and wherein the primary side operates on a secondary side that pumps oil to the oil regeneration device. In chaos with the internal combustion engine the advantage with a pump arrangement operates by the oil pressure that makes the oil regeneration device independent of the engine / charter pressure state and that the sub-atmospheric pressure in the lodging is increased. According to one embodiment of the invention, the wheel gears on the secondary side can be heated to preheat the oil.

Below is an example of an internal combustion engine to which the present oil regeneration device can be connected. 30 liters of oil in the tray The oil flow in the regeneration device is 6 deciliter / minute 9 liters cylinder volume 350 horsepower The engine oil temperature is approximately 100 ° C The temperature loss in the particle filter is 10 ° C The support substrate has an area of 15 centimeters in diameter and the number of points of origin is 20. However, the number of points of origin can be higher or lower depending on the size of points of origin. The point of origin has a size of at least 1 square centimeter and a maximum of 5 square centimeters. The temperature of points of origin is 140 ° C-220 ° C depending on the heat resistance of the lubrication oil and the time of stay. End of the example. In an internal combustion engine the flow varies between approximately 0.3 liters / minute and approximately 0.8 liters / minute. The low flow 0.3 liters / minute is valid in rest and it is not an optimal flow, but the device works in all low flows since the temperature remains constant at the maximum temperature for the oil with respect to the time of stay. The maximum and minimum flows that can be handled by the oil regeneration device vary considerably depending on the power of the point of origin and the time of stay. The flow rates and temperatures given above therefore do not limit the invention. For hydraulic machines a temperature of approximately 80 ° C is valid for the point of origin is valid at a flow rate of up to approximately 1.6 liters / minute. Other temperatures and flows are certainly possible depending on the residence time and the properties and composition of the hydraulic oil.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described in relation to a number of figures in which: Fig. 1 shows an explanatory sketch of a cross cut observed from the side of an oil regeneration device according to an embodiment of the invention. invention Fig. 2 shows an explanatory sketch above of an oil regeneration device according to the embodiment in Fig. 1, and wherein; Fig. 3 shows an explanatory sketch in perspective of an oil regeneration device according to an embodiment of the invention.

MODALITIES OF THE INVENTION Fig. 1 shows an explanatory sketch of a cross cut observed from the side of an oil regeneration device 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. In order to be able to easily describe the invention, an orthogonal system is indicated in Figure 1 including X, Y and Z directions. The X and Y directions are sometimes generically called the lateral direction. The oil regeneration device 1 comprises a support substrate 2, a number of source points 3 for heating, a coupling device 4 and a housing 5 covering the support substrate. When the oil regeneration device 1 is installed so that the gravitation gives a uniform distribution of oil on the support substrate 2 in the vertical direction it is described as the Z axis and a horizontal plane as the X and Y axes.

The housing 5 comprises a upper part 6 and a lower part 7 as well as a middle part 8 connecting the upper part 6 with the lower part 7. The housing 5 comprises an opening 9 in the upper part 6 and the openings 10 in the part lower 7. The coupling device 4 comprises a square-shaped part 11 with two opposite sides 12 extending in the X and Z direction and two opposite sides 13 extending in the Y and Z directions. The coupling device 4 comprises two conduits 14, 15 extending between the two respective opposite sides 12, 13 and which are crossed in the center. These ducts 14, 15 are connected to a duct 16 at the junction extending in the Z direction and carrying oil 17 from an oil container 18. The duct 16 extending in the Z direction was included in the coupling device 4. The coupling device 4 further comprises two threads 19 which are respectively screwed from side to side through each laterally extending conduit 14, 15. The threads 19 can be connected together on the external side of the coupling device. Figure 1 shows that the design with oil side dispersion gives a possibility of minimizing the size of the housing 5 having the housing 5 after the shape of the support substrate 2.

