New OilGuard guarantees to double life of engine oil

Citation

(1998), "New OilGuard guarantees to double life of engine oil", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 50 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ilt.1998.01850fad.004

New OilGuard guarantees to double life of engine oil

New OilGuard guarantees to double life of engine oil

Keywords: Agriemach, Engine oil

Engine accessory specialists, Agriemach, introduce the patented OilGuard engine protection system that guarantees to double the life of engine oil compared with factory recommended oil change intervals (see Plate 4). By providing a continuous flow of virtually contaminant-free oil to the engine, the system more than doubles the miles, or hours, between oil changes.

Plate 4 OilGuard from Agriemach guarantees to double life of engine oil by providing virtually contaminant free oil to the engine

Developed and proven in the USA using technology based on human blood dialysis, OilGuard is an on-board bypass filtration system that works alongside the conventional full flow oil filter. It diverts a small continuous stream of engine oil (5 per cent-7 per cent) through a specially designed filter element that uses a machine wound string of cotton/cellulose fibre. As it cleans the oil, the filter traps particulates down to 3 microns and removes water. The result is that oil stays cleaner for longer.

Loading and channelling are two fundamental problems with conventional full flow oil filters. Loading occurs when a filter fills up with contaminants, then acts as a barrier to the oil. Once loading has occurred, the filter is no longer effective. The second problem is channelling, because liquids under pressure seek the path of least resistance. Unless the filtering element is absolutely consistent in density and construction, the liquid will find a weak spot to bore through and create a channel, then pass through unfiltered. OilGuard overcomes both problems by using computer controlled winding machines that control both weave and tension of the wind to produce woven filter elements. These are wound on a stainless steel core resulting in a varying density filter progressing from a 40 micron weave at the outer diameter to a 1 micron capability at the core. The weave is designed so that there is an equal resistance to flow throughout the filter. With no shortcuts available, the oil must pass completely through the filter element.

Water is another potential source of serious engine problems which conventional full flow oil filters are not designed to handle. A normal by-product of combustion, water enters the crankcase with piston ring blow-by gases and condenses when the engine is shut down and cools. Water, oil and soot then mix to form sludge which insulates the crankcase and oil pan to reduce the engine's cooling capacity. Water in oil also promotes formation of corrosive acids. Sulphur and nitrogen compounds, when combined with water in a hot engine, form sulphuric and nitric acid. Therefore it is vital to remove water from the oil if irreparable damage is to be avoided. OilGuard also takes care of the water problem thanks to an 80 per cent cotton content in the makeup of the filter element which retains moisture in suspension within the individual fibres until it reaches saturation. This compares with paper/wood cellulose, glass or synthetic fibres used in conventional full flow filters which are virtually ineffective in absorbing water.

Full flow filters are normally made from a single sheet of material usually around 1.5mm thick. Consequently, all the filtering is done on the surface and the problem of loading occurs. When a vehicle runs over a bumpy surface, the filter is shaken and the loaded contaminants drop off the filter's surface and go right back into the oil, and from there into the engine. With OilGuard ­ while only a small stream (less than 10 per cent) of oil is diverted through its bypass filter ­ it handles all of the lubricant three to four times an hour, therefore all the oil can be cleaned far better than a full flow filter can ever achieve on its own.

In the USA, OilGuard is showing users considerable savings, not just by dramatically reducing yearly oil replacement costs, but by extending oil change intervals that could each take up to three hours in lost operating time by the vehicle being out of service. Vehicle operators are finding that oil change intervals are not just doubled, but very often tripled and even quadrupled. These do not include savings from avoided maintenance and higher vehicle trade-in values, both a valuable consequence of running with cleaner oil. A considerable bonus is the value to the environment because there is less oil to dispose of and fewer filters to recycle.

A range of OilGuard sizes is available to suit all types of vehicles, including construction, buses, agricultural, municipal, refrigeration, marine, military and on/off highway.

For more information on OilGuard engine protection systems contact Agriemach Limited, Unit 7, Ridgewood Industrial Estate, New Road, Uckfield, East Sussex TN22 5SX. Tel: +44 (0)1825 769277; Fax: +44 (0)1825 768330.