Centrifugal Oil Purifier Types

Centrifugal oil purifiers (also called centrifugal oil purifiers) use the principle of centrifugal force to separate water, solid particles and other pollutants from oil. They are suitable for purifying transformer oil, lubricating oil, fuel oil, etc. According to different structures and application scenarios, centrifugal oil purifiers can be divided into the following categories:

1. Classification by working principle

(1) Sedimentation centrifuge (low-speed centrifuge)

- Principle: Rely on gravity sedimentation and centrifugal force to separate dense impurities (such as water, and metal particles).

- Speed: Usually 1,000~3,000 RPM (relatively low).

- Features:

- Suitable for oil with high water content (free water) or large particle contamination.

- Simple structure and low maintenance cost.

- Disadvantages: Unable to remove dissolved water or extremely fine particles (<5μm).

- Typical applications: ship fuel purification, heavy machinery lubricating oil pretreatment.

(2) High-speed disc centrifuge (self-cleaning centrifuge)

- Principle: Use a high-speed rotating disc pack to separate pollutants of different densities under the action of centrifugal force.

- Speed: 6,000~15,000 RPM (high separation efficiency).

- Features:

- Can separate free water, emulsified water, and tiny particles (1~5μm).

- Some models have an automatic slag discharge function (reduce downtime for cleaning).

- Disadvantages: Complex equipment and high price.

- Typical applications: transformer oil purification, turbine oil dehydration, biodiesel purification.

(3) Tubular centrifuge (ultra-high-speed centrifuge)

- Principle: Ultra-high speed (15,000~30,000 RPM), suitable for extremely fine particles or colloidal pollutants.

- Features:

- Highest separation accuracy (can remove submicron particles).

- Suitable for small amounts of high-value oil (such as aviation hydraulic oil).

- Disadvantages: small processing volume, frequent cleaning required.

- Typical applications: laboratory oil sample analysis, precision instrument oil purification.

2. Classification by slag discharge method

(1) Manual slag discharge centrifuge

- Requires manual cleaning of deposited impurities and moisture after shutdown.

- Advantages: simple structure, low cost.

- Disadvantages: low efficiency, suitable for intermittent work.

(2) Automatic slag discharge centrifuge (self-cleaning type)

- Adopts a hydraulic or pneumatic slag discharge system, which can discharge pollutants regularly or automatically.

- Advantages: continuous operation, suitable for industrial applications (such as power plants and refineries).

- Disadvantages: high equipment price.

3. Key parameters for selection

- Processing capacity (L/h): ｓｅｌｅｃｔ according to the circulation requirements of the oil system (such as transformer oil can be selected 500~5,000L/h).

- Separation factor (G-force): The higher the G-force, the better the separation effect (usually 5,000~15,000G for disc centrifuges).

- Purification indicators:

- Water removal rate (can be reduced to ≤ 50 ppm).

- Particle filtration accuracy (usually 1~10μm).

- Automation level: whether PLC control and online monitoring (such as a moisture sensor) are required.

Summary

- General industrial oil purification: choose a disc automatic slag centrifuge (such as Alfa Laval MAB series).

- Deep dehydration of transformer oil: choose a high-speed disc centrifuge + vacuum assistance (such as Westfalia SAO).

- Laboratory or high-precision requirements: choose a tubular centrifuge (such as Beckman Coulter).

- Low-cost intermittent processing: choose a sedimentation manual slag centrifuge.