vacuum Dehydration in Oil Reconditioning
Lavarias, Mark Daniel B. ME 511A
Moisture presence in oil used for lubricating machineries poses a threat for possible corrosion of its parts. In addition to, lubrication may also not be efficiently carried out in low temperature applications because the existing moisture in the oil will freeze, hence, slowing the oil flow to the necessary machine components and parts such as journal bearings. Therefore, flowing oil must always be maintained to be in a pure condition as much as possible up to its maximum usage life, that is, free of moisture and other contaminants that may diffuse in the oil during its circulation. Moisture in the oil may exist in three forms. One, as a free water, two, as an emulsified water, and three, as a dissolved water. Free water is water that have settled at the bottom of a container of an oil-water mixture. This type of water can be easily removed by draining or by decantation in which oil is carefully transferred to an empty container to leave the bottom layer of water in the previous container. Emulsified water is water that has dispersed or scattered within the oil phase, appearing as tiny, suspended droplets. Presence of emulsified water in oil makes the oil cloudy and slightly dense in appearance as compared to a pure and clean oil that is clear in appearance. This type of water can be removed by filtration or centrifugal separation in which the oil-water mixture is spun at a relatively high speed, displacing the oil, the lighter particle, away from the center of rotation. The result will be water settling at the bottom, and can be easily flushed out of a container by draining. Dissolved water is water that has mixed within the oil up to the oil’s saturation limit; thus it is the amount of moisture that oil can absorb without having any significant phase