The Importance of Lube Oil and Lube Oil Filtration Techniques

Product | 22 Jan 2019

Lubricants or lube oils are the lifeblood of every ‘oil-wetted’ machinery. Such is the importance that an engine cannot practically work without the presence of lube oil. Lube oil not only ensures the smooth & resistance free movement of the internal components of an engine by isolating all parts from each other, but it also carries out a number of other very critical tasks such as:

• Lubrication: It provides lubrication to all the moving parts to reduce friction and wear.
• Cooling: It absorbs the heat produced by the engine and effectively dissipates it.
• Cleaning: The lube oil transports additives such as detergents and dispersants for cleaning, by picking up the foreign particles formed during combustion.
• Sealing: The oil also seals the combustion chamber from the crankcase by acting as a liquid film between piston rings and liner walls.

Contaminants in the Lube Oil

While using a good quality oil for your engine is important, no oil can retain its purity forever. The engine system is not a closed loop network where you would pump the oil once and forget about it. Rather, the oil is prone to contamination through various internal and external sources which can introduce impurities into the oil. The internal sources form the majority of oil degraders due to impurities released from activities such as combustion, wear and the break down of hydrocarbons in the oil. The ignition process involves the blending of fuel and air, which gives birth to byproducts such as carbon and partially burned fuel along with other contaminants such as acids, water, varnish, and lacquers which degrade the oil. Time is also an enemy of oil as with time, the hydrocarbons forming the oil break down owing to the weakening molecular linkages.

Lube Oil Filtration Techniques

In order to keep the oil at its optimum level, a filtration process is required. An effective lube oil filter ensures that the oil remains free of impurity and performs its tasks efficiently.

Accordingly, there are at least 3 techniques used to filter oil mentioned below:
1. Full flow filtration: Where all of the oil pump output is filtered before entering the engine.
2. Bypass filtration: Where a pre-determined amount of the oil flow is filtered to a considerably better degree than in a full-flow system, before moving back into the oil sump.
3. Combination filtration: Where both full flow and bypass techniques are utilized in the filter.

Fleetguard is one of the leading filter manufacturers in India providing some of the best lube oil filtration components such as:

Cartridge Filters
a) Full flow
b) By-Pass

Spin-On Filters
a) Full flow
b) By-Pass
c) Venturi combo
d) Conventional combo

Lube Filter Assemblies
a) Lube filter with head
b) Lube filter head with combo filtration
c) Lube filter head with a bypass valve

Centrifugal Filters
a) Cone-Stac design
b) Spira-Tec design

The development of more and more sophisticated engines and the need for meeting higher emission standards are driving the automotive filter manufacturers to design the best of filters. The stronger and advanced media used by Fleetguard ensures higher capacity, enhanced efficiency, and improved performance. By efficiently removing the particles that cause wear of engine, engine oil can last longer and therefore require less frequent oil changes. This results in lower man-hours translating to less downtime and more revenue generation.