The coupling device 4 further comprises a round threaded part 20 extending in the Z direction. The square part 11 and the round part 20 is separated by a flange 21. The support substrate 2 is connected to the square part 11 through a square shaped opening 22 in the support substrate. Between the flange 21 and the support substrate 2 there is a gasket 23, eg, O-ring. Figure 1 shows an oil regeneration device 1 installed in an oil filter 24 via the round threaded part 20. The oil filter 24 is a particulate filter that removes particles of optional size . Figure 1 shows with solid arrows the transport of the oil 17 from the oil container 18, through the oil filter 24, through the coupling device 4 to the support substrate 2 and finally out through the lower openings. for transport back to the oil container 18. Between the flange 21 and the oil filter 24 there is a gasket 29, eg. a ring O. The origin points 3 are connected to the underside of the support substrate and not in direct contact with the oil 17. The support substrate 2 conducts heat with means that the origin points 3 generate heat source points in the upper side of the support substrate.

Figure 1 shows the transport of an evaporated contamination with dotted arrows from origin points 3 to opening 9 in the upper part 6. Figure 1 shows two gearing wheels corresponding to a pump arrangement 25 for oil 17 to the filter of oil 24. Figure 2 shows an explanatory sketch of the above of an oil regeneration device 1 according to the embodiment in figure 1. Figure 2 shows that the support substrate consists of a circular plate in the form of a saucer that comprises a number of heating source points 3. The housing 5 has a corresponding geometric design as the sopote substrate 2. Figure 3 shows a perspective explanatory sketch of an oil regeneration device 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. invention. Figure 3 shows that the support substrate 2 is mobile and is arranged to put the point origin 3 in contact with the oil 17. The support substrate 2 is seen as a cylinder where the origin points 3 are connected to the cover surface 26 of the cylinder. A part of the cover surface 26, a segment of the cover surface 27, is immersed in an oil bath 28 while the cylinder is rotated. The oil 17 sticks to the cover segment 27 as a film during rotation out of the oil bath can perform the desired heating, in which the contamination is diverted in an evaporation phase and the oil 17 remains in the cover segment 27 until the cover segment 27 is once again immersed in the oil bath 28. As in Figure 1 the oil transport 17 is shown with solid rounds and the transportation of the evaporated contamination with dotted arrows.

Claims (14)

1. - Oil regeneration device (1) comprising a heat source (3), wherein the oil regeneration device (1) comprises a transport device (4, 25, 26) oriented to supply oil (17), Containing contamination in the form of a liquid, in contact with the heat source (3), characterized in that the heat source (3) comprises at least one point of the source (3) with a predetermined temperature which, at an interface between point of origin (3) and oil (17), correspond to a maximum allowed oil temperature.

2. - The regeneration device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the heat source comprises at least two points of origin.

3. The oil regeneration device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the temperature is constant.

4. - The oil regeneration device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transport device (1) comprises a support substrate (2) carrying the heat source (3).

5. - The oil regeneration device (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the Support substrate (2) conducts heat and the interface consists of the contact surface between the support substrate (2) and the oil (17).

6. - The oil regeneration device (1) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the support substrate (2) comprises a conical and / or convex conical unit, and / or a stepped unit.

7. - The oil regeneration device (1) according to any of claims 4-6, characterized in that the support substrate (2) comprises a coupled device (4) that can be connected to an oil container (18) .

8. - The oil regeneration device (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the coupled device (4) is designed with at least one conduit (16) extending at least a part through the coupling device (4) and oriented to transport oil from the oil container (18) to the point of origin (3).

9. - The oil regeneration device (1) according to any of claims 4-5, characterized in that the transport devices comprise a mobile support substrate (2) oriented to put the point of origin (3) in contact with the oil (17).

10. - The oil regeneration device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the point of origin (3) is considered a semiconductor.

11. - The oil regeneration device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the point of origin (3) has a maximum size of 5 square centimeters.

12. - The method of the regenerating oil (17) contains contamination in the form that a liquid, in which the oil (17) comes into contact with a heat source (3) and consists of at least one point of origin ( 3), where the point of origin (3) rises to a predetermined temperature that at an interface between the origin of the point (3) and the oil (17) corresponds to the maximum allowed oil temperature.

13. - The method according to claim 12, characterized in that the oil (17) is brought into contact with at least 2 points of origin (3).

14. - The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the heat source (3) is raised to a constant temperature.