Oil mist elimination to achieve environmental emission standards

Citation

(2004), "Oil mist elimination to achieve environmental emission standards", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 56 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ilt.2004.01856ead.002

Oil mist elimination to achieve environmental emission standards

Oil mist elimination to achieve environmental emission standards

Keywords: Environment, Emission, Oil

A purpose designed oil mist eliminator (OME) from Dollinger International can remove the source of environmental pollution which attracts condemnation worldwide and can lead to substantial fines in countries with strong Eco lobbies. Fugitive emissions of oil-laden exhaust air from lubrication systems associated with high-performance machinery are indicated by “visible smoke plumes”. Sites that can benefit from fugitive emission control are power generation, including CHP/COGEN plants, gas compression stations, air separation plants, together with offshore platforms and petrochem refineries.

Turbines, compressors and other high-speed rotating equipment require vacuum conditions with high flow rates at elevated temperatures to maintain adequate lubrication for bearings. Under these adverse operating conditions, the combination of heat and high shear forces results in large volumes of fine oil mist droplets being created within bearing compartments and oil reservoirs, which lead to visible fugitive emissions when vented to atmosphere.

Over time, evidence of these emissions becomes more obvious as the fall-out of oil mist droplets on surrounding buildings or walkways attracts dirt. This increases health, fire and accident risks and involves costs for regular clean-up. Even more costly effects are registered where the oil mist is ingested by air intake systems for other primary equipment. This leads to higher maintenance, possibly unscheduled plant shut downs or even equipment failure.

The OME 1000 oil mist eliminator from Dollinger incorporates pleated coalescing filter technology, designed to remove even sub-micronic particles from exhaust air flows (Plate 1). This effectively deals with 99.97 percent of entrained oil droplets, guaranteeing less than 5ppm by weight of oil mist carryover. Oil droplets trapped by the OME 1000 filtration system coalesce into larger masses which are then drained back to the lubrication oil reservoir for reuse. Visible plumes and subsequent environmental pollution are eliminated, while the other substantial losses to atmosphere of expensive synthetic or mineral oils are eliminated. Reduced losses, increased performance and minimum maintenance all lead to higher plant operating efficiencies.

Plate 1 Dollinger OME 1000 oil mist eliminator

The savings generated by the prevention of oil losses, combined with the elimination of subsequent environmental clean-up and plant maintenance procedures, means that an OME installation can achieve payback in only a matter of months. Maintenance-free performance of the OME, with up to 5 years operation from one fitter cartridge can also be anticipated, depending upon dirt loading conditions.

The OME 1000 can be sized to suit individual installation requirements with nonblower, blower and educator-assisted models available for both positive and negative pressure systems. Models have been developed specifically for all types of lubrication systems. Simply quoting a manufacturer and model number for this equipment (even for older machines), will enable Dollinger to identify an appropriate oil mist eliminator from their range.

For further information contact: Dollinger International, Killamey, Co Kerry, Ireland. Tel: +353 64 333 22; Fax: +353 64 333 71; E-mail: sales.dollinger@airtreatment.spx.com; Web site: www.dollinger-ireland.